The 'Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory' (CTIO, IAU code 807) is a complex of astronomical telescopes and instruments located at 30.169 S, 70.804 W, approximately 80 km to the East of
La Serena, Chile at an altitude of 2200 metres. The complex is part of the
National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) along with
Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in
Tucson, Arizona. The principal instruments are the 4-m
Victor M. Blanco Telescope and the 4.1-m
Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope, dedicated in April of
2004.
The NOAO is operated by the
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), which also operates the
Space Telescope Science Institute and the
Gemini Observatory. One of the two 8-m telescopes comprising the Gemini Observatory is co-located with CTIO on AURA property in
Chile.
The
National Science Foundation (NSF) is the funding agency for NOAO and the
United States portion of the International Cancer Project.
External links
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Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory Home Page
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SOAR Telescope Home Page
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Space Telescope Sciences Institute Home Page
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Gemini Observatory Home Page