The Observatories

The Online Observatory was founded by five European observatories in 2018, all of which with special interest in communicating astronomy and where visitors get hands-on experiences on how to be an astronomer. Their combined efforts resulted in the Online Observatory, where activities developed at each observatory is made accessible for schools and others for educational purposes.

All the observatories accept visitors. Read further to see if any of the observatories are close to you.

Baldone observatory, Latvia

Baldone Schmidt Telescope, a unique device with a wide field of view, the largest in the Baltics and the 12th largest Schmidt telescope in the world, is located near the resort town of Baldone. The telescope enables both direct and spectral observations of the celestial bodies.


Brorfelde Observatory, Denmark

Brorfelde Observatoryis a visitors centre focusing on astronomy, geology, engineering and biology, each day explored by schoolchildren, companies, associations, families and many others.


Harestua Solar observatory, Norway

Harestua Solar Observatory is a historical research facility on solar physics situated north of Oslo. Today, the observatory offers educational activities for young and old, where visitors get to see how the researchers worked and lived.


Helsinki observatory, Finland

The Helsinki Observatory, completed in 1834, now functions as the astronomy visitor centre of the Helsinki University Museum. Our exhibition welcomes people of all ages to explore the wonders of the universe.


Faulkes telescope project, UK

The Faulkes Telescope project (FT) is an educational programme that provides access to a variety of telescopes located at observatories around the world. Users can obtain images from 2-metre, 1-metre or 0.4-metre telescopes, and collaborate with professional and amateur astronomers.