Astronomy
Due to its location three hours north of the lights of the Golden Horseshoe, Haliburton Forest is part of the Algonquin Dome, offering truly dark, light free viewing of the skies. This location allows astronomers to observe individual stars, galaxies and deep sky objects not normally observed in light polluted locations.
The Observatory: Situated on a small rise near the entrance point into Haliburton Forest, the observatory offers an unobstructed view of the night skies. The plain, 1½ story observatory building suits the wilderness setting. Once the roof rolls off, it reveals its true identity as a home for telescopes and other astronomy equipment. The ground floor is set up for presentations.
The Telescopes: Two 10″ and one 12″ Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes are mounted to facilitate viewing of the skies. Self-tracking and equipped with computerised functions accessing a 64,000 object database, these state of the art systems make sky observations easy, pleasant and effective.
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Famous quotes containing the word astronomy:
“It is noticed, that the consideration of the great periods and spaces of astronomy induces a dignity of mind, and an indifference to death.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Awareness of the stars and their light pervades the Koran, which reflects the brightness of the heavenly bodies in many verses. The blossoming of mathematics and astronomy was a natural consequence of this awareness. Understanding the cosmos and the movements of the stars means understanding the marvels created by Allah. There would be no persecuted Galileo in Islam, because Islam, unlike Christianity, did not force people to believe in a “fixed” heaven.”
—Fatima Mernissi, Moroccan sociologist. Islam and Democracy, ch. 9, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. (Trans. 1992)