Marseille Observatory

Marseille Observatory

Organization	Aix Marseille University, University of Provence
Location	Marseille, France
Coordinates
Website	www.lam.fr

Marseille Observatory or Observatoire de Marseille or Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille is an astronomical observatory run by Aix-Marseille University and the CNRS. It is located in Marseille, France. In its first incarnation, it was the discovery site of a group of galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet or Hickson 92, discovered by Édouard Stephan in 1877.

The Marseille Observatory merged with the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique Spatiale (LAS) c. 2006 to become the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) within the Observatoire Astronomique Marseille Provence (OAMP). OAMP, then, included Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille and Haute-Provence Observatory or Observatoire de Haute Provence.

LAM was relocated in 2008 in a new 10,000 sq.meter facility in the Technopôle Chateau-Gombert in Marseille. The Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille is a joint research unit (Unité Mixte de Recherche - UMR 7326) between CNRS and Aix Marseille University (AMU). LAM facility includes two major technology plateforms for qualification of space instruments and for fabrication and metrology of optical mirrors. LAM astronomers specialize in Cosmology and Galaxy Evolution, Exoplanets and Solar System, and R&D in Optics and Instrumentation.

In 2012, the Observatoire Astronomique Marseille Provence (OAMP) merged with other earth-sciences research institutes from Aix Marseille University and became a new entity called the Observatoire des Science de l'Univers Institut Pythéas (OSU-IP).

The Observatoire des Science de l'Univers Institut Pythéas (OSU-IP) now includes 6 major labs for earth and universe sciences : CEREGE, IMBE, MIO, LAM. LPED, MIO plus the Haute-Provence Observatory.

External links

• Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, updated Jan. 2014
• OSU-Institut Pythéas, updated Jan. 2014
• Observatoire de Haute Provence, updated Jan. 2014