List of astronomical observatories

This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in operation. While other sciences, such as volcanology and meteorology, also use facilities called observatories for research and observations, this list is limited to observatories that are used to observe celestial objects.

Astronomical observatories are mainly divided into four categories: space-based, airborne, ground-based, and underground-based.

Many modern telescopes and observatories are located in space to observe astronomical objects in wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere (such as ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays) and are thus impossible to observe using ground-based telescopes.^[1] Being above the atmosphere, these space observatories can also avoid the effects of atmospheric turbulence that plague ground based telescopes, although new generations of adaptive optics telescopes have since then dramatically improved the situation on the ground. The space high vacuum environment also frees the detectors from the ancestral diurnal cycle due to the atmospheric blue light background of the sky, thereby increasing significantly the observation time.

An intermediate variant is the airborne observatory, specialised in the infrared wavelengths of the EM spectrum, that conduct observations above the part of the atmosphere containing water vapor that absorbs them, in the stratosphere.

Historically, astronomical observatories consisted generally in a building or group of buildings where observations of astronomical objects such as sunspots, planets, asteroids, comets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies in the visible wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum were conducted. At first, for millennia, astronomical observations have been made with naked eyes. Then with the discovery of optics, with the help of different types of refractor telescopes and later with reflector telescopes. Their use allowed to dramatically increase both the collecting power and limit of resolution, thus the brightness, level of detail and apparent angular size of distant celestial objects allowing them to be better studied and understood. Following the development of modern physics, new ground based facilities have been constructed to conduct research in the radio and microwave wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, with radio telescopes and dedicated microwave telescopes.

Modern astrophysics has extended the field of study of celestial bodies to non electromagnetic vectors, such as neutrinos, neutrons and cosmic-rays or gravitational waves. Thus new types of observatories have been developed. Interferometers are at the core of gravitational wave detectors. In order to limit the natural or artificial background noise, most particle detector based observatories are built deep underground.

Observatories[]

Name	Established	Location
Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory	1932	Abastumani, Georgia
	1976	Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
		Tupper Lake, New York, USA
Adolphson Observatory	2013	Monmouth, Illinois, USA
Airdrie Public Observatory	1896	Airdrie, Scotland
Aker Observatory	1995	Safford, Arizona, USA
Aldershot Observatory	1906	Aldershot, Hampshire, England
Algonquin Radio Observatory	1959	Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Allegheny Observatory	1859	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Ametlla de Mar Observatory	1992	l'Ametlla de Mar, Catalonia, Spain
AMiBA	2006	Mauna Loa, Hawaii, USA
Anderson Mesa Station	1959	Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Angell Hall Observatory	1927	Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Ankara University Observatory	1963	Gölbaşı, Ankara, Turkey
Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array	2002	Antarctica
Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory	1994–2005	Antarctica
ANTARES	2008	In the Mediterranean Sea near Toulon
Apache-Sitgreaves Observatory	2005	Overgaard, Arizona, USA
Apache Point Observatory	1985	Sunspot, New Mexico, USA
		Apatity, Russia
Apollo Observatory	1969	Dayton, Ohio, USA
Arcetri Observatory		Arcetri, Florence, Italy
Arecibo Observatory (defunct)	1963-2020	Arecibo, Puerto Rico, USA
Argentine Institute of Radio Astronomy	1966	Berazategui Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
Armagh Observatory	1790	Armagh, United Kingdom
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences	1954	Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
Ashton Observatory	1983	Baxter, Iowa, USA
Asiago Astrophysical Observatory	1942	Asiago, Italy
Assheton Observatory	1860	Lancashire, United Kingdom
Astron (defunct)	1983–1989	Highly eccentric Earth orbit
	2011	Hechingen, Germany
Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon	1867	Lisbon, Portugal
Astronomy Centre	1982	Todmorden, England
Astronomy Tower of the Sorbonne	1885-1909 (only for amateur use since 1980)	Paris, France
Astrophysical Institute Potsdam	1992	Potsdam, Germany
Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX)	2003	Llano de Chajnantor Observatory, Chile
Australia Telescope Compact Array	1988	Narrabri, Australia
Australian Astronomical Observatory	1971	Coonabarabran, Australia
Badlands Observatory	2000	Quinn, South Dakota, USA
Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Telescope	1993	Baikal Lake, Russia
Bangladesh Astronomical Observatory	2015	Dhaka, Bangladesh
Baker Observatory	1980	Marshfield, Missouri, USA
Baksan Neutrino Observatory	1977	, , Russia
Ball State University Observatory		Muncie, Indiana, USA
Barnard Observatory (defunct)	1859	Oxford, Mississippi, USA
Bareket Observatory	1990	Maccabim, Israel
	1960	Chesterfield, England, UK
Bayfordbury Observatory	1969	Hertfordshire, England, UK
Behlen Observatory	1972	Mead, Nebraska, USA
Beijing Astronomical Observatory	1958	Beijing, China
Beijing Ancient Observatory	1442	Beijing, China
Belgrade Observatory	1887	Belgrade, Serbia
Belogradchik Observatory	1961	Belogradchik, Bulgaria
Benmore Peak Observatory	1996	Mackenzie Basin, South Island, New Zealand
BeppoSAX (defunct)	1996–2003	Low Earth orbit
Bergisch Gladbach Observatory		Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
Berlin Observatory	1711	Germany
Besançon Observatory	1882	Besançon, France
BESS	1993	Antarctic
Bidston Observatory	1849	Bidston, England, UK
Big Bear Lake Solar Observatory	1969	Big Bear City, California, USA
Bisdee Tier Optical Astronomy Observatory	2010	Bisdee Tier, Spring Hill, Tasmania, Australia
Black Moshannon Observatory (defunct)	1972	Pennsylvania, USA
Blackett Observatory	1930s	Wiltshire, England, UK
Blue Mesa Observatory (defunct)	1967	New Mexico, USA
Boambee Observatory	1987	Boambee, NSW, Australia
	1996	Youngchun, Republic of Korea
BOOTES	1985	Spain
Bordeaux Observatory	1878	Floirac, France
Bosscha Observatory	1923	Lembang, West Java, Indonesia
Boswell Observatory (defunct)	1883	Crete, Nebraska, USA
Bowman Observatory	1940	Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
Boyden Observatory	1889	Bloemfontein, South Africa
Bradstreet Observatory	1996	St. Davids, Pennsylvania, USA
Bradley Observatory	1950	Decatur, Georgia, USA
Braeside Observatory (defunct)	1976	Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Brera Observatory	1764	Milan, Italy
	2012	Bridgewater, Massachusetts, USA
Brooks Observatory		Toledo, Ohio, USA
Brooks Astronomical Observatory	1964	Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA
Brorfelde Observatory		Holbæk, Denmark
Bucharest Observatory	1910	Bucharest, Romania
Bucknell Observatory		Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Burrell Memorial Observatory	1940	Berea, Ohio, USA
Byurakan Observatory	1946	Mount Aragats, Armenia
Cagigal Observatory	1888	Caracas, Venezuela
Cagliari Observatory	1899	Cagliari, Sardinia
Calais Observatory (defunct)	1857	Calais, Maine
Calar Alto Observatory	1975	Almería, Spain
Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (defunct)	1986	Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA
Cambridge Observatory	1823	Cambridge, United Kingdom
Camille Flammarion Observatory	1883	Juvisy-sur-Orge, France
Campbelltown Rotary Observatory	2000	Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
Campo Imperatore Near-Earth Object Survey	2001	Campo Imperatore, Italy
Canopus Hill Observatory		Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Capilla Peak Observatory		Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Capodimonte Observatory	1812	Naples, Italy
Carter Observatory	1937	Wellington, New Zealand
Catania Astrophysical Observatory		Catania, Italy
Cawthron Atkinson Observatory	1883	Nelson, New Zealand
Celestial Observatory		Russellville, Arkansas, USA
Centennial Observatory	2004	Twin Falls, Idaho, USA
Cerro Armazones Observatory	1995	Atacama Desert, Chile
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory	1962	Atacama Desert, Chile
Cerro Pachón Observatory	2000	Atacama Desert, Chile
Chabot Space & Science Center	1883	Oakland, California, USA
Chamberlin Observatory	1890	Denver, Colorado, USA
		Changchun, Jilin Province, China
Chandra X-ray Observatory	1999	Highly eccentric Earth orbit
	2013	, Italy
Chico Community Observatory		Chico, California, USA
Chilbolton Observatory	1967	Chilbolton, UK
Cima Ekar Observing Station	1966	Asiago, Italy
Cincinnati Observatory	1843	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
City Observatory, Edinburgh	1818	Edinburgh, Scotland
Clarke Observatory	1897 / 1923	Dunkirk, New York / Alliance, Ohio, USA
Class of 1951 Observatory	1997	Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
Cloudcroft Observatory (defunct)	1962	New Mexico, USA
Coats Observatory	1883	Paisley, Scotland
Coit Observatory		Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Collins Observatory	2003	Corning, New York, USA
		Leipzig, Germany
Colombo University Observatory	1920s	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (defunct)	1991–2000	Low Earth orbit
Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (defunct)	1991–2000	Low Earth orbit
ÇOMÜ Ulupınar Observatory	2002	Çanakkale, Turkey
Concordia College Observatory		Moorhead, Minnesota, USA
Consell Observatory	1987	Majorca, Spain
Copenhagen University Observatory	1861	Copenhagen, Denmark
Cordell–Lorenz Observatory		Sewanee, Tennessee, USA
COROT	2006	Polar orbit
Cosmic Background Imager (CBI)	1999	Llano de Chajnantor Observatory, Chile
Côte d'Azur Observatory	1988	France
Crane Observatory		Topeka, Kansas, USA
Crawford Observatory	1880	Cork, Ireland
Creighton University Observatory (defunct)	1886–1955	Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Crimean Astrophysical Observatory	1945	Nauchnyj, Crimea
Črni Vrh Observatory	1975	Idrija, Slovenia
Cupillari Observatory		La Plume, Pennsylvania, USA
Custer Observatory	1927	Southold, New York, USA
Daniel S. Schanck Observatory (defunct)	1865	Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Daniel Scholl Observatory (defunct)	1886–1966	Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
Dark Sky Observatory	1981	Phillips Gap, Wilkes County, North Carolina, USA
Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE)	2015	500 km LEO
Darling's Observatory (defunct)	1917	Duluth, Minnesota, USA
Dearborn Observatory	1889	Evanston, Illinois, USA
Detroit Observatory	1854	Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
David Dunlap Observatory	1935	Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Dome C		Antarctica
Dominion Observatory	1905	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory	1947	Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory	1960	Kaleden, British Columbia, Canada
Dunsink Observatory	1785	Dublin, Ireland
Durham University Observatory	1839	Durham, United Kingdom
Dyer Observatory	1953	Brentwood, Tennessee, USA
Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope	1972	Bonn, Germany
Ege University Observatory	1965	Kemalpaşa, Izmir, Turkey
Einstein Observatory (defunct)	1978	Low Earth orbit
Elginfield Observatory	1969	Middlesex Centre, Ontario, Canada
Ellis Observatory	2004	Sterling Hill Mining Museum, Ogdensburg, New Jersey, USA
Embry-Riddle Observatory	2005	Daytona Beach, Florida, USA
Eskdalemuir Observatory	1908	Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
European Gravitational Observatory	2003	Cascina , Italy
European Southern Observatory La Silla Observatory New Technology Telescope Llano de Chajnantor Observatory Very Large Telescope Paranal Observatory European Extremely Large Telescope	1962 1969 1989 2005 1998 1999 2026	Atacama Desert, Chile
Fabra Observatory	1906	Barcelona, Spain
Fan Mountain Observatory	1966	Albemarle County, Virginia, USA
Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope	2013	Duyun, Pingtang County, Guizhou Province, China
Félix Aguilar Observatory	1965	San Juan, Argentina
Fernbank Observatory		Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope	2008	Orbit
Fick Observatory	1966	Boone, Iowa, USA
Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (defunct)	1976 - 2011	New Salem, Massachusetts, USA
Flarestar Observatory		San Gwann, Malta
Foggy Bottom Observatory	1951	Hamilton, New York, USA
Foothill Observatory		Los Altos Hills, California, USA
Ford Observatory	1998	Ithaca, New York, USA
Fox Observatory		Sunrise, Florida, USA
Fox Park Public Observatory	1999	Potterville, Michigan, USA
Francis Marion University Observatory	1982	Florence, South Carolina, USA
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory	1968	Mount Hopkins, Arizona, USA
Fremont Peak Observatory	1986	San Juan Bautista, California, USA
Frosty Drew Observatory	1980s	Charlestown, Rhode Island, USA
Fuertes Observatory	1917	Ithaca, New York, USA
Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)	2003	Caltech, JPL
Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory	1276	Dengfeng, Henan, China
Gauribidanur Radio Observatory	1976	Gauribidanur, Karnataka, India
Gemini Observatory	1999	Southern Operations Center: La Serena, Chile; Northern Operations Center: Hilo, Hawaii, USA
Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT)	1995	Pune, Maharashtra, India
Gifford Observatory	1912	Wellington, New Zealand
Girawali Observatory	2006	Pune, Maharashtra, India
Glen D. Riley Observatory	1973	Naperville, Illinois, USA
Godlee Observatory	1902	Manchester, England
Goodsell Observatory	1887	Northfield, Minnesota, USA
Goethe Link Observatory	1939	Brooklyn, Indiana, USA
Goldendale Observatory	1973	Goldendale, Washington, USA
Gornergrat (HFSJG) (defunct)	1967–2005	Gornergrat, Switzerland
	1881	Szombathely, Hungary
Granat (defunct)	1989–1999	Highly eccentric Earth orbit
Gran Telescopio Canarias	2006	Canary Islands, Spain
Grant O. Gale Observatory	1984	Grinnell, Iowa, USA
Green Bank Telescope,		Green Bank, West Virginia, USA
Green Point Observatory,	1961	Sutherland, New South Wales, Australia
Grenfell Observatory	2012	Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Griffith Observatory	1935	Los Angeles, California, USA
Guillermo Haro Observatory	1972	Cananea, Sonora, Mexico
HALCA (defunct)	1997–2005	Elliptical earth-centered orbit
Haleakala Observatory		Maui, Hawaii, USA
	1987	Heesch, Netherlands
Hamburg Observatory	1803	Hamburg, Germany
Hat Creek Radio Observatory	1950s	Shasta County, California, USA
Hard Labor Creek Observatory		Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Space Hard X-Ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT)	2017	550 km LEO
Hartung–Boothroyd Observatory	1974	Ithaca, New York, USA
Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory	1961	Gauteng, South Africa
Hartwell House	1831	Harwell, UK
Harvard College Observatory	1839	Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics	1973	Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Haute-Provence Observatory	1937	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France
Haystack Observatory	1964	Westford, Massachusetts, USA
Hector J Robinson Observatory	1964	Lincoln Park, Michigan, USA
Helium and Lead Observatory	2012	Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Helmos Observatory	2007	Mount Helmos, Greece
Helsinki University Observatory	1834	Helsinki/Kirkkonummi, Finland
Herrett Observatory	2004	Twin Falls, Idaho, USA
Herschel Space Observatory	2009	Earth–Sun L2 point
Hidden Valley Observatory	1960s	Rapid City, South Dakota, USA
Hida Observatory, Kyoto University	1968	Takayama, Gifu, JAPAN
Heyden Observatory, Georgetown University	1844	Washington, DC, USA
High Energy Stereoscopic System	2002	Khomas Region, Namibia
Highland Road Park Observatory	1997	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Hinode	2006	Low Earth orbit
Hirsch Observatory	1942	Troy, New York, USA
Hobbs Observatory	1974	Fall Creek, Wisconsin, USA
Hoher List Observatory	1954	Daun, Germany
Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium	1954	Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Hong Kong Observatory	1883	Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Hoober Observatory	1993	Rotherham, United Kingdom
Hopkins Observatory	1838	Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA
Howell Observatory		Starkville, Mississippi, USA
Hradec Králové Observatory	1961	Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
Huairou Solar Observing Station		Beijing, China
Hubble Space Telescope	1990	Low Earth orbit
Huggins Observatory defunct	1856	London, UK
Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory	1940	London, Ontario, Canada
Hyde Memorial Observatory	1977	Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
IceCube Neutrino Observatory	2010	Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station
Indian Astronomical Observatory	2001	Hanle, Ladakh, India
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias	1975	Canary Islands, Spain
INTEGRAL	2002	Highly eccentric Earth orbit
Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) (defunct)	January–November 1983	Earth orbit
Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) (defunct)	1995–1998	Earth orbit
Innsbruck Observatory		Innsbruck, Austria
IRAM 30m telescope	1984	Pico Veleta, Spain
IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer	1988	Gap, Hautes-Alpes, France
Iranian National Observatory	2017	Mount Gargash, Iran
Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes	1979	La Palma, Spain
Isasc Roberts' Observatory (defunct)	1890	Crowborough, United Kingdom
Iso-Heikkilä Observatory (defunct)	1935 (only amateur use since 1972)	Turku, Finland
Constantinople Observatory of Taqi ad-Din	1577	Constantinople, Turkey
Istanbul University Observatory	1936	Istanbul, Turkey
	1960	Locarno, Switzerland
Jack C. Davis Observatory	2002	Carson City, Nevada, USA
	1792	Cracow, Poland
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope	1987	Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA
James Gregory Telescope	1962	St. Andrews, UK
James Webb Space Telescope	2021	Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point
James Wylie Shepherd Observatory	2009	Montevallo, Alabama, USA
Jakarta Observatory	1968	Jakarta, Indonesia
Jantar Mantar	1727	Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Jena Observatory	1962	Jena, Germany
Jewett Observatory	1953	Pullman, Washington, USA
Jodrell Bank Observatory	1945	Cheshire, England
	2014	Johor, Malaysia
Jones Observatory	1936	Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Judson B. Coit Observatory		Boston, Massachusetts, USA
KAIRA	2011	Kilpisjarvi, Finland
	~1980	Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran
Kamioka Observatory	1983	Hida, Gifu, Japan
Kanzelhoehe Solar Observatory	1943	Villach, Austria
Karl Schwarzschild Observatory	1960	Jena, Germany
Keck Observatory	1993	Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA
Keeble Observatory	1963	Ashland, Virginia, USA
Keele Observatory	1962	Keele University, England
Kennon Observatory	1939	Oxford, Mississippi, USA
Kepler Space Observatory	2009	Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit
Kevola Observatory	1963
Kielder Observatory	2008	Kielder Forest, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom
King's Observatory (defunct)	1769	Greater London, United Kingdom
Kirkwood Observatory	1901	Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Kitami Observatory		Hokkaidō, Japan
Kitt Peak National Observatory	1958	Tucson, Arizona, USA
Kleť Observatory	1957	České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Kodaikanal Solar Observatory	1899	Palani, Tamil Nadu, India
Konkoly Observatory	1871	Budapest, Hungary
Kopernik Observatory & Science Center	1974	Vestal, New York, USA
KOSMA observatory	1985–2010	Gornergrat, Switzerland
Kottamia Astronomical Observatory	1964	Egypt
Kuffner observatory	1884	Austria
Kuiper Airborne Observatory (retired)	1974	14 km in the stratosphere
Kwasan Observatory, Kyoto University	1929	Kyoto, Japan
Kvistaberg Observatory		Sweden
Kyung Hee Observatory	1992	Seoul, South Korea
	2001	Grenoble, France
Observatorio de La Cañada (La Cañada Observatory)	2002	Ávila, Spain
Ladd Observatory	1891	Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Lake Afton Public Observatory	1979	Wichita, Kansas, USA
Lamont–Hussey Observatory (defunct)	1928	Bloemfontein, South Africa
Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl	1898	Königstuhl, Heidelberg, Germany
La Plata Astronomical Observatory	1883	La Plata, Argentina
La Silla Observatory	1969	Atacama Desert, Chile
Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO)	2019	Daocheng County, Sichuan, China
Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST)	2009	Xinglong Station, Hebei, China
Large Millimeter Telescope		Sierra Negra, Puebla, Mexico
Las Brisas Observatory	1979	Colorado, USA
Las Campanas Observatory		La Serena, Chile
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope	2005	Global network
Laws Observatory	1880	Columbia, Missouri, USA
Leander McCormick Observatory	1885	Mount Jefferson, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Lee Observatory	1873	American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Leiden Observatory	1633	Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
		Leipzig, Germany
Leoncito Astronomical Complex	1986	Calingasta, San Juan, Argentina
Levenhagen Observatory		Seattle, Washington, USA
Lick Observatory	1881	Mount Hamilton, San Jose, California, USA
LightBuckets (commercial observatory)	2007	Rodeo, New Mexico, USA
LIGO	1999	Hanford Site & Livingston Louisiana
Lindheimer Astrophysical Research Center (defunct)	1966-1995	Evanston, Illinois, USA
Llano de Chajnantor Observatory	2005	Atacama Desert, Chile
Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory	1975	Mérida, Venezuela
Lockyer Technology Centre	2010	Sidmouth, Devon, England
Long Wavelength Array	2010	Socorro, New Mexico, USA
	2010	, Brazil
Lowell Observatory Anderson Mesa Station	1894 1959	Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Lulin Observatory	1999	Mount Lulin, Taiwan
Lund Observatory	1749	Lund, Sweden
	1953	, Yunnan Province, China
Lyon Observatory	1878	Saint-Genis-Laval, France
Macalester College Observatory		Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Macfarlane Observatory defunct	1757	Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Magdalena Ridge Observatory (under construction)	2006	Socorro County, New Mexico, USA
	1991	Majorca, Spain
Malakoff Tower	1845	Recife, Brazil
Manastash Ridge Observatory	1972	Ellensburg, Washington, USA
Manuel Foster Observatory (defunct)	1903	Santiago, Chile
Maragheh Observatory	1259	Maragheh, Iran
Margaret M. Jacoby Observatory	1978	Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
Maria Mitchell Observatory	1908	Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA
Marina Towers Observatory (Not In Use)	1989	Maritime Quarter, Swansea, Wales
Markree Observatory (defunct)	1837	County Sligo, Ireland
Marseille Observatory		Marseille, France
Martz Observatory		Chautauqua County, New York, USA
Mauna Kea Observatory	1967	Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA
Mauna Loa Solar Observatory		Hawaii, USA
Maynard F. Jordan Observatory	1901	Orono, Maine, USA
McDonald Observatory		Davis Mountains, Texas, USA
McKim Observatory	1884	Greencastle, Indiana, USA
McMath–Hulbert Solar Observatory	1930	Lake Angelus, Michigan, USA
MDM Observatory		Kitt Peak, Arizona, USA
Mead Observatory	2001	Columbus, Georgia, USA
Medicina Radio Observatory	1965	Medicina, Bologna, Italy
Mees Observatory		Rochester, New York, USA
Mehalso Observatory		Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
Melbourne Observatory	1862	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Melton Memorial Observatory	1928	Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Mendenhall Observatory	2002	Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
Menke Observatory	1994	Davenport, Iowa, USA
Metsähovi Observatory	1966	Kirkkonummi, Finland
Meudon Observatory	1876	Meudon, France
Meyer–Womble Observatory	1996	Mount Evans, Colorado, USA
Michigan State University Observatory	1969	East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Pic du Midi Observatory Toulouse Observatory	1878 1733	Headquarters: Toulouse, France Pyrenees, France Toulouse, France
Miller Observatory	1976	Maiden, North Carolina, USA
Mills Observatory	1935	Balgay Hills, Dundee, Scotland
MMT Observatory	1979	Mount Hopkins, Arizona, USA
Modra Observatory	1988	Modra, Slovakia
Mohr Observatory (demolished)	1765-1780	Jakarta, Indonesia
Moletai Astronomical Observatory	1969	Moletai, Lithuania
Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST)	1960	Bungendore, New South Wales, Australia
Mont Mégantic Observatory	1978	Mont Mégantic, Québec, Canada
Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy (Oliver Observing Station)	1972	Chews Ridge, California & Monterey, California, USA
Montevideo National Observatory		Montevideo, Uruguay, 34°54.6′S 56°12.8′W / 34.9100°S 56.2133°W / -34.9100; -56.2133
Moore Observatory	1978	Oldham County, Kentucky, USA
Morgan–Monroe Observatory	1966	Morgan–Monroe State Forest, Indiana, USA
Morris Observatory	1973	North Manchester, Indiana, USA
Morrison Observatory		Fayette, Missouri, USA
		Troitsk, Russia
Mount Stony Brook Observatory	1968	Stony Brook, New York, USA
Mounds Observatory		Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Mount Abu InfraRed Observatory	1995	Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India
Mount Burnett Observatory	1972	Mount Burnett, Victoria, Australia
Mount Cuba Astronomical Observatory		Greenville, Delaware, USA
Mount Graham International Observatory	1993	Mount Graham, Arizona, USA
Mount John University Observatory	1965	Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand
Mount Laguna Observatory	1968	San Diego, California, USA
Mount Lemmon Observatory		Tucson, Arizona, USA
Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory		Tasmania
Mount Stromlo Observatory	1911	Canberra, Australia
Mount Suhora Observatory	1987	Poland
Mount Wilson Observatory	1904	Mount Wilson, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Mountain Skies Observatory	1997	Lyman, Wyoming, USA
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory	1957	Cambridge, England
Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory	2012	Murchison, WA, Australia
Nachi-Katsuura Observatory		Nachikatsuura, Wakayama, Japan
Nançay Radio Telescope	1965	Nançay, France
	1958	Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
	1803	Bogotá, Colombia
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan	1988	Headquarters: Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan
National Astronomical Observatory (Mexico)	1967	Sierra San Pedro Mártir, Baja California, Mexico
National Observatory (Brazil)	1827	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
National Observatory of Athens	1842	Athens, Greece
National Optical Astronomy Observatory Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory Gemini Observatory Kitt Peak National Observatory National Solar Observatory	1982	Headquarters: Tucson, Arizona, USA
National Optical Observatory		Turkey
National Radio Astronomy Observatory Atacama Large Millimeter Array Green Bank Telescope Very Large Array Very Long Baseline Array	1957	Headquarters: Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
(NRIAG)	1903	Helwan, Egypt
National Solar Observatory	1952	Sunspot, New Mexico, USA & Kitt Peak, Arizona, USA
Naval Research Lab. Radio Sta.		Sugar Grove, West Virginia, 38°31.2′N 79°16.4′W / 38.5200°N 79.2733°W / 38.5200; -79.2733
Naylor Observatory	1971	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Neuchâtel Observatory	1858	Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Nice Observatory	1879	Nice, France
Nizamia Observatory	1907	Hyderabad, India
Nordic Optical Telescope	1988	Canary Islands, Spain
		Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia
Norman Lockyer Observatory	1912	Sidmouth, United Kingdom
		Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Northern Skies Observatory	2009	Peacham, Vermont, USA
Northolt Branch Observatory	2015	London, United Kingdom
	2016	London, United Kingdom
	2017	London, United Kingdom
North Georgia Astronomical Observatory		Dahlonega, Georgia, USA
North Otago Astronomical Society Observatory		Oamaru, South Island, New Zealand
Nyrölä Observatory	1997	Jyväskylän maalaiskunta, Finland
	1871	Córdoba, Argentina
OAO (Observatorio de Aras de los Olmos)	2008	Aras de los Olmos, Valencia, Spain
O'Brien Observatory	1961	Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota, USA
Observatoire du Pic de Château-Renard	1974	Saint-Véran, France
Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (Colombia)	1803	Bogotá, Colombia
	1961	Tonantzintla, Mexico
	2000	Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Observatory House (defunct)	1789	Slough, United Kingdom
Observatory of the rue Serpente (defunct)	1890-1968	Paris, France
Oil Region Astronomical Observatory		Venango County, Pennsylvania, USA
	1990	Norwood Young America, Minnesota, USA
Ondokuz Mayıs University Observatory	2006	Samsun, Turkey
Ondřejov Observatory	1898	Ondřejov, Czech Republic
Onsala Space Observatory	1949	Onsala, Sweden
Ooty Radio Telescope	1970	Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India
Orchard Hill Observatory	1965	Amherst, Massachusetts
Orioloromano Observatory	2007	Oriolo Romano, Italy
Orion 1 (defunct)	1971	Low Earth orbit
Orion 2 (defunct)	1973	Low Earth orbit
	2009	Bertram, Texas, USA
Orwell Park School Observatory	1848	Nacton, United Kingdom
Otter Creek Observatory	1995	Meade County, Kentucky, USA
		Oulu, Finland
Owens Valley Radio Observatory	1958	Bishop, California, USA
Pachmarhi Array of Cerenkov Telescopes (PACT)	1986	Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, India
	1987	Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
PAGASA Astronomical Observatory	1954	Quezon City, Philippines
Palermo Observatory	1790	Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Palomar Observatory	1948	Palomar Mountain, California, USA
Panzano Observatory	1640	Bologna, Italy
Paranal Observatory	1999	Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile
Paris Observatory	1667	Paris, France
Parkes Observatory	1961	Parkes, Australia
Paul Robinson Observatory	1965	High Bridge, New Jersey, USA
Peach Mountain Observatory	1950	Dexter, Michigan, USA
Perkins Observatory	1931	Delaware, Ohio, USA
Perth Observatory	1896	Perth, Australia
Peterberg Observatory	1977	Saarland, Germany
Pic du Midi Observatory	1878	Pic du Midi, Pyrenees, France
Pico dos Dias Observatory	1981	Minas Gerais, Brazil
Piera Observatory	1968	Barcelona, Spain
Pierre Auger Observatory	2004	Malargüe, Argentina
Pine Bluff Observatory	1958	Cross Plains, Wisconsin, USA
Pine Mountain Observatory	1965	Bend, Oregon, USA
Pistoia Mountains Astronomical Observatory	1990	(near San Marcello Pistoiese), Italy
	1972	, Poland
	2004	Hunting Valley, Ohio, USA
Portage Lake Observatory (defunct)	1948	Dexter, Michigan, USA
Poznań Observatory	1919	Poznań, Poland
Puckett Observatory	1997	Ellijay, Georgia, USA
	1869	Pula, Croatia
Pulkovo Observatory	1839	Pulkovskiye Heights, Russia
Purple Mountain Observatory	1929	Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
Quito Astronomical Observatory	1873	La Alameda Park, Quito, Ecuador
Radcliffe Observatory	1772	Oxford, England. Moved to Durban, South Africa in 1939
Rainwater Observatory		French Camp, Mississippi, USA
Ralph A. Worley Observatory	1964	Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
Rankin Science Observatory	1963	Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, USA
Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory (defunct)	1971	Hanford Reach National Monument, Washington, USA
Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada (Spain)	1793	San Fernando, Cádiz, Spain
Red Barn Observatory	2006	Ty Ty, Georgia, USA
Red Buttes Observatory	1994	Laramie, Wyoming, USA
Riley Observatory	1974	Naperville, Illinois, USA
RIT Observatory		Rochester, New York, USA
Ritter Observatory		Toledo, Ohio, USA
		Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Robert Brownlee Observatory		Lake Arrowhead, California, USA
Robinson Observatory		Orlando, Florida, USA
Robotic Lunar Observatory (defunct)	1995	Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Rogers Observatory	1981	Traverse City, Michigan, USA
Rolnick Observatory		Westport, Connecticut, USA
Rome Observatory		Italy
Roseland Observatory	1998	St Stephen-in-Brannel, United Kingdom
Rossall School Observatory		Rossall, UK
Rothney Astrophysical Observatory	1984	Priddis, Alberta, Canada
Royal Observatory, Greenwich	1675	Greenwich, England
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh	1896	Edinburgh, Scotland
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory	1979 (officially inaugurated in 1985)	La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain.
Rosemary Hill Observatory		Bronson, Florida, USA
Rozhen Observatory	1981	Peak Rozhen, Bulgaria.
Rutherford Observatory	1920s	New York City, New York, USA
San Fernando Observatory (SFO)	1976	Sylmar, California, USA
Sankt Andreasberg Observatory	2014	Sankt Andreasberg, Germany
		Irkutsk, Russia
SFA Observatory	1976	Nacogdoches, Texas, USA
Sagamore Hill Radio Observatory	1963	Hamilton, Massachusetts, USA
Shattuck Observatory	1854	Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
Sherwood Observatory	1972	Mansfield, UK
	1996	Kearney, Nebraska, USA
Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory	1958	Shamakhi, Azerbaijan
Shanghai Astronomical Observatory	1962	Shanghai, China
Sherzer Observatory	1878	Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
	1900	Shanghai, China
Siding Spring Observatory	1924	Siding Spring, New South Wales, Australia
Sidmouth Observatory	1912	Sidmouth, Devon, England
Sierra Nevada Observatory	1981	Sierra Nevada, Spain
Silesian Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory	1955	Chorzów / Katowice, Silesia, Poland
Simeiz Observatory	1906	Simeiz, Crimea, Ukraine
Skalnaté Pleso Observatory	1953	Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia
Skinakas Observatory	1984	Crete, Greece
Skylab	1973	low Earth orbit; re-entered in 1979
Smith Observatory	1880s	Beloit, Wisconsin, USA
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory	1890	Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
	1978	Sobaeksan, South Korea
Sola Fide Observatory	1990s	Austin, Minnesota, USA
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)	1996	Earth–Sun L1 point
Solar Space Telescope	2009	709 km SSO; life: 3 years
Sommers–Bausch Observatory	1949	Boulder, Colorado, USA
Sonnenborgh Observatory	1853	Utrecht, Netherlands
Sonoma State Observatory	1976	Rohnert Park, California, USA
South African Astronomical Observatory Cape Town Sutherland	1820 1972	Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa Sutherland, Northern Cape, South Africa
Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR)	2004	Cerro Pachón, Chile
South Pole Telescope	2007	Antarctica
Spanish National Observatory	1790	(Spain)
Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences	1966	Zelenchukskaya, near Arkhyz, Caucasus Mountains, Russia
Sperry Observatory	1967	Cranford, New Jersey, USA
Spitzer Space Telescope	2003	Heliocentric orbit
Springfield Observatory	1968	Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
Sproul Observatory	1911	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA
Stardome Observatory	1967	Auckland, North Island, New Zealand
Starkenburg Observatory	1970	Heppenheim, Germany
Štefánik's Observatory	1928	Prague, Czech Republic
Stellafane Observatory	1920	Springfield, Vermont, USA
Stephens Memorial Observatory	1901	Hiram, Ohio, USA
Steward Observatory MMT Observatory Mount Graham International Observatory Mount Lemmon Observatory	1916	Tucson, Arizona, USA
Stickney Observatory[2]	1950s	Bennington, Vermont, USA
Stjerneborg	1581	Hven, Sweden
Stockholm Observatory	1749	Stockholm, Sweden
Stokesville Observatory	1970s	Virginia, USA
Stone Observatory	1853	Stone, Buckinghamshire, UK
Stonyhurst Observatory	1838	Lancashire, England
Strasbourg Observatory	1881	Strasbourg, France
Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy	2006	14 km in the stratosphere
Stull Observatory	1966	Alfred, New York, USA
Stuttgart Observatory	1920	Stuttgart, Germany
Submillimeter Array	1987	Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA
St. Thomas Observatory	2009	Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Sudbury Neutrino Observatory	1999	Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Sunriver Observatory	1990	Sunriver, Oregon, USA
Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission	2004	Low Earth orbit
	2019	Geneva, Switzerland
Sydney Observatory	1858	Sydney, Australia
Table Mountain Observatory		Angeles National Forest, Wrightwood, California, USA
	1882	Tacubaya, Mexico City, Mexico
Taeduk Radio Astronomy Observatory	1986	Taejon, South Korea
Tamke-Allan Observatory	1998	Roane County, Tennessee, USA
Tartu Observatory	1964	Tartumaa, Estonia
Teide Observatory	1964	Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Ten Acre Observatory		Tribbey, Oklahoma, USA
	1989	Terskol, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia
Thai National Observatory	2013	Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai, Thailand
The Dam Observatory	2017	Lake Tschida, North Dakota, USA
The Heights Observatory	1989	The Heights School, South Australia, Australia
Texas A&M Astronomical Observatory		College Station, Texas, USA
Theodore Jacobsen Observatory	1895	Seattle, Washington, USA
Thompson Observatory	1968	Beloit, Wisconsin, USA
Tien Shan Astronomical Observatory		Almaty, Kazakhstan
Tuorla Observatory	1952	Piikkiö, Finland
Trieste Observatory		Trieste, Italy
Turin Observatory	1759	Pino Torinese, Italy
Udaipur Solar Observatory		Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Ukrainian T-shaped Radio telescope, second modification	1972	Shevchenkove, Ukraine
Ulugh Beg Observatory	1420s	Samarkand, Uzbekistan
University of Alabama Observatory	1950	Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
University of Alabama Observatory (Old)	1849–1890s	Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
University of North Alabama Observatory		Florence, Alabama, USA
University of Illinois Astronomical Observatory	1896	Urbana, Illinois, USA
University of London Observatory	1929	London, England
University of Maryland Observatory		College Park, Maryland, USA
	2007	Dearborn, Michigan, USA
University of New Hampshire Observatory	1985	Durham, New Hampshire, USA
University of Oklahoma Observatory		Norman, Oklahoma, USA
University of Puerto Rico at Humacao Observatory[3]	1985	Humacao, Puerto Rico, USA
Uppsala Astronomical Observatory	1741	Uppsala, Sweden
		Hove, Belgium
Urania (Berlin)		Berlin, Germany
Urania (Vienna)	1909	Vienna, Austria
Urania Observatory (Zürich)	1907	Zürich, Switzerland
Uraniborg	1572-1597 (demolished)	Hven, Sweden
Urumqi Astronomical Observatory	1957	Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO)[4] Depot of Charts and Instruments (U.S. Navy) (precursor, renamed to USNO) U.S. Naval Observatory (Flagstaff Station)	1844 1830–1844 1955	Washington, D.C., USA Washington, D.C., USA Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Valongo Observatory	1881	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Vainu Bappu Observatory	1968	Kavalur, Tamil Nadu, India
Astronomical observatory of Aosta Valley	2003	Nus (Aosta Valley, Italy
Van Vleck Observatory	1914	Middletown, Connecticut, USA
Vanderbilt University Observatory		Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Vartiovuori Observatory (defunct)	1819–1834	Turku, Finland
Vassar College Observatory (defunct)	1865	Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
Vatican Observatory Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope	1891 1993	Headquarters: Castel Gandolfo, Italy Mount Graham, Arizona, USA
Veen Observatory	1970	Lowell, Michigan, USA
Vega–Bray Observatory	1990	Benson, Arizona, USA
Ventspils Starptautiskais Radioastronomijas Centrs		Irbene, Latvia
Vernonia Peak Observatory		Vernonia, Oregon, USA
Very Large Array	1980	Socorro, New Mexico, USA
Very Long Baseline Array	1993	Various locations
Vienna Observatory	1753	Vienna, Austria
Vilnius University Observatory	1753	Vilnius University, Lithuania
Višnjan Observatory	1978	Višnjan, Croatia
Vsetín Observatory	1950	Vsetín, Czech Republic
Warkworth Radio Observatory	2008	Warkworth, New Zealand
Warner Observatory (defunct)	1882	Rochester, New York, USA
Warner and Swasey Observatory	1919	Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Warren Rupp Observatory	1985	Mansfield, Ohio, USA
	1825	Warsaw, Poland
Washburn Observatory	1881	Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Wast Hills Observatory	1982	Birmingham, England, UK
Weaver Student Observatory		Monterey, California, USA
Weitkamp Observatory	1955	Westerville, Ohio, USA
West Mountain Observatory	1981	West Mountain (Utah) USA
Whakatane Astronomical Society	1964	Whakatane, New Zealand
Whitin Observatory	1901	Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
Widener University Observatory	2004	Chester, Pennsylvania, USA
Wilder Observatory	1903	Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Willard L. Eccles Observatory	2009	Frisco Peak, Utah, USA
William Brydone Jack Observatory	1851	Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Williams Observatory	1990	Boiling Springs, North Carolina, USA
Winer Observatory	1983	Sonoita, Arizona, USA
Winfree Observatory	1900	Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
Wise Observatory	1971	Negev, Israel
	1984	Mediapolis, Iowa, USA
WIYN Observatory	1994	Kitt Peak, Arizona, USA
Wyoming Infrared Observatory	1975	Laramie, Wyoming, USA
	2100 B.C.	Xiangfen County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, China
Xinglong Station (NAOC)		Yanshan County, Hebei, China
Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory	1968	Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
XMM-Newton	1999	Highly eccentric Earth orbit
	1872	Shanghai, China
		Yakutsk, Russia
Yale Student Observatory		New Haven, Connecticut, USA
		Yangbajing Valley, Tibet, China
Yantra Mandir	1724	New Delhi, Delhi, India
		Yerevan, Armenia
Yerkes Observatory	1897	Williams Bay, Wisconsin, USA
York University Observatory		Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Yuba City Astronomical Observatory	2010	Yuba City, California, USA
Yunnan Astronomical Observatory	1957	Kunming, Yunnan, China
Zimmerwald Observatory	1956	Zimmerwald, Switzerland
Zadko Observatory	2009	Gingin, Australia

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

• Ecuador National Observatory
• History of Astronomy: Observatories and other places
• American observatories by state/Link expired
• Observatories with Clear Sky Clocks
• Map of observatory locations