Poste-de-la-Baleine Magnetic Observatory

On the shore of Hudson Bay, where the Grande rivière de la Baleine meets the sea near Kuujjuarapik and Whapmagoostui in northern Quebec, the Poste-de-la-Baleine Magnetic Observatory has quietly tracked Earth's magnetic field for decades, far from city lights in Canada's subarctic north.

About Poste-de-la-Baleine Magnetic Observatory

The observatory is operated by Natural Resources Canada as part of the country's national geomagnetic network, identified internationally by the IAGA code PBQ. Two small purpose-built structures - an instrument building and an absolute building - house its magnetometers, roughly 100 metres east of the Centre d'études nordiques field station.

History

The current site was established on September 9, 1984, succeeding an earlier station at Great Whale River that had operated from January 1965 until July 31, 1984. The station was originally designed as a conjugate-point partner to Byrd Station in Antarctica, studying how magnetic field lines couple the northern and southern hemispheres.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits on Quebec's Hudson Bay coast, near the twin communities of Kuujjuarapik and Whapmagoostui, deep in the province's remote subarctic north.

Visiting Poste-de-la-Baleine Magnetic Observatory

This is a working research station rather than a public attraction, so it isn't generally open for tours. Anyone travelling to the area should check with Natural Resources Canada beforehand and plan access through Kuujjuarapik, reachable by regional flight.

See your named star from here

Poste-de-la-Baleine watches Earth's magnetic field rather than the stars, but its position far above 55°N, under some of Canada's darkest subarctic skies, makes the surrounding coast an excellent place for naked-eye stargazing and aurora watching. Bring your named star's coordinates and a star-finder app to track it down from here. Browse the star catalogue or name a star before you go.