Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (Victoria)

 observatory, place with historical importance, planetarium, telescope, 1918_construction, 1910s construction

Designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2001. From the time of its completion in 1918 until the 1960s it was one of the world’s main astrophysical research centres.

The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory is located at the top of a hill, 227 m above sea level in Saanich, British Columbia. The observatory, built from 1914-1918, is a cylindrical structure 20.2 m in diameter and 22.3 m high that is topped by a domed roof with two arched slats that open to allow the telescope to focus on the night sky.

Many discoveries were made using the observatory’s 1.83 m reflecting telescope and spectroscopes at DOA. The most important early work was the identification and classification of higher temperature stars. In 1922, the first DAO director John S. Plaskett discovered a spectroscopic binary that was four times larger than any previously discovered. During the 1920s and 1930s, the DAO also produced in-depth studies on the nature of star evolution and motions in space, which notably added to the understanding of the rotation of the Milky Way and how stars age. Much of the work was focussed on specific classes of stars, for which the observatory and Canadian astronomers received international attention.

The observatory was constructed using the world’s most advanced design for an observatory in the early 20th century. The telescope, remarkable for its accuracy, clarity of optical lenses and spectroscopes, was a major engineering accomplishment and briefly the largest in the world. The focal ratio of the telescope was ideal for the stellar spectroscopy at the Observatory, and its asymmetrical mount gave it access to most of the sky, the first of this type for a reflecting telescope.

The telescopes are in constant use today and are open for visitors year round. An bilingual interpretive centre called the Centre of the Universe was opened in 2002.

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