Bauduen Observatory Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Var (83) Altitude: 483 m Nearby: [ Bauduen | Lac de Ste. Croix | Moustiers-Ste-Marie | Gorges du Verdon ] Observatories: [ Bauduen | CERGA | Champtercier | Haute-Provence ] The Observatoire Astronomique de Bauduen, on the southern end of the Lac de Ste. Croix, offers observation of the distant stars and our own nearby sun as well as discovery classes in geology, botany, photography and spelunking. The location is beautiful and handy. At the extreme southern end of the Lac de Ste. Croix, the observatory is just across a small inlet from the village of Bauduen, on the D17 road. It's from over here that you'll find the most picturesque view of the village. The lake itself is a great vacation place, and there is a camping site on the D17 just across the road from the observatory. The northern end of the lake is next to two beautiful and famous visiting spots for this part of France: the Grand Canyon du Verdon and, 7 km to the north, the village of Moustiers-Ste-Marie. Night Viewing A three-hour night of astronomy begins at 21:30 during the summer. Winter viewing is on Saturday night at 21:00, dependant on the weather. An all-night "stage" (course) in astronomy is also offered, and the price for 1965 was only 150 francs. Daytime Viewing and Visiting guided visits of the observatory observation of the sun a photographic exposition a paleontologic exposition a collection of meteorites Classes ("stages") In addition to the all-night astronomy class mentioned above, you have the choice of courses in: Geology, 3 hours (for groups only) Geology field-trip, 8 hours (for groups only) Photography, 8 hours The Telescopes For observing our celestial neighbours, you will be using: a 62 cm telescope, inside a 5 m coupole, a 31 cm telescope, in a 4 m coupole, a 45 cm Dobson telescope, and a 10 cm coronograph. Numbers Address: Observatoire des Vallons; Bauduen; 83630 France Tel: (33) 494 84 39 19 Open for visits every day during the summer, and Sunday afternoons during the winter. Typical Prices: FF 25 (adult), FF 15 (child) for guided visits. FF 70 (adult), FF 40 (child) for the 3-hour nighttime astronomy