Greek scientists will literally be reaching for the stars come September, when Aristarchos, a brand new telescope, takes its place atop Mount Helmos in the northern Peloponnese.
Named after Aristarchos of Samos (310-250 BC) - who was the first to assert that the earth revolves around the sun and to actually try to measure the distance between the two planets - the 2.3m telescope is the National Observatory of Athens pride and joy. Via this grand-scale project, the Observatory hopes to upgrade astronomical research and encourage international scientific collaborations.
Standing at 9 metres, weighing 34 tonnes and equipped with a 2,30-metre diameter, Aristarchos, located at an altitude of 2,340 metres, is the largest telescope in the Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan region. Financed by the European Commission and the development ministry's General Secretariat for Research and Technology, the ambitious project is estimated to cost a total of GDR1.5 billion (5 million euros).
Aristarchos will have its scientific eye on stellar clusters, associations and complexes, galaxies, planetary systems and nebulae located 5 billion Light Years away from the earth. It will also be in a position to process its observational data. The state-of-the-art telescope boasts a Ritchey-Chretien optical system and is being constructed by astronomical instruments giant Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH.
The new telescope's site was selected after careful research. Also known as Neraidorahi (fairy slope), the location, where according to legend fairies dance in the snow, is one of the darkest in Europe thus facilitating stellar observation. Even on cloudy winter nights, Helmos' peak is more often than not in the clear.
Travelling souls might want to note that Aristarchos, at 130km from Athens, is located approximately 15km from the historic town of Kalavryta, which played a key role in igniting the Greek War of Independence in the early 19th century. Not far from this...celestial site, ski aficionados may opt for more mundane pleasures at the popular ski centre on the northwestern slopes of Mt Helmos.
