 At 2200 m in altitude, in an atmosphere that is pure, with no trace of turbulence, the « OFXB » could not have found a more appropriate site to settle into. Inaugurated in 1995 and half-financed by the Foundation de François-Xavier Bagnoud d'Albina de Boisrouvay, the observatory welcomes scientists as well as the public.
Since its opening, nearly 500,000 visitors have answered the call of the stars. Here, nebulas, galaxies and other stellar clusters reveal themselves through the 600mm telescope, the ticking off of the stars is controlled from a computer server, and the images can be admired on an office computer. There's high tech equipment worthy of star wars, like the coelostat which allows an image of the sun that is 110 cm in diameter to be projected onto a screen which makes sun spots appear. Lovers of interstellar sensations will be able to don special glasses before embarking onto the Elysium 7 shuttle for a 3D voyage to Mars.
And then, even if the OFXB's vocation is to make the cosmos known to the greatest number of people, the Observatory has just made a nice scientific breakthrough with the University of Geneva. In fact, it has detected the transit of a planet the size of Neptune located outside the solar system which has the distinction of being composed of « hot ice », a physical state that doesn't exist on Earth.
An intergalactic voyage that begins with taking the St-Luc-Tignousa cable car, which brings you very close to the observatory. An experience that one can prolong by climbing the celebrated « pathway of the planets ». Please note that 2009 is the year of astronomy: a celebration that coincides with the first observation made by Galileo in 1609 and which will be an occasion for following events around this exciting theme.
For more information: www.ofxb.ch
Observatoire Francois-Xavier Bagnoud,
3961 Saint-Luc.
Tél.: 027 475 58 08 ou 079 304 80 59
Photo: Observatoire François-Xavier Bagnoud
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