Victoria Magnetic Observatory

Victoria Magnetic Observatory sits on Little Saanich Mountain, roughly 16 km north of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, on the same grounds as the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory.

About Victoria Magnetic Observatory

Established in 1957, the observatory measures variations in Earth's geomagnetic field for scientific research and monitoring. It is operated by the Geological Survey of Canada and sits at an elevation of about 197 metres.

History

A permanent variometer building, a small 5.5 by 5.5 metre cement block structure with two rooms and a light trap entrance, was completed in September 1959. Digital recording began in June 1971 with the AMOS Mk I system, and the current CANMOS (Canadian Magnetic Observatory System) instrumentation was installed in March 1992.

Telescopes & research

Today the site uses a tri-axial ringcore fluxgate magnetometer alongside an Overhauser Proton Precession Magnetometer, recording data at 1-second, 5-second, and 1-minute intervals to track geomagnetic activity.

Location & getting there

The observatory shares its hilltop site north of Victoria with the historic Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, in a quiet, elevated setting on Vancouver Island.

Visiting Victoria Magnetic Observatory

As a scientific monitoring station, it does not run public tours in the way a visitor observatory would; check with the Geological Survey of Canada for any access details before travelling.

See your named star from here

Victoria Magnetic Observatory measures the invisible forces of Earth rather than the light of distant stars, but the neighbouring Dominion Astrophysical Observatory site is a reminder of how much can be learned by measuring precisely. Name a star of your own, or browse the catalogue of named stars.