8 of the Most Important Observatories in the World

For millennia humans have been looking towards the skies and have pursued their desire to know more about the stars. This is why we will present to you some of the most important observatories in the world.

1. MKO – The Mauna Kea Observatory is situated on Hawaii’s Big Island, on the summit of Mauna Kea Mountain. The observatory is home to the world’s largest array of infrared, submilimeter and optical astronomical equipment and houses more telescopes than any other mountain peak facility in the world.
2. Very Large Telescope – Also known as VLT, it is operated by the European Southern Observatory and is located in the South American country of Chile. The facility consists of four individual telescopes which are used separately, but is necessary can be used together in order to achieve a better and higher resolution. Chile is also home to the Atacama Large Millimetre Array and the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory, which are two of the largest in the world.
3. South Pole Telescope – One of the newest observatories in the world, the facility is located in Antarctica at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The telescope of the observatory has a diameter of ten metres and was officially put in work in 2007.
4. Indian Astronomical Observatory – The IAO as the facility is more commonly known is the highest observatory in the world. It sits at a height of 4.500 metres on Mount Saraswati in Hanle, India. The facility houses optical, gamma-ray and infrared telescopes and is managed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore.
5. Arecibo Observatory– One of the most famous observatories in the world. Located in Puerto Rico, this facility houses the largest single aperture radio telescope in the world. The observatory is part of the SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) project and is used for aeronomy, radar astronomy and radio astronomy. Until 2011 the Arecibo Observatory was managed by the Cornell University.
6. Jodrell Bank Observatory– This facility is part of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester and is the largest in the United Kingdom. The facility’s main telescope is known as the Lovell Telescope and is the third largest steerable radio telescope on the planet. The observatory is plays an important role in the research of meteors, pulsars, masers, quasars and other celestial objects. So, make sure that you visit it once your relocation via moving services is over. Don’t hesitate to hire a moving company as you will drastically speed up and ease your domestic or commercial removal.
7. Roque de lost Muchachos Observatory – Shortly known as ORM, this facility is located on the Canary Islands in Spain and houses the world’s largest single aperture optical telescope. It is also one of the largest and most important European observatories and is managed by the European Northern Observatory.
8. Yerkes Observatory – Founded in 1897, the Yerkes Observatory is one of the oldest still functioning facilities in the world. The observatory is often referred to as “the birthplace of modern astrophysics”.