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ARISTARCHOS Telescope

A 2.3 m telescope in the Peloponnese, Greece

A Unique Infrastructure

Helmos Observatory is located on mount Helmos (Aroania) in the Northern Peloponnese at an altitude of 2340 m (22˚ 11′ 46″ East, 37˚ 59′ 04″ North), 130 km west of Athens and about 15 km from the city of Kalavryta. The site is one of the darkest areas in Greece and Europe.

  • ARISTARCHOS – A 2.3m instrument in the Peloponnese operated by IAASARS

  • Quality – Excellent quality of optics

  • International Collaborations – Partner of ESA/ScyLight,OPTICON-RadioNet Pilot

Φωτογραφία του Τηλεσκοπίου Αρίσταρχος από το εσωτερικό του Θόλου
Observing Schedule

Observing Schedule

July 1, 2022 – October 31, 2022

At a Glance

HOTSPOT Project

In the framework of ScyLight

ScyLight Project

ScyLight Project

The first ScyLight pilot station | Helmos Observatory

OPTICON-RadioNet Pilot

OPTICON-RadioNet Pilot

ARISTARCHOS is a member of the network

News

ERMIS Project Press Release

23/06/2023|

The Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS) of the National Observatory of Athens actively participates as one of the main pillars in the Hellenic network for the ERMIS Hellenic Cubesat Demonstration Mission that aims to certify new, innovative space technologies and applications, such as 5G communications for the Internet of Things (IoT), satellite telecommunications and a multispectral camera for earth observation.

Latest Publications

The selection of the Helmos Observatory by ESA as the first ground station for “fiber in the sky” is crucial in order for our country to play a central role in the new generation applications for the space sector.

This successful collaboration of the National Observatory of Athens with ESA and the Ministry of Digital Governance opened the possibility for other national infrastructure to be included in the program.”

DR SPYROS BASILAKOS, Director of IAASARS

Our Partners

Discover The Universe

Meet Our Team

Spyros Basilakos
Spyros BasilakosDirector of IAASARS
Spyros Basilakos is a cosmologist with a career spanning scientific research, academic teaching and science communication.
Panayiotis Hantzios
Panayiotis HantziosHead of Helmos OBS
Senior Researcher at the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing
Manolis Xilouris
Manolis XilourisTelescope Operations Manager
Research Director at the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics,
Space Applications and Remote Sensing
Panayotis Boumis
Panayotis BoumisInstrumentation Manager
Instrumentation Manager of the 2.3m ‘Aristarchos’ telescope and the 1.2m telescope at Kryoneri. He founded and he is the P.I. of the Optical and Electronics laboratories.
Alceste Bonanos
Alceste BonanosUser Support
Dr. Bonano’ s research interests include Observational Extragalactic Stellar Astrophysics, with emphasis on massive stars and the extragalactic distance scale.
Athanassios Maroussis
Athanassios MaroussisEngineering support
Dr. Maroussis has participated in a large number of research projects, European and national, in the wider field of telecommunications.
Alexios Liakos
Alexios LiakosPostdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Liakos has worked for the “Aristarchos Wide Field Camera” (AWFC) and the “Manchester-Athens Wide Field Camera” (MAWFC) projects. Since November 2015 he has been working for the NELIOTA project.
John Alikakos
John AlikakosSupport Astronomer & Telescope Οperator
Dr. Alikako’s research focuses on Multi-Wavelength studies of Supernova Remnants (SNRs) and the interaction with the Interstellar medium.
Alexis Gourzelas
Alexis GourzelasTechnical Support & Telescope Operator
Mr. Gourzela’s tasks include telescope and local network maintenance, as well as electrical and automation equipment maintenance.
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