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HomeExploreEducationHistoric Observatories and Planetariums You Can Visit
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In Jaipur, stone instruments track the sky in the open air. In Chicago, a dome has been bringing the stars indoors since 1930. Explore historic observatories and planetariums through their telescopes, outdoor instruments, and theaters. Some sites require an advance booking, and at Greenwich the historic building is visible from the park during renovation.

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1
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory: Los Angeles, California. The domes sit on a hillside above the city. Griffith opened in 1935 as a…
2
Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
Jantar Mantar, Jaipur: Jaipur, India. An arch frames one of the huge masonry instruments built for Jai Singh II in the…
3
Adler Planetarium
Adler Planetarium: Chicago, Illinois. The dome looks out over Lake Michigan from the tip of the Museum Campus peninsula…
4
Ulugh Beg Observatory
Ulugh Beg Observatory: Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Two parallel stone rails curve into a deep trench. They are what survives of…
5
Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory: Mount Hamilton, California. The long tube under the ribbed dome is the 36-inch Great Lick Refractor. Lick…
6
Zeiss Planetarium Jena
Zeiss Planetarium Jena: Jena, Germany. The projector sits in the middle of the auditorium, its lenses pointing toward the…
7
Yerkes Observatory
Yerkes Observatory: Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The big dome on the left houses the 40-inch refractor completed in 1897. It…
8
Hayden Planetarium
Hayden Planetarium: New York, New York. Jupiter and Saturn hang in front of the much larger Hayden Sphere. The original…
9
Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory: Flagstaff, Arizona. The telescope in the wooden dome took the photographic plates that led Clyde…
10
Royal Observatory Greenwich
Royal Observatory Greenwich: London, England. The red time ball atop Flamsteed House began signaling the time in 1833. The…
11
Mount Wilson Observatory
Mount Wilson Observatory: Mount Wilson, California. The blue framework holds the 100-inch Hooker telescope, which saw first…
12
Galileo Galilei Planetarium
Galileo Galilei Planetarium: Buenos Aires, Argentina. The dome lights up above a circular band of windows. The planetarium…
13
Royal Observatory of Madrid
Royal Observatory of Madrid: Madrid, Spain. The timber frame surrounds a full-size reconstruction of William Herschel’s…
14
Hamburg Planetarium
Hamburg Planetarium: Hamburg, Germany. A former water tower rises above the park pond in this night view. It has housed the…
15
Beijing Ancient Observatory
Beijing Ancient Observatory: Beijing, China. Bronze instruments stand on the roof of the imperial observatory, established…
16
Sydney Observatory
Sydney Observatory: Sydney, Australia. Look for the yellow time ball above the sandstone tower. Sydney Observatory was…
17
Morehead Planetarium
Morehead Planetarium: Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The dome peeks above the columned entrance. Morehead opened in 1949 and…
18
South African Astronomical Observatory
South African Astronomical Observatory: Cape Town, South Africa. This Georgian building is the historic home of the Royal…
19
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka: Mitaka, Japan. The long Zeiss telescope sits under a wooden dome built…
20
M. P. Birla Planetarium
M. P. Birla Planetarium: Kolkata, India. The pale dome takes its shape from the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi. The planetarium…
21
Ibirapuera Planetarium
Ibirapuera Planetarium: São Paulo, Brazil. A low, wide dome sits among the trees in Ibirapuera Park. When it opened in 1957…

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