Celado, observatory

The Osservatorio Astronomico del Celado rises above Castello Tesino in Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy, ranking among the country's largest public observatories thanks to its substantial main telescope.

About Celado Observatory

Known officially as the Osservatorio Astronomico del Celado, the facility is owned by the municipality of Castello Tesino and run day to day by the Association of Astrophiles of Tesino and Valsugana. Its centrepiece is an 800mm Newtonian reflector built by AstroOptik, housed beneath a rotating 7-metre dome — instrumentation that places Celado among the eight largest public observatories in Italy.

Telescopes & research

The 800mm reflector under its 7-metre rotating dome is large enough for detailed views of planets, the Moon and deep-sky objects alike, and the observatory doubles as an educational resource for schools and visiting groups from across the region.

Location & getting there

Celado sits in the Trentino-Alto Adige mountains near Castello Tesino, in Trentino-South Tyrol, northern Italy — an alpine setting that keeps its skies dark for both daytime solar observing and nighttime sessions.

Visiting Celado Observatory

Guided tours run by appointment, covering daytime observing of the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus as well as nighttime sessions on deep-sky targets; school and educational groups are welcome, and bookings are arranged through the managing association.

See your named star from here

An 800mm telescope like Celado's is more than capable of picking out the exact position of a named star, using the coordinates on your certificate. Look up any name in our catalogue to find its place in the sky.