German-Spanish Astronomical Center

German-Spanish Astronomical Center

An observatory on the mountain Calar Alto in Almeria, Spain at an altitude of 2160 meters. A joint project of Germany and Spain, it is an outpost of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MIPA), Heidelberg. The instruments include a 3.5-meter reflector with a Zerodur primary mirror, operational 1984, a 2.2-meter reflector, operational 1979 and with a twin at the European Southern Observatory at La Serena, a 1.5-meter reflector of Madrid University operational (independently) since 1979, a 1.2-meter reflector operational 1975, and a 0.8-meter Schmidt moved from Hamburg Observatory.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006