Skinakas Observatory
The Skinakas Observatory is a research facility operated jointly by the Foundation of Research and Technology - Hellas (F.O.R.T.H.), the University of Crete and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics of Germany. The Observatory location, at Skinakas peak on the Psiloritis mountain at an altitude of 1750m, offers excellent conditions for high quality astronomical observations of in the area of the Mediterranean. It is equipped with a variety of instruments, which qualify it as one of the world's best equipped telescopes, at least relatively to its size.
High quality research on very interesting objects like Active Galactic Nuclei requires coordinated observations at all wavelengths. Of special interest are simultaneous observations in the X-rays and in the Optical wavelengths. In Skinakas Observatory a significant portion of the observational time is used for simoultaneous observations with orbital X-ray telescopes, like RXTE, XMM-Newton and Chandra.
Skinakas Observatory offers a number of open days each year in order to make the general public familiar with recent advances in science and technology. This provides the opportunity to visitors to be introduced to the operation of the observatory, to be informed about the latest achievements in astrophysics, as well as to observe through the telescope. The open days for each year are posted in the official website of the observatory.
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