Description: Mount John University Observatory, New Zealand, is situated at an altitude of 1,031 meters on Mount John at the northern end of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand.
The observatory consists of four telescopes: two 0.6m, one 1.0m, and a 1.8m 'MOA Telescope'.
The nearest population centre is the resort town Lake Tekapo
The observatory was officially opened on 10 July 1965 and is operated by Canterbury University.
It is currently the focus of attention of astronomers, as the observatory is the prime viewing spot to view a rare occultation of a star by the planet Pluto on June 12th 2006, 16:25 UT. |