astronomy

La Plata Astronomical Observatory

La Plata Astronomical Observatory is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand La Plata Astronomical Observatory rather than just read about it. In short: The La Plata Astronomical Observatory (Spanish: Observatorio Astronómico de La Plata) is an observatory located in the city of La Plata, capital of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its IAU code is 839.

Key takeaways

La Plata Astronomical Observatory belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect La Plata Astronomical Observatory to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of La Plata Astronomical Observatory from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The La Plata Astronomical Observatory (Spanish: Observatorio Astronómico de La Plata) is an observatory located in the city of La Plata, capital of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its IAU code is 839.

History

La Plata was a planned city, intended as the capital of the province after the city of Buenos Aires became the Argentina's Federal Capital. The observatory was the result of the 1872 establishment of the National Meteorological Bureau, enacted by President Domingo Sarmiento on an initiative by U.S. astronomer Benjamin Apthorp Gould (who lived in Argentina between 1870 and 1885). The construction of the Observatory was funded by a decree passed by La Plata's founder, Buenos Aires Province Governor Dardo Rocha, on 7 May 1881. In this decree the Engineering Department was ordered to set up plans and a budget for several public buildings, including an astronomical observatory. Designed by the master planner of La Plata, Pedro Benoit, ground was broken on the observatory in November 1883. A year earlier, the Paris Observatory had sent astronomical instruments to the city of Bragado, Buenos Aires, to observe a transit of Venus in front of the Sun, for which the location was particularly suitable, and which raised considerable interest in scientific circles. The first director of the new institution was Francisco Beuf, a lieutenant of the French Army and director of the Naval Observatory of Toulon.

See also List of astronomical observatories Lists of telescopes

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with La Plata Astronomical Observatory

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what La Plata Astronomical Observatory claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to La Plata Astronomical Observatory before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about La Plata Astronomical Observatory ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of La Plata Astronomical Observatory

In research: La Plata Astronomical Observatory appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses La Plata Astronomical Observatory in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: La Plata Astronomical Observatory is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1883 establishments in Argentina, Astronomical observatories in Argentina, Buildings and structures completed in 1883, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for La Plata Astronomical Observatory outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study La Plata Astronomical Observatory in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what La Plata Astronomical Observatory means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain La Plata Astronomical Observatory out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is La Plata Astronomical Observatory in simple terms?

Why does La Plata Astronomical Observatory matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study La Plata Astronomical Observatory?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on La Plata Astronomical Observatory.