Mont Mégantic Observatory

At the summit of Mont Mégantic - the highest point in Eastern Canada reachable by car - the Mont Mégantic Observatory has been probing the night sky above Quebec since the 1970s, home to the second-largest telescope in the eastern half of the country.

About Mont Mégantic Observatory

The Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic (OMM) is owned and operated jointly by the Université de Montréal and Université Laval. Its work is significant enough that the asteroid 4843 Mégantic was named in the observatory's honour.

History

The observatory's origins trace to 1970, and the facility was formally opened in 1978. It has operated continuously since, becoming a fixture of Quebec astronomy and a landmark of the surrounding region.

Telescopes & research

OMM houses the second-largest telescope in Eastern Canada, surpassed only by the David Dunlap Observatory near Toronto - giving researchers here some of the most capable optics in the region for studying the night sky.

Location & getting there

Sitting at 1,105 metres elevation on the summit of Mont Mégantic, the observatory is about 60 kilometres east of Sherbrooke and 190 kilometres east of Montreal, in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

Visiting Mont Mégantic Observatory

Public visiting programs and opening times are best confirmed on the observatory's official website before you travel, since access to the summit facility can depend on season and weather.

See your named star from here

With serious optics and genuinely dark skies, Mont Mégantic Observatory is a fitting place to try to spot a star you've named. Explore our star-naming packages or browse the catalogue of stars already named through Star Register.