The idea to create a site of astronomical research at Skinakas was conceived in the summer of 1984. Soon after the construction of a road to the mountain peak commenced. The University of Crete, the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas and the Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik agreed to build and operate together a telescope with the purpose of providing modern education in Astronomy to University students and also of supporting astronomical observations with emphasis on the research of extended sky objects such as comets and gaseous nebulae. The first Director of Skinakas Observatory was Prof. Ioannis Papamastorakis, who led the development of the Observatory until his retirement in 2009. The expected arrival of comet Halley in the Spring of 1986, after 76 years of wandering through the solar system, set the time schedule for the installation of the telescope, which having a wide field of view, and equipped with a highly sensitive electronic camera was especially suited for the observation of the comet. Indeed, after the construction of the road on the rocky mountain and the completion of the first stone-made observatory, hundreds of people from all over Greece, among them many officials, came to Skinakas in the Spring 1986, in order to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the Observatory on April 12, 1986, as well as to observe comet Halley. In 1988 the construction of the guesthouse, also made out of stone, was completed and immediately hosted the first school of Observational Astrophysics in Greece. The successful installation and operation of the first small, 0.3m diameter telescope, confirmed the excellent weather conditions at the top of Skinakas for high quality astronomical observations in the Mediterranean region. As a result, the partner institutions decided to further develop the Observatory by installing a larger and more modern Ritchey-Chrétien type telescope with a mirror diameter of 1.3 meters. The telescope, which commenced operations in the fall of 1995, was placed in a metal building to minimize local thermal disturbances. The 1.3m telescope was built using high standards of sharpness and wide field of view. These properties ensure excellent imagery and study of extended objects such as galaxies, star clusters and gaseous nebulae. To further improve the observation of extended objects, a focal reducer had been developed which nearly doubles the field of view while offering the possibility of spectroscopy. In 2006, in collaboration with the University of Tuebingen, a third 0.6m telescope was installed. This Cassagrain telescope, called "Ganymede" is fully robotic and web-driven and has a 29.3′×19.5′ field of view. Due to current refurbishing of the dome the telescope will become again operational in 2021. Since 2019 the operation of Skinakas Observatory is supported by personnel of the Institute of Astrophysics - FORTH and of the Dept. of Physics, of the Univ. of Crete. Its current director is Prof. Vassilis Charmandaris. On September 29 2019, the guesthouse of the observatory was officially renamed by the Rector of the Univ. of Crete, Prof. P. Tsakalides, to "Ioannis Papamastorakis Guest House". This honour recognized the seminal role of Ioannis Papamastorakis, Emeritus Professor of the Univ. of Crete and Director of Skinakas Observatory from 1984 until 2009, in conceiving the idea to create the first research observatory of a University in Greece and making it a reality. The event coincided with the 35 year anniversary of the founding of Skinakas Observatory, as well as 10 years since the retirement of Prof. Papamastorakis.
Instruments
Currently the instrumentation of the 1.3m telescope equipment includes:
a focal reducer that doubles the telescope's field of view and allows low resolution spectroscopy.
variability and acceleration mechanisms in blazar jets
Skinakas Observatory is the most productive in research results in Greece. By the end of 2019 data from its telescopes have contributed to 235 refereed publications. In addition, observations from the Observatory had been used to complete 14 PhD dissertations.
Education
The Observatory is used for the practical training and teaching needs of undergraduate students of the Department of Physics of the University of Crete, as well as for postgraduate research programs. The Observatory hosted the 2016 NEON summer school. In addition since the foundation of the Observatory in 1986 and during the summer months, regular "Open Days" are organised during which the public can visit the facilities of the Observatory and, weather permitting, observe through the 1.3m telescope using an eyepiece.
