Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory

Perched atop Great Blue Hill about 10 miles south of Boston, Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory has been recording New England's weather since the 1880s, making it home to the oldest continuous weather record in North America.

About Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory

Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts, is the foremost structure in the history of American weather observation. Today it operates as the Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, still adding to a database of atmospheric records that now spans more than a century.

History

Opened in 1885 by Abbott Lawrence Rotch, the observatory played a leading role in the young science of meteorology, using kites to carry instruments high into the atmosphere. On 4 August 1894 it conducted the world's first atmospheric sounding, sending a weather kite carrying a thermograph to 2,030 feet, and by 8 October 1896 a kite had reached a record 8,740 feet. The site was also where the radiosonde was developed in the 1930s, and during the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 it recorded a gust of 186 mph, the strongest wind ever directly measured in a hurricane.

Location & getting there

The observatory tower sits at the summit of Great Blue Hill in Milton, Massachusetts, about 10 miles south of downtown Boston, within the Blue Hills Reservation.

Visiting Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory

The Observatory is open to walk-in visitors on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm, and guided tours lasting about an hour are available by appointment any day of the year. A tour covers the Mish Michaels Exhibit Hall, the History Room and the Observer's Room, finishing with a climb to the top of the tower; children under 5 go free, and group visits can be arranged by emailing [email protected].

See your named star from here

A visit to the tower's 360° platform is a great occasion to look for the star you've named. Take its coordinates from the catalogue after you name a star, and check our observatories directory for a facility near Blue Hill with a telescope that can find it for you.