The Mont-Cosmos Observatory, inaugurated in 1971, has been given a facelift as part of a modernization project. For the past two years, Maxime Royer, a doctoral student in astrophysics at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, has been working on this initiative in parallel with his project, under the supervision of Gilles Joncas.
Ultimately, this modernization will provide the student community with on-site and remote access to modern equipment to enhance the quality of observations made as part of their astrophysics projects.
"It’s something I wasn’t able to do during my career," stresses Maxime Royer. It’s a sort of legacy that I want to achieve by the end of my doctorate."
The project is divided into three phases, starting with the acquisition of the new telescope, followed by a new dome. The third phase, currently being financed, will equip the telescope with high-tech instruments and add a meteorological station.
"There are still a few details to be worked out, including the choice of scientific camera for the research projects in question. I need to look at the technical choices for phase 3," reports Maxime Royer.
Located in Saint-Elzéar, the research center is under the responsibility of Université Laval and the Corporation de l’Observatoire du Mont-Cosmos. It attracts over a hundred visitors to its astronomy activities. Maxime Royer believes that its modernization will facilitate the popularization of science among the general public.
The telescope was donated by ABB. The company had chosen the site to install a Planewawe CDK telescope to carry out research for a customer. With the client’s consent, ABB chose to donate the telescope and install it permanently at the end of the project.
For Professor Gilles Joncas, this donation highlights the University’s openness to innovative partnerships and will transform its research and teaching capacity. He points out that, thanks to ABB’s support, students will now have access to professional-level resources for astronomical observations that will enrich their training and open up new academic and professional prospects.
