Royal Observatory of Madrid

Last updated
Royal Observatory
Native name
Spanish: Real Observatorio de Madrid
Observatoriomadridfrente.jpg
Location Madrid, Spain
Governing body Instituto Geográfico Nacional (Spain)
Official nameReal Observatorio de Madrid
TypeNon-movable
CriteriaMonument
Designated1995
Reference no.RI-51-0009078
Spain location map with provinces.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Royal Observatory in Spain

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 founded in 1790 and has been engaged in continuous scientific activity since then. It is currently the seat of the Spanish National Observatory and an active research group in geophysics, both belonging to the National Geographic Institute. [1]

Contents

In addition to its architectural value, the Observatory treasures an important collection of historical instruments, as well as bibliographic and documentary collections. Since 2002, Rafael Bachiller is the director of the Royal Observatory of Madrid. In 2021, the Observatory entered the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the so-called Paisaje de la Luz.

History

In the 18th century, the scientist and naval officer Jorge Juan proposed to Charles III to create an astronomical observatory in Madrid. This became part of a more ambitious project of an urban axis devoted to science, which included the Museo Nacional del Prado (initially planned as Natural Science Museum and Academy of Sciences), the Real Jardín Botánico and the Royal Astronomical Observatory. This is a prime example of the Age of Enlightenment in Spain, as part of an urban planning combining science and neoclassical architecture.

During the Peninsular War, which began in 1808, Napoleon's troops invaded the Observatory premises and settled there. Villanueva's building, which was practically finished in 1808, was badly deteriorated as a consequence of the war. In addition, the French soldiers destroyed William Herschel's 25-foot telescope, one of the largest telescopes in the world back then.

After the Peninsular War, the Observatory underwent a period of decadence until its refoundation in the middle of the 19th century under the reign of Isabella II. At this time, a first restoration of the Villanueva building was commissioned to the architect Narciso Pascual Colomer. It was also at this point that a large meridian circle was installed in the east wing of the Villanueva building. This telescope was used for over a hundred years to determine the official time in Spain.

During the 19th and 20th centuries new buildings were added to the premises of the Royal Observatory of Madrid, including a museum. In the beginning of the 20th century, a full-size replica of the 25-foot Herschel telescope was constructed.

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.

The building is highly symmetric, with a slender portico which defines the main facade, with columns topped with capitals of the Corinthian order. At the top of the building, four small domes flank a large lantern that crowns the building, surrounded by sixteen columns, this time of the Ionic order. The building underwent a restoration in the mid-19th century by Pascual Colomer, who decided to add the two small domes next to the lantern in the side facing the portico. In the 1970s, Antonio Fernández Alba carried out a full restoration of the Villanueva building, for which he won the National Restoration Award in 1980.

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 astronomers currently working at the Observatory collect and analyse data from telescopes across the world, as well as from space telescopes.

The observatory can be viewed by prior arrangement. The scientific equipment on display includes two original 7-foot telescopes constructed by William Herschel, the reconstructed 25-foot Herschel Telescope, a Foucault pendulum, and the 4-metre ruler that was used to perform fundamental geodetic triangulation in Spain in the 19th century. The visit also takes in the library which is housed in the Villanueva building. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Herschel</span> German-born British astronomer and composer (1738–1822)

Frederick William Herschel was a German-born British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover, William Herschel followed his father into the military band of Hanover, before emigrating to Great Britain in 1757 at the age of nineteen.

Infrared astronomy is a sub-discipline of astronomy which specializes in the observation and analysis of astronomical objects using infrared (IR) radiation. The wavelength of infrared light ranges from 0.75 to 300 micrometers, and falls in between visible radiation, which ranges from 380 to 750 nanometers, and submillimeter waves.

Timeline of telescopes, observatories, and observing technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Observatory</span> Location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events

An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Historically, observatories were as simple as containing an astronomical sextant or Stonehenge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paris Observatory</span> Foremost astronomical observatory of France

The Paris Observatory, a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. Its historic building is on the Left Bank of the Seine in central Paris, but most of the staff work on a satellite campus in Meudon, a suburb southwest of Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominion Astrophysical Observatory</span>

The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. The Dominion architect responsible for the building was Edgar Lewis Horwood. The main instrument is the 72-inch-aperture (1.83 m) Plaskett telescope, proposed and designed by John S. Plaskett in 1910 with the support of the International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markree Observatory</span>

Markree Observatory was an astronomical observatory in County Sligo, Ireland. The asteroid 9 Metis was discovered from this observatory in 1848 by Cooper's assistant Andrew Graham using a comet seeker telescope. The observatory was also home to the largest refractor of the early 1830s, which had a 13.3-inch (340 mm) aperture Cauchoix of Paris lens; the largest in the world at that time. The observatory also housed a number of instruments and was operated to varying degrees throughout the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roque de los Muchachos Observatory</span> Observatory

Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the municipality of Garafía on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The observatory site is operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, based on nearby Tenerife. ORM is part of the European Northern Observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Observatory, Edinburgh</span> Observatory

The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh (ROE) is an astronomical institution located on Blackford Hill in Edinburgh. The site is owned by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The ROE comprises the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) of STFC, the Institute for Astronomy of the School of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Edinburgh, and the ROE Visitor Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marseille Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory located in Marseille, France

Marseille Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in Marseille, France, with a history that goes back to the early 18th century. In its 1877 incarnation, it was the discovery site of a group of galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet, discovered by its director Édouard Stephan. Marseille Observatory is now run as a joint research unit by Aix-Marseille University and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan de Villanueva</span> Spanish architect

Juan de Villanueva was a Spanish architect. Alongside Ventura Rodríguez, Villanueva is the best known architect of Spanish Neoclassicism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish National Observatory</span> Observatory

The Spanish National Observatory is an astronomical observatory with several facilities in the Madrid area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dearborn Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Evanston, Illinois

The Dearborn Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University. The observatory was originally constructed in 1888, through an agreement between the university and the Chicago Astronomical Society. In the summer of 1939, Dearborn Observatory had to be moved to make way for the construction of the Technological Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Saint Jerome the Royal</span>

Saint Jerome the Royal is a Roman Catholic church from the early 16th-century in central Madrid (Spain).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">40-foot telescope</span> 18th c. English reflecting telescope

William Herschel's 40-foot telescope, also known as the Great Forty-Foot telescope, was a reflecting telescope constructed between 1785 and 1789 at Observatory House in Slough, England. It used a 48-inch (120 cm) diameter primary mirror with a 40-foot-long (12 m) focal length. It was the largest telescope in the world for 50 years. It may have been used to discover Enceladus and Mimas, the 6th and 7th moons of Saturn. It was dismantled in 1840 by Herschel's son John Herschel due to safety concerns; today the original mirror and a 10-foot (3.0 m) section of the tube remain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Melbourne Telescope</span>

The Great Melbourne Telescope was built by the Grubb Telescope Company in Dublin, Ireland in 1868, and installed at the Melbourne Observatory in Melbourne, Australia in 1869. In 1945 that Observatory closed and the telescope was sold and moved to the Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra. It was rebuilt in the late 1950s. In 2003 the telescope, still in use as an observatory, was severely damaged in a bushfire. About 70% of the components were salvageable; a project to restore the telescope to working condition started in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narciso Pascual Colomer</span> Spanish architect

Narciso Pascual Colomer, also known as Narciso Pascual y Colomer, was a Spanish architect. He was one of the most important of the reign of Isabella II, an exponent of the late Neoclassicism and historicist styles. He was a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando along with Enrique María Repullés and Ricardo Velázquez Bosco.

References

  1. 1 2 "IGN official webpage" [IGN official webpage]. Instituto Geográfico Nacional (www.ign.es) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2016.