the Observatory's material resources

Lighting diagnostic and light pressure metrology equipment

  • Konica-Minolta CL-70F spectrophotometer (measures illuminance, irradiance, colour temperature, wavelength and colour rendering index);
  • Leica laser rangefinder for measuring the heights of streetlights;
  • Fusion Optix Pro luminance meter (this tool can be used to assess differences in luminance and thus identify excessive contrasts for the human eye);
  • Field GIS for public lighting diagnostics, with customised input fields, Open Street Map (OSM) and satellite backgrounds, and Galileo positioning system on the smartphone (accuracy greater than 4m);
  • Analysis tools to determine biological impact indices based on spectral data from light sources;
  • Minolta luxmeter;
  • Stand-alone SQM photometers (continuous measurement and recording of night sky brightness, GPS position, air temperature and humidity);
  • Cup anemometer (resolution 0.1 m/s);
  • Network of TESS-W photometers (in conjunction with the Stars4All project team and, on Reunion Island, the Société d'études ornithologiques de La Réunion).
© Samuel Challéat Observatoire Environnement Nocturne CNRS UMR 5602 GÉODE Nighttime Environment Observatory French National Center for Scientific Research nuit pollution lumineuse paysage nocturne obscurité ciel étoilé éclairage public extinction lumière artificielle nocturne réserve territoire ALAN artificial light at night public lighting light pollution nighttime environment nightscape lightscape starry sky reserve starry night darkness

Bioacoustic equipment

Pour des suivis long terme des paysages sonores, ainsi que des relevés et suivis oiseaux et chiroptères :

  • 1 SM4 Acoustic Recorder (Wildlife Acoustics);
  • 50 AudioMoth programmable recorders (Open Acoustic Devices);
  • 3 acoustic trajectography antennas for chiropterans (Suvatech Trajecto V1);
  • 2 Echometer Touch pro for listening to, recording and identifying bats (time expansion and heterodyne mode);
  • 2 Petterson M500-384 ultrasonic microphones with Bat Recorder application (smartphone & tablet);
  • 1 Pettersson D200 heterodyne detector, for use in animation.
© Samuel Challéat Observatoire Environnement Nocturne CNRS UMR 5602 GÉODE Nighttime Environment Observatory French National Center for Scientific Research nuit pollution lumineuse paysage nocturne obscurité ciel étoilé éclairage public extinction lumière artificielle nocturne réserve territoire ALAN artificial light at night public lighting light pollution nighttime environment nightscape lightscape starry sky reserve starry night darkness

Audio recording equipment

For professional-quality stakeholders recordings, and for field recordings:field recording) de qualité professionnelle :

  • 2 ORTF couples;
  • 2 lavalier microphones;
  • 1 hypercardioid microphone;
  • 2 Carbon Fiber Microphone Rods (4 metres);
  • 2 Zoom H5 recorders;
  • 2 Zoom H6 recorders;
  • Rycote windscreens and cages for all microphones, XLR cables.
© Samuel Challéat Observatoire Environnement Nocturne CNRS UMR 5602 GÉODE Nighttime Environment Observatory French National Center for Scientific Research nuit pollution lumineuse paysage nocturne obscurité ciel étoilé éclairage public extinction lumière artificielle nocturne réserve territoire ALAN artificial light at night public lighting light pollution nighttime environment nightscape lightscape starry sky reserve starry night darkness

Photographic equipment

For high-sensitivity, high-resolution night photography:

  • Canon EOS 5D Mark III;
  • Canon EOS 5D Mark IV;
  • Canon L-series lenses: 14 mm/f:2.8, 24 mm/f:1.4, 16-35 mm/f:2.8, 40 mm/f:2.8, 70-200 mm/f:2.8 stabilised;
  • Manfrotto 360°×360° panoramic head;
  • Gitzo and Manfrotto tripods.
© Samuel Challéat Observatoire Environnement Nocturne CNRS UMR 5602 GÉODE Nighttime Environment Observatory French National Center for Scientific Research nuit pollution lumineuse paysage nocturne obscurité ciel étoilé éclairage public extinction lumière artificielle nocturne réserve territoire ALAN artificial light at night public lighting light pollution nighttime environment nightscape lightscape starry sky reserve starry night darkness