Los Molinos Observatory

Los Molinos Observatory (Spanish: Observatorio Astronómico Los Molinos, OALM; obs. code: 844) is an astronomical observatory owned by the Ministerio de Educación y Cultura de Uruguay and operated in collaboration with the University of the Republic's Astronomy Department. It is located near the city of Las Piedras, on the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay.^[1]

Los Molinos Observatory

Telescopes at Los Molinos Observatory
Alternative names	Observatorio Astronómico Los Molinos
Organization	University of the Republic
Observatory code	844
Location	Montevideo, Montevideo Department, Uruguay
Coordinates	34°45′19″S 56°11′25″W
Altitude	28 m (92 ft)
Established	1994
Website	www.oalm.gub.uy/en/index.html
Location of Los Molinos Observatory
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The observatory is actively involved in follow-up observations of small bodies in the Solar System such as asteroids and comets.^[2] It has the observatory code 844.^[3]

The main-belt asteroid 10476 Los Molinos, discovered by American astronomer Schelte Bus at the Siding Spring Observatory in 1981, was named after this observatory.^[2] The official naming citation was published on 13 April 2017 by the Minor Planet Center (M.P.C. 103975).^[4]

Discoveries

Further information: Variable star designation

• Main belt asteroid, 68853 Vaimaca, on 19 April 2002^[5]
• Main belt asteroid, 73342 Guyunusa, on 4 May 2002^[6]
• Variable star, VSX J034330.8-442815, on 18 November 2011^[7]
• Variable star, VSX J074722.4+220414, on 19 November 2011^[8]