Observatoire de Bédoin

Observatoire de Bédoin sits at the summit of Mont Ventoux above the village of Bédoin in Provence, France, a site built for atmospheric and meteorological observation rather than public astronomy.

About Observatoire de Bédoin

The facility was established in 1882 as a national meteorology observatory, taking advantage of Mont Ventoux's exposed 1,909-metre summit for atmospheric research. A road to the summit had been completed in 1879, three years earlier, opening up access to the site.

History

Since its founding, the observatory has served as a privileged vantage point for scientists studying the atmosphere. A television transmitter, broadcasting at 195 kW from a 50-metre pylon, was later built at the summit in the 1960s and has carried digital terrestrial television (TNT) since 31 March 2007.

Location & getting there

Mont Ventoux is one of Provence's best-known landmarks, its bare limestone summit visible for miles across the Vaucluse, part of the Europe region as classified here. The mountain is also famous among cyclists for its Tour de France climbs.

Visiting Observatoire de Bédoin

The summit itself is a popular stop for hikers and cyclists, though the observatory functions as a scientific and broadcasting facility rather than a public visitor site; check locally for any current access before travelling.

See your named star from here

At nearly 1,900 metres, Mont Ventoux's summit sits above much of the haze that affects lower-altitude skies, the kind of clear vantage point that makes finding a named star easier. A Star Register naming package gives you the exact coordinates, and the star catalogue is the place to start choosing one.