The Sphinx Observatory at the Jungfraujoch in the Swiss Alps, high altitude observatories are less affected by the atmosphere. Jungfraujoch (el 3471 m is a col or saddle between the Mönch and the Jungfrau in the Bernese Alps on the boundary between the cantons The Swiss Alps (Schweizer Alpen Alpes suisses Alpi svizzere Alps svizras are the central portion of the Alps Mountain range that lies within

An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial and/or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Climatology (from Greek grc κλίμα klima, "region zone" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of Climate, scientifically Meteorology (from Greek grc μετέωρος metéōros, "high in the sky" and grc -λογία -logia) is the Interdisciplinary Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Oceanography (from the greek words Ωκεανός meaning Ocean and γράφω meaning to write also called oceanology or Volcanology (also spelled vulcanology) is the study of Volcanoes, Lava, Magma, and related geological and Geophysical phenomena 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). This article is about the Sextant as used for Astrometry. For the navigator's sextant, see Sextant. A star is a massive luminous ball of plasma. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the Energy on Earth Stonehenge is a Prehistoric Monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury

Astronomical observatories

Ground-based observatories

Paranal Observatory, home of the Very Large Telescope, a cluster of four large (8. Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on Cerro Paranal at 2635 mts The Very Large Telescope ( VLT) is a system of four separate Optical telescopes (the Antu telescope, the Kueyen telescope, the Melipal 2 meter diameter) telescopes.

Ground-based observatories, located on the surface of Earth, are used to make observations in the radio and visible lights portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio frequency ( RF) is a Frequency or rate of Oscillation within the range of about 3 Hz to 300 GHz The electromagnetic (EM spectrum is the range of all possible Electromagnetic radiation frequencies Most optical telescopes are housed within a dome or other similar structure in order to protect the delicate instruments from the elements. An optical telescope is a Telescope which is used to gather and focus light mainly from the visible part of the Electromagnetic spectrum A dome is a common structural element of Architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a Sphere. Telescope domes contain a slat or other opening in the roof that can be opened during observing and then closed when the telescope is not in use. In most cases, the entire upper portion of the telescope dome can be rotated in order to allow the instrument to observe different sections of the night sky. Radio telescopes usually do not have domes.

Optical observatories

For optical telescopes, most ground-based observatories are located far from major centers of population in order to avoid the effects of light pollution. Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excess or obtrusive Light created mainly by Humans Among other effects 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". Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five In Fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a fluid regime characterized by chaotic Stochastic property changes Astronomical seeing refers to the blurring and twinkling of astronomical objects such as stars caused by Turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere ^[1] Sites that meet the above criteria for modern observatories include the southwestern United States, Hawaii, the Andes Mountains, and Australia. The Southwestern area of the United States could be defined as the states west of the Mississippi River, with the qualification of a certain northern limit such as the 37 The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the The Andes form the world's longest exposed Mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. ^[2] Major optical observatories include Mauna Kea, HI, USA, Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in Spain, Paranal Observatory in Chile and Kitt Peak observatory in the USA. The Observatories at Mauna Kea, (MKO are an independent collection of astronomical research facilities located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i Roqué de los Muchachos Observatory is an Astronomical observatory located in the municipality of Garafía on the island of La Palma in the Canary Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on Cerro Paranal at 2635 mts Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the The Kitt Peak National Observatory ( KPNO) is a United States astronomical Observatory located on a 2096 m (6880 ft peak of the The largest observatory in the equatorial belt is Observatorio Nacional de Llano del Hato in Venezuela. The Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory ( Observatorio Nacional de Llano del Hato) is an astronomical Observatory in Venezuela, run by the Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the

Radio observatories

Beginning in the 1930's, radio telescopes have been built for use in the field of radio astronomy. A radio telescope is a form of directional Radio antenna used in Radio astronomy and in tracking and collecting data from Satellites Radio astronomy is a subfield of Astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. Such an instrument, or a collection of them, with outbuildings for such things as control centres, data reduction centers, and maintenance are called radio observatories. Radio observatories are similarly located far from major centers of population in order to avoid electromagnetic interference (EMI) from radio, TV, radar, and other EMI emitting devices. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships But unlike optical observatories, radio observatories will be placed in valleys to further shield them from EMI. In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is Some of the major radio observatories are at Socorro, in New Mexico, USA, Jodrell Bank in the UK, Arecibo, Puerto Rico and Parkes in New South Wales, Australia. The Very Large Array ( VLA) is a Radio astronomy Observatory located on the Plains of San Augustin, between the towns of Magdalena New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Jodrell Bank Observatory (originally the Jodrell Bank Experimental Station, then the Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories from 1966 to 1999 is an Observatory The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Arecibo Observatory is a very sensitive Radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the town of Arecibo in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} The Parkes Observatory is a Radio telescope observatory 20 kilometres north of the town of Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

Space-based observatories

Main article: Space observatory

The Hubble Space Telescope, a space-based observatory

Space-based observatories are telescopes or other instruments that are located in outer space, many in orbit around the Earth. A space observatory is any instrument in Outer space which is used for observation of distant planets galaxies and other outer space objects The Hubble Space Telescope ( HST; also known colloquially as "the Hubble" or just "Hubble" is a space telescope that was carried into Outer space, often simply called space, comprises the relatively empty regions of the Universe outside the escape velocities of Celestial bodies. In Physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of one object around a point or another body for example the gravitational orbit of a planet around a star Space-based observatories 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. Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five 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. Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation especially visible Light. Ultraviolet ( UV) light is Electromagnetic radiation with a Wavelength shorter than that of Visible light, but longer than X-rays X-radiation (composed of X-rays) is a form of Electromagnetic radiation. Gamma rays (denoted as &gamma) are a form of Electromagnetic radiation or light emission of frequencies produced by sub-atomic particle interactions Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of ^[3] 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. ^[4] 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. Angular resolution describes the resolving power of any image forming device such as an optical or Radio telescope, a Microscope, a Camera The Hubble Space Telescope ( HST; also known colloquially as "the Hubble" or just "Hubble" is a space telescope that was carried into 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 can be serviced by the Space Shuttle while many other space telescopes can not be serviced at all. NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States ^[5]

Oldest astronomical observatories

"El Caracol" observatory temple at Chichen Itza, Mexico. Chichen Itza (tʃiːˈtʃɛn iːˈtsɑː from Chi'ch'èen Ìitsha' "At the mouth of the well of the Itza " is a The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.

Some of the oldest observatories include:

• Chankillo, Peru
• Abu Simbel, Egypt
• Stonehenge, Great Britain
• Kokino, Republic of Macedonia
• Goseck circle, Germany
• Ujjain, India
• Arkaim, Russia
• Cheomseongdae, South Korea
• Baghdad observatory, Iraq
• Ray, Iran
• Angkor Wat, Cambodia
• Maragheh observatory, Iran
• El Caracol, Mexico

Volcano observatories

Main article: Volcano observatory

A Volcano observatory is an institution that conducts research and monitoring of a volcano. Chankillo is an ancient monumental complex in the Peruvian coastal desert found in the Casma-Sechin Oasis in the Ancash Department of Peru Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. Abu Simbel ( أبو سنبل or ar '''أبو سمبل''' is an Archaeological site comprising two massive rock Temples in southern Egypt This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Stonehenge is a Prehistoric Monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Kokino (Кокино is an important archaeological site and a Megalithic Observatory discovered in 2001 by archeologist Jovica Stankovski in the northeastern The Republic of Macedonia (Република The Goseck circle is a Neolithic structure in Goseck in the Burgenlandkreis district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Ujjain ( Hindi:उज्जैन (also known as Ujain, Ujjayini, Avanti India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Arkaim is an archaeological site situated in the Southern Urals steppe 8 Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Cheomseongdae is an Astronomical observatory in Gyeongju, South Korea. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. See Rayshahr for the Sassanid center of learning in Fars province Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat) (អង្គរវត្ត is a Temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for King Suryavarman II The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Maragheh observatory ( Persian:رصدخانه مراغه Rasad Khaneh) is an Ancient Observatory, which was established in 1259 by For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Chichen Itza (tʃiːˈtʃɛn iːˈtsɑː from Chi'ch'èen Ìitsha' "At the mouth of the well of the Itza " is a The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. A volcano observatory is an institution that conducts research and monitoring of a Volcano. A volcano observatory is an institution that conducts research and monitoring of a Volcano. Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the Mobile volcano observatories exist with the USGS VDAP (Volcano Disaster Assistance Program), to be deployed on demand. The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government.

See also

• Space observatory
• Fundamental station
• Timeline of telescopes, observatories, and observing technology
• List of astronomical observatories
• List of observatory codes

References

External links

• Dearborn Observatory Records, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, Illinois
• Coordinates and satellite images of astronomical observatories on Earth
• Earth-based Observatories Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration
• Ocean Observatory Information, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Climate Change Observing Systems Information from the Ocean & Climate Change Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Milkyweb Astronomical Observatory Guide world's largest database of astronomical observatories since 2001 - about 2000 entries
• Coastal Observatory Information from the Coastal Ocean Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Map: Planetaria and Observatories

• List of amateur and professional observatories in North America with custom weather forecasts