Observatory | The Schools' Observatory

Ground-based Telescopes

Most telescopes used by astronomers are on Earth. We call these ground-based telescopes.

Building a telescope on Earth is much easier and cheaper than in space. It is also much easier to fix if things go wrong.

A mountain top with a number of white domes that house telescopes. There are also a few small buildings. In the background, the sky is light blue towards the top, and there are some white clouds lower down, especially below the mountaintop. — Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in Garafía, La Palma

Las Cumbres Observatory

The Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) network was founded in 2005.

It has over 20 telescopes around the world. Each one is fully robotic, so people do not need to be on site. They are controlled over the internet.

White telescope domes of various sizes on a mountaintop. The ground is green and orange, and in the background, there are some trees. — LCO telescopes of various sizes at Siding Spring, Australia

Observatories

An astronomical observatory is a place or building used to look at events in space. They can contain just one telescope, but some have more than twenty.

A small, circular building on top of a mountain. The dome is open at the top, as if peeled back slightly, revealing a telescope that is pointed upwards. — The Liverpool Telescope within its enclosure

Predict the Solar Cycle

The Sun is a constant presence in our life on Earth. It gives us the heat and light we need to survive. But it is not a stable place. The Sun is a ball of hot plasma which is constantly changing.

Read more about Predict the Solar Cycle

Telescopes are used to magnify distant objects. They are a vital tool for astronomy. Over the last few hundred years, scientists and engineers have built bigger and better telescopes, revealing the mysteries of the Universe. But how much do you know about telescopes on Earth and beyond?

Read more about Telescopes Quiz

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