[3][5] A 1.06-meter (42-inch) telescope was installed in 1963, funded by NASA and was used to take detailed photographs of the surface of the Moon in preparation for the Apollo missions.

In 1965 the astronomers Pierre [fr] and Janine Connes were able to formulate a detailed analysis of the composition of the atmospheres on Mars and Venus, based on the infrared spectra gathered from these planets.

This analysis led James Lovelock, a scientist working for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, to conclude that neither Mars nor Venus had life.

The IDSR aims to limit the exponential propagation of light pollution, in order to preserve the quality of the night.

Co-managed by the Syndicat mixte for the tourist promotion of the Pic du Midi,[10] the Pyrénées National Park[11] and the Departmental Energy Union 65,[12] its priority actions are the public education on the impacts and consequences of these pollutions as well as the establishment of responsible lighting in the Haut-Pyrenean territory.

[15] Pic du Midi de Bigorre has a mediterranean alpine climate with a polar temperature regime due to its high elevation.