The Sphinx Observatory on a mountain top in the Swiss Alps at 3,571 m (11,716 ft)
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology
are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been
constructed. Historically, observatories were as simple as containing an
astronomical sextant (for measuring the distance between stars) or Stonehenge (which has some alignments on astronomical phenomena).
Astronomical observatories
Astronomical observatories are mainly divided into four categories: space-based, airborne, ground-based, and underground-based.
Ground-based observatories
The Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii, home of several of the world's largest optical telescopes at 4,205 m (13,796 ft)
Ground-based observatories, located on the surface of Earth, are used to make observations in the radio and visible light portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Most optical telescopes are housed within a dome
or similar structure, to protect the delicate instruments from the
elements. Telescope domes have a slit or other opening in the roof that
can be opened during observing, and closed when the telescope is not in
use. In most cases, the entire upper portion of the telescope dome can
be rotated to allow the instrument to observe different sections of the
night sky. Radio telescopes usually do not have domes.
For optical telescopes, most ground-based observatories are
located far from major centers of population, to avoid the effects of light pollution.
The ideal locations for modern observatories are sites that have dark
skies, a large percentage of clear nights per year, dry air, and are at
high elevations. At high elevations, the Earth's atmosphere is thinner, thereby minimizing the effects of atmospheric turbulence and resulting in better astronomical "seeing". Sites that meet the above criteria for modern observatories include the southwestern United States, Hawaii, Canary Islands, the Andes, and high mountains in Mexico such as Sierra Negra. A newly emerging site which should be added to this list is Mount Gargash. With an elevation of 3600 m above sea level, it is the home to the Iranian National Observatory and its 3.4m INO340 telescope. Major optical observatories include Mauna Kea Observatory and Kitt Peak National Observatory in the US, Roque de los Muchachos Observatory and Calar Alto Observatory in Spain, and Paranal Observatory in Chile.
Specific research study performed in 2009 shows that the best possible location for ground-based observatory on Earth is Ridge A — a place in the central part of Eastern Antarctica. This location provides the least atmospheric disturbances and best visibility.
Radio observatories
Beginning in 1930s, radio telescopes have been built for use in the field of radio astronomy
to observe the Universe in the radio portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum. Such an instrument, or collection of instruments, with
supporting facilities such as control centres, visitor housing, data
reduction centers, and/or maintenance facilities are called radio observatories. Radio observatories are similarly located far from major population centers to avoid electromagnetic interference (EMI) from radio, TV, radar, and other EMI emitting devices, but unlike optical observatories, radio observatories can be placed in valleys for further EMI shielding. Some of the world's major radio observatories include the Socorro, in New Mexico, United States, Jodrell Bank in the UK, Arecibo in Puerto Rico, Parkes in New South Wales, Australia, and Chajnantor in Chile.
Highest astronomical observatories
Since the mid-20th century, a number of astronomical observatories have been constructed at very high altitudes, above 4,000–5,000 m (13,000–16,000 ft). The largest and most notable of these is the Mauna Kea Observatory, located near the summit of a 4,205 m (13,796 ft) volcano in Hawaiʻi. The Chacaltaya Astrophysical Observatory in Bolivia, at 5,230 m (17,160 ft), was the world's highest permanent astronomical observatory from the time of its construction during the 1940s until 2009. It has now been surpassed by the new University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory, an optical-infrared telescope on a remote 5,640 m (18,500 ft) mountaintop in the Atacama Desert of Chile.
Oldest astronomical observatories
The oldest proto-observatories, in the sense of a private observation post,
- Wurdi Youang, Australia
- Zorats Karer, Karahunj, Armenia
- Loughcrew, Ireland
- Newgrange, Ireland
- Stonehenge, Great Britain
- Quito Astronomical Observatory, located 12 minutes south of the Equator in Quito, Ecuador.
- Chankillo, Peru
- El Caracol, Mexico
- Abu Simbel, Egypt
- Kokino, Kumanovo, Republic of Macedonia
- Observatory at Rhodes, Greece
- Goseck circle, Germany
- Ujjain, India
- Arkaim, Russia
- Cheomseongdae, South Korea
- Angkor Wat, Cambodia
The oldest true observatories, in the sense of a specialized research institute, include:
- 825 AD: Al-Shammisiyyah observatory, Baghdad, Iraq
- 869: Mahodayapuram Observatory, Kerala, India
- 1259: Maragheh observatory, Azerbaijan, Iran
- 1276: Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory, China
- 1420: Ulugh Beg Observatory, Samarqand, Uzbekistan
- 1442: Beijing Ancient Observatory, China
- 1577: Constantinople Observatory of Taqi ad-Din, Turkey
- 1580: Uraniborg, Denmark
- 1581: Stjerneborg, Denmark
- 1642: Panzano Observatory, Italy
- 1642: Round Tower, Denmark
- 1633: Leiden Observatory, Netherlands
- 1667: Paris Observatory, France
- 1675: Royal Greenwich Observatory, England
- 1695: Sukharev Tower, Russia
- 1711: Berlin Observatory, Germany
- 1724: Jantar Mantar, India
- 1753: Stockholm Observatory, Sweden
- 1753: Vilnius University Observatory, Lithuania
- 1753: Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada, Spain
- 1759: Trieste Observatory, Italy
- 1757: Macfarlane Observatory, Scotland
- 1759: Turin Observatory, Italy
- 1764: Brera Astronomical Observatory, Italy
- 1765: Mohr Observatory, Indonesia
- 1774: Vatican Observatory, Vatican
- 1785: Dunsink Observatory, Ireland
- 1786: Madras Observatory, India
- 1789: Armagh Observatory, Northern Ireland
- 1790: Royal Observatory of Madrid, Spain,
- 1803: National Astronomical Observatory (Colombia), Bogotá, Colombia.
- 1811: Tartu Old Observatory, Estonia
- 1812: Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy
- 1830/1842: Depot of Charts & Instruments/US Naval Observatory, USA
- 1830: Yale University Observatory Atheneum, USA
- 1838: Hopkins Observatory, Williams College, USA
- 1838: Loomis Observatory, Western Reserve Academy, USA
- 1839: Pulkovo Observatory, Russia
- 1839/1847: Harvard College Observatory, USA
- 1842: Cincinnati Observatory, USA
- 1844: Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory, USA
- 1873: Quito Astronomical Observatory, Ecuador
- 1878: Lisbon Astronomical Observatory, Portugal
- 1884: McCormick Observatory, USA
- 1888: Lick Observatory, USA
- 1890: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, USA
- 1894: Lowell Observatory, USA
- 1897: Yerkes Observatory, USA
- 1899: Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, India
The Hubble Space Telescope in Earth's orbit
Space-based observatories
Space-based observatories are telescopes or other instruments that are located in outer space, many in orbit
around the Earth. Space telescopes can be used to observe astronomical
objects at wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that cannot
penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and are thus impossible to observe using ground-based telescopes. The Earth's atmosphere is opaque to ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays and is partially opaque to infrared
radiation so observations in these portions of the electromagnetic
spectrum are best carried out from a location above the atmosphere of
our planet.
Another advantage of space-based telescopes is that, because of their
location above the Earth's atmosphere, their images are free from the
effects of atmospheric turbulence that plague ground-based observations. As a result, the angular resolution of space telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope is often much smaller than a ground-based telescope with a similar aperture.
However, all these advantages do come with a price. Space telescopes
are much more expensive to build than ground-based telescopes. Due to
their location, space telescopes are also extremely difficult to
maintain. The Hubble Space Telescope was serviced by the Space Shuttle while many other space telescopes cannot be serviced at all.
The James Webb Space Telescope(JWST) will replace the Hubble Space Telescope in 2021.
SOFIA on board a Boeing 747SP
Airborne observatories
Airborne observatories have the advantage of height over ground
installations, putting them above most of the Earth's atmosphere. They
also have an advantage over space telescopes: The instruments can be
deployed, repaired and updated much more quickly and inexpensively. The Kuiper Airborne Observatory and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy use airplanes to observe in the infrared, which is absorbed by water vapor in the atmosphere. High-altitude balloons for X-ray astronomy have been used in a variety of countries.
Volcano observatories
A volcano observatory is an institution that conducts research and monitoring of a volcano. Among the best known are the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the Vesuvius Observatory. Mobile volcano observatories exist with the USGS VDAP (Volcano Disaster Assistance Program), to be deployed on demand.
