Observatories are buildings where astronomers go to look at the sky. They house the most powerful telescopes on Earth. The telescopes are usually kept in a room with a dome-shaped roof. Observatories have other instruments too, such as very precise clocks, to help keep accurate time and records.
Where’s the best place to build an observatory?
Where you’ll get the clearest view! Most are built away from city lights. Mountain-tops are best of all, because they poke above any clouds that might spoil the view.
How can a telescope see through the roof?
It doesn’t have to – an observatory’s domed roof is specially designed to slide open at night, so that the picture through the telescope isn’t distorted (blurred) by looking through a window. The telescope can be pointed at any place in the sky.
Amazing! The Ancient Babylonians used observatories. They did their star-gazing from stepped towers called ziggurats.
Is it true? The Greenwich Observatory houses the most telescopes.
No. The Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, USA has the most optical telescopes. One of them, the Mayall Telescope, is 4 m across!
Picture Credit : Google