Apia Magnetic Observatory

Apia Magnetic Observatory sits on the coast of Samoa, where it has quietly measured the Earth's magnetic field for well over a century.

About Apia Magnetic Observatory

Unlike most sites on Star Register, Apia is a magnetic observatory rather than an astronomical one - it studies the Earth's magnetic field rather than the stars. It was originally established in 1902 with meteorological instruments, and magnetic instruments were added in 1905. It has operated continuously ever since, run today by the Samoan Government with assistance from New Zealand and other international partners.

History

Apia Magnetic Observatory's continuous operation since the early twentieth century makes it one of the longest-running geomagnetic monitoring stations in the Pacific, having survived more than a hundred years of instrument upgrades while maintaining an unbroken observational record.

Telescopes & research

Rather than telescopes, the observatory runs sensitive magnetometers that record three components of the geomagnetic field every second. Its data feeds into the global INTERMAGNET database, and Apia is notable for providing the only continuous geomagnetic measurements from roughly a 90-degree arc of the Southern Hemisphere - making it scientifically valuable well beyond Samoa itself.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits at just 2 metres elevation on Samoa's coast, at roughly 13.8°S, 171.78°W, in the South Pacific.

Visiting Apia Magnetic Observatory

As a working scientific research station rather than a public attraction, Apia Magnetic Observatory has no published visitor programme or opening hours. Anyone with a research interest should contact the Samoan Government's meteorological or scientific authorities directly.

See your named star from here

Apia doesn't operate telescopes for stargazing - its instruments are tuned to the planet's magnetic field, not the night sky - but Samoa's clear, low-latitude Pacific skies are still a fine place to look for a star named through Star Register. Check the star catalogue for its coordinates before you go looking.