Brera Astronomical Observatory

In the heart of Milan's Brera district, an 18th-century palace hides one of Europe's oldest working observatories. The Brera Astronomical Observatory has watched the sky above Italy for more than 260 years, and its historic instrument gallery is open to the public today.

About Brera Astronomical Observatory

The Brera Observatory (Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera) occupies part of the historic Palazzo Brera in Milan. It is currently operated by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) together with the University of Milan, and its staff of roughly one hundred researchers works across fields ranging from planetary science to black holes, galaxies, gamma-ray bursts and cosmology. The observatory is also a world leader in developing X-ray astronomy optics and instrumentation for space missions.

History

The observatory was founded in 1764 by the Jesuit astronomer Roger Boscovich inside Palazzo Brera. After the Jesuit order was suppressed in 1773, the palace and observatory passed to the Austrian Habsburgs, and its astronomers later helped build a meridian line inside Milan Cathedral. Following Milan's incorporation into the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, the observatory came under Italian government control, and in 1946 it joined the scientific institutions of the new Italian Republic. It became part of INAF in 2001. The astronomer Margherita Hack worked here from 1954 to 1964 before her professorship at Trieste.

Telescopes & research

In 1862 the observatory commissioned a 218mm Merz equatorial refracting telescope from the German maker Georg Merz, part of the historic instrument collection still on display in the Schiaparelli Dome and Instrument Gallery. Beyond its heritage telescopes, Brera's modern research groups are recognised internationally for their work on space-based X-ray optics.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits in central Milan, Lombardy, on Via Brera inside the Palazzo Brera complex - easily reached on foot from the Duomo and Milan's other historic sights.

Visiting Brera Astronomical Observatory

The Instrument Gallery and Schiaparelli's Dome are open to visitors on a set schedule (typically Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday), with guided tours available in Italian and English; the dome is visited in small accompanied groups, so advance booking is recommended. The museum sits on the second floor of Palazzo Brera without lift access. Check the official website for current hours and ticket prices before your visit.

See your named star from here

Every star named through Star Register comes with precise right ascension and declination coordinates, the same kind of data astronomers have used at Brera for centuries. While the observatory's historic telescopes are reserved for its museum displays, you can bring your star's coordinates on a modern trip to Milan and use a stargazing app to find it in the same sky Boscovich once studied. Browse star naming packages or explore already-named stars in the catalogue.