NASA's Hubble Shows Milky Way is Destined for Head-On Collision (2017-12-08)NASA
Observatories are people's pathway to the stars, allowing scientists and astronomers to explore the deepest darkest corners of our universe without the need for interstellar travel.
Scroll on for a terrestrial tour of the observatories that allow access to the extraterrestrial...
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Royal Observatory Greenwich, United Kingdom
Flamsteed House is the original Royal Observatory building at Greenwich. In 1675, King Charles II instructed Christopher Wren to design the building and it was completed the following year. The observations made here helped establish Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime meridian.
Kew photoheliograph (1857) by Warren de la Rue and Andrew RossScience Museum
This is the 'photoheliograph', designed in 1857 by Walter De La Rue and used to take observations from Greenwich.
18 July 1860 total solar eclipse (1860) by Warren de la RueScience Museum
In 1860, it was transported to Northern Spain, from where it captured this image of the solar eclipse of that year.
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Haleakalā Observatory
The remarkable clarity, dryness, and stillness of the air of Haleakalā, on the island of Maui, Hawai'i, means its one of the most sought-after observatory locations in the world. It also makes for unbelievable tourist sights.
Radar Movie of Asteroid 2011 UW158 (2015-07-23) by NASA/JPL-Caltech/NRAONASA
This grainy radar image shows Asteroid 2011 UW158, first discovered by the PanSTARRS telescope at Haleakala.
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Gornergrat Observatory, Switzerland
Set amongst the Alpine mountains at an altitude of 3km, where the skies are clear of clouds and light pollution, the telescopes of Gornergrat (mounted on the roof of the Kulm Hotel) are free to observe the heavens.
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Very Large Telescope, Chile
Few things in life live up to their name, but the Very Large Telescope is one. This array, found in the Atacama Desert, is the most advanced optical telescope in the world.
Neptune Hot South Pole (2007-09-18) by VLT/ESO/NASA/JPL/Paris ObservatoryNASA
These images of Neptune's hot South Pole were obtained using the VLT.
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Jodrell Bank, United Kingdom
It's not very often that you find protected monuments still in use. But the enormous Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank is one. This telescope has been used in the search for masars, pulsars, and gravitational lenses, and today continues to scan the skies.
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Siding Spring Observatory
The Siding Spring Observatory is home to the largest optical lens in Australia, the 3.9m Anglo Australian Telescope. The observatory was built in 1974, just outside of the town of Coonabarabran, and is open to the public.
Asteroid 2012 DA14 as Seen from Siding Spring, Australia (2013-02-15) by Courtesy of E. Guido/N. Howes/Remanzacco ObservatoryNASA
Here's the path of Asteroid 2012 DA14, as seen from Siding Spring
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Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico
The architecture of the Arecibo Observatory makes it one of the most recognisable telescopes on the planet, as does its role at the climax of James Bond Goldeneye. For decades, this radio telescope was the largest in the world, only overtaken in 2016 by...
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The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, China
Down in the bowl of this radio telescope it's hard to appreciate just how vast it is: the reflecting dish measures half a kilometre in diameter. Nicknamed Tianyan (Eye of Heaven), it was constructed in a natural sinkhole in the area of Pingtang County, southwest China.
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RATAN-600
However, the largest single radio telescope on earth is RATAN-600. The innovative design uses 895 moveable panels, rather than a dish, to reflect signals from outer space. At 600 metres in diameter, it's technically impressive, though, there's really not a lot to see…
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Griffith Observatory, California
Come to Hollywood and see the stars... at the Griffith Observatory! Overlooking the city of Los Angeles, this observatory has been an attraction since it opened in 1935, with the aim of making astronomy accessible to the public.
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The Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawai'i
The MKO are a group of facilities located at the summit of the dormant volcano Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i, USA. However, this isn't without controversy, as the mountains are considered culturally and environmentally important to the islands.
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Pic du Midi Observatory, France
Up here, 3000m above sea level, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were actually on another planet. Over the years, the otherworldly Pic du Midi Observatory has discovered many things, but not ET. In fact, in 1909 it was used to disprove the existence of canals on Mars.
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South Pole Telescope, Antarctica
Of all the observatories on Earth, perhaps this is the most striking. The South Pole Telescope is found at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The perfectly clear skies of the unblemished continent make it the ideal location for viewing the heavens.
