The Pic du Midi de Bigorre () or simply the Pic du Midi (elevation ) is a mountain in the French Pyrenees. It is the site of the Pic du Midi Observatory.

Pic du Midi Observatory

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The 2-metre Bernard Lyot Telescope was placed at the observatory in 1980 on top of a 28-meter column built off to the side to avoid wind turbulence affecting the seeing of the other telescopes. It is the largest telescope in France. The observatory also has a coronagraph, which is used to study the solar corona. A 0.60-meter telescope (the Gentilly's T60 telescope) is also located at the top of Pic du Midi. Since 1982 this T60 is dedicated to amateur astronomy and managed by a group of amateurs, called association T60. and named Helene in 1988. It is also a trojan moon of Dione.

The main-belt asteroid 20488 Pic-du-Midi, discovered at Pises Observatory in 1999, was named for the observatory and the mountain it is located on. It's the sixth in the world, the first in Europe and the only one still today in France.

The IDSR aims to limit the exponential propagation of light pollution, in order to preserve the quality of the night. Co-managed by the Syndicat mixte for the tourist promotion of the Pic du Midi, the Pyrénées National Park and the Departmental Energy Union 65, its priority actions are the public education on the impacts and consequences of these pollutions as well as the establishment of responsible lighting in the Haut-Pyrenean territory.

It covers 3,000 km<sup>2</sup>, or 65% of the Hautes-Pyrénées. The IDSR includes 251 communes spread around the Pic du Midi de Bigorre and is distinguished in two zones:

  • A core zone, devoid of any permanent lighting and witnessing an exceptional night quality;
  • A buffer zone, in which the territory actors recognize the importance of the nocturnal environment and undertake to protect it.

The IDSR initiated the program "Ciel Etoilé" (Starry sky), program of reconversion of the 40 000 luminous points of its territory, the program "Gardiens des Etoiles" (Guardians of the stars), program of metrological monitoring of the light pollution evolution, but also the program "Adap'Ter", project that will identify "trames sombres" (Dark frame: nocturnal biodiversity deplacements).

Climate

Pic du Midi de Bigorre has a mediterranean alpine climate with a polar temperature regime due to its high elevation. Due to the Gulf Stream moderation of the surrounding lowlands, temperature swings are in general quite low. This results in temperatures rarely exceeding even during lowland heat waves, and also temperatures beneath being extremely rare. The UV index is higher than in the surrounding lowlands due to the elevation. Snow cover is permanent during winter months, but melts for a few months each year. Seasonal lag is extreme during winter and spring, with February being the clearly coldest month, and May having mean temperatures below freezing. Among lowland climates, the station closely resembles Nuuk in Greenland for the temperature regime.

See also

  • List of astronomical observatories

References

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  • Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées
  • Profile of climb from Col du Tourmalet on www.climbbybike.com
  • A night on the "Vaisseaux d'Etoiles" (Starship) du Pic du Midi - Photo gallery
  • Histoire de l'observatoire du Pic du Midi (Observatory history)
  • Video about the Pic du Midi, by Roger Servajean, on Paris Observatory digital library