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{{Short description|Observatory}}
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{{Infobox telescope}}
The '''Kölner Observatorium für SubMillimeter Astronomie''' ('''KOSMA''') was a [[radio telescope]] for [[submillimeter astronomy]] located at {{convert|3135|m|ft|abbr=on}} on [[Gornergrat]] near [[Zermatt]] ([[Switzerland]]). It was operated by I. Physikalisches Institut, [[University of Cologne]], and Radioastronomisches Institut, [[University of Bonn]].<ref name="koeln" /><ref name="tech" />

The telescope had a primary diameter of {{convert|3|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and a secondary diameter of {{convert|0.27|m|ft}}. It was equipped with [[heterodyne]] receivers covering 210 to 820&nbsp;GHz, corresponding to wavelengths between 0.35 and 1.4&nbsp;mm, for observations of lines from the [[interstellar medium]].<ref name="tech" />

Because of the good climatic conditions at the altitude of 3135&nbsp;m (10285&nbsp;ft), astronomical observatories have been located in both towers of the [[Gornergrat Kulm Hotel|Kulmhotel]] at Gornergrat since 1967. In 1985, the KOSMA telescope was installed in the southern tower by the Universität zu Köln and, in the course of 1995, replaced by a new dish and mount. In the northern tower, a 1.5 m infrared telescope was operated until 2005 by an Italian association of universities ([[Gornergrat Infrared Telescope|TIRGO]]).

In 2010, the telescope was moved to a site in [[Yangbajain]] in [[Damxung County]] in [[Tibet]] at an altitude of 4300m and renamed CCOSMA.<ref name="ccosma" />

== See also ==
* The [[James Clerk Maxwell Telescope|James Clerk Maxwell submillimeter telescope]]
* The [[California Submillimeter Observatory]]
* [[Science and technology in Switzerland]]

==References==
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{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="koeln">{{cite web |title=Astro: KOSMA |url=https://astro.uni-koeln.de/index.php?id=17647 |website=astro.uni-koeln.de |accessdate=27 April 2020}}</ref>
<ref name="tech">{{cite web |title=Technical Details of the KOSMA telescope (2000) |url=https://zeus.ph1.uni-koeln.de/node/310 |accessdate=27 April 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
<ref name="ccosma">{{cite web |title=CCOSMA----National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences |url=http://english.nao.cas.cn/Research2015/rp2015/201701/t20170120_173615.html |website=english.nao.cas.cn |accessdate=27 April 2020}}</ref>
}}

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[[Category:Submillimetre telescopes]]
[[Category:Radio telescopes]]
[[Category:Science and technology in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Astronomical observatories in Switzerland]]


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