The Quito Astronomical Observatory ( es, Observatorio Astronómico de Quito – OAQ) is a

research institute A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often i ...

of EPN, the

National Polytechnic School The National Polytechnic School (Spanish: ''Escuela Politécnica Nacional''), also known as EPN, is a public university in Quito, Ecuador. The campus, called "José Rubén Orellana", is located at the sector center-oriental of Quito. It occupi ...

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

. Its major research fields are

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and atmospheric physics. The Quito Astronomical Observatory is one of the oldest

observatories An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

and was founded in 1873. In 1963, The Government of Ecuador transferred title of the Observatory to the National Polytechnic School. The Quito Astronomical Observatory is the National Observatory of Ecuador and is located 12 minutes south of the

Equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...

in the Historic Center of Quito.

History

Observatorio Astronómico de Quito, concepción artística

The Quito Astronomical Observatory was founded in 1873. The first director was Juan Bautista Menten, who directed and planned the construction of the Center, modeled on the Observatory of

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

(Germany). The building was finished in 1878. Contained within it is one of the most important collections of nineteenth-century

scientific instrument A scientific instrument is a device or tool used for scientific purposes, including the study of both natural phenomena and theoretical research. History Historically, the definition of a scientific instrument has varied, based on usage, laws, an ...

s, featuring a

refracting telescope A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens (optics), lens as its objective (optics), objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptrics, dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope d ...

and a meridian circle manufactured by Repsold. The 24 cm Merz Equatorial Telescope is the most important instrument of the Observatory. It was manufactured in 1875 in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, Germany and is mounted on an

equatorial mount An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis, the polar axis, parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras. The ...

. Ecuador is located in a strategic geographical position where solar-physics studies can be performed year-round, providing data for the scientific community working to understand Sun-Earth interactions. The Quito Astronomical Observatory was completely renovated and fully restored in 2009.

Astronomical Museum

The Museum of the Quito Astronomical Observatory is located in La Alameda park and gives each visitor a vivid history of the various scientific instruments that were used by early astronomers and scientists. The Astronomical Observatory of Quito is one of the oldest in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, and is a major attraction for scientists, students and tourists in Ecuador.https://oaq.epn.edu.ec The Quito Astronomical Observatory has been restored and is open for tourists. Many of the tools were used by the

French Geodesic Mission The French Geodesic Mission to the Equator (french: Expédition géodésique française en Équateur, also called the French Geodesic Mission to Peru and the Spanish-French Geodesic Mission) was an 18th-century expedition to what is now Ecuador c ...

II who worked in the facilities of the Center between 1902 and 1914.

Activities and services

Antique Telescope at the Quito Astronomical Observatory 002

The activities and services currently provided by the OAQ are: * Night observations by telescopes * Astronomical information on the equatorial zone * Tour inside the entire Quito Astronomical Observatory. * Basic astronomy courses *

Library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

* Operation of the

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

on the premises * Annual publications * Antique seismometers NewtonsTelescopeReplica

References

External links

*
3D view
{{Authority control Astronomical observatories in Ecuador Buildings and structures in Quito Museums in Quito 1873 establishments in Ecuador

History

Astronomical Museum

Activities and services

See also

References

External links