Since Spring 1983, the Pic du Midi and Toulouse Observatory has put the Gentilly 60-cm telescope at the disposal of amateurs. There was an initial experimental trial in 1982, and an amateur Programme Committee was set up in 1983. The “T.60 Association” took over the whole of the operation in 1984. So far, five hundred different amateur astronomers have used the equipment. The prime advantage of the T.60 is its site at the Pic du Midi, 2877 m altitude, one of the best observing sites in the world.

By giving new facilities to amateurs, the T.60 offers considerable scientific and educational rewards. Work that has already been carried out includes: determination of H-R diagrams of faint clusters, spectra of planetary nebulae, polarimetric and interferometric studies of nebulae, photoelectric and visual studies of variable stars, research into the chemical composition of faint stars, and observations of mutual phenomena of Jupiter’s satellites.