The Skinakas Observatory is a research facility operated jointly by the Foundation of Research and Technology - Hellas (F.O.R.T.H.), the University of Crete and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics of Germany. The Observatory is located on Mount Psiloritis, at the peak of Skinakas, at an altitude of 1750m and offers excellent conditions for high quality astronomical observations of the area of the Mediterranean. It is equipped with a variety of instruments, which make it qualify as one of the world's most well-equipped telescopes, in relation to its size.
High quality research on very interesting objects such as Active Galactic Nuclei requires coordinated observations at all wavelengths. Simultaneous observations in the X-rays and in the Optical wavelengths are of special interest.
A large part of the observational time at Skinakas Observatory is dedicated to simultaneous observations with orbital X-ray telescopes, like RXTE, XMM-Newton and Chandra. There are a number of open days at
Skinakas Observatory each year in order to give the general public the chance to find out about recent advances in science and technology.
This gives visitors the opportunity to get to know how the observatory operates, to be informed about the latest achievements in astrophysics and have a look through the amazing telescope. The open days for each year are posted in the official website of the observatory.
