astro.wikisort.org - Institution

The Royal Observatory of Madrid is a historic observatory situated on a small hill next to the Buen Retiro Park in Madrid, Spain. It was completed in 1790 and took over some of the work previously done by the naval observatory on the south coast.

Royal Observatory
Native name Spanish: Real Observatorio de Madrid
Location	Madrid, Spain
Governing body	Instituto Geográfico Nacional (Spain)
Spanish Property of Cultural Interest
Official name	Real Observatorio de Madrid
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Monument
Designated	1995
Reference no.	RI-51-0009078
Location of Royal Observatory in Spain

It is the seat of the Spanish National Astronomical Observatory and the Observatorio Geofísico Central, both administered by the National Geographic Institute (via its department of Astronomía, Geofísica y Aplicaciones Espaciales).[1]

Architecture

The observatory was designed by Juan de Villanueva, architect to Charles III of Spain, It represents one of the highlights of Spanish neoclassical architecture. Its domed lantern was conceived as a classical circular temple.

Equipment

Shortly after construction, the observatory was equipped with a 25-foot reflecting telescope by William Herschel. The instrument was dismantled in the Peninsular War and only partially survived. It has been reconstructed in recent years.

Current use

Madrid is affected by light pollution and is not a good location for optical astronomy. Conditions are much better in other parts of Spanish territory, notably the Canary Islands, the second-best location for optical and infrared astronomy in the Northern Hemisphere, after Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii.

The observatory can be viewed by prior arrangement. The historic scientific equipment on display includes the reconstructed Hershel Telescope. The visit also takes in the library which is housed in the Villanueva building.[1]

See also

• Spanish National Observatory
• List of museums in Madrid

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Observatory, Madrid.

• Official website

На других языках

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- [en] Royal Observatory of Madrid

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[es] Real Observatorio de Madrid

El Real Observatorio de Madrid es una institución científica ubicada en la ciudad de Madrid, capital de España.Los observatorios astronómicos nacionales constituyen una de las instituciones más antiguas para investigación que los gobiernos del mundo crearon con un propósito definido e importante. La necesidad de desarrollar la geodesia, y por tanto la cartografía, constituyó el centro de las actividades del Observatorio de París (fundado en 1667) durante más de un siglo. La astronomía por sí misma y su aplicación a la navegación fueron los principales objetivos de investigación en el Real Observatorio de Greenwich inglés, fundado en 1675.

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[ru] Мадридская астрономическая обсерватория

Мадридская астрономическая обсерватория — астрономическая обсерватория, основанная в 1790 году в Мадриде, Испания. Также носит название «Королевская Мадридская обсерватория», является основоположницей Испанской национальной обсерватории  (исп.) (рус. — одного из старейших научно-исследовательских учреждений в мире.

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