Christiania observatory

The Christiania Observatory once crowned a hill in what is now central Oslo, Norway, serving for over a century as the Norwegian capital's official window on the stars before the city grew up around it.

About Christiania Observatory

Founded in 1815 as the University Observatory of Christiania, as Oslo was then called, the observatory grew into the centre of Norwegian astronomy for more than a hundred years. Its purpose-built home was raised in 1833 to a design by the architect Christian Heinrich Grosch, one of the leading builders of the young Norwegian capital.

History

Between 1840 and 1882 the observatory acquired four telescopes fitted with optics from the German maker Merz, steadily upgrading its instruments as astronomy modernised through the nineteenth century. It also provided a public time service for the city via a time ball, known locally as Tidskuglen, dropped at a set hour so that Oslo's clocks and ships in the harbour could be set accurately. In 1934 the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics was founded at the site, continuing the location's role in Norwegian astronomical research.

Location & getting there

The observatory stands in what is now the heart of Oslo, Norway, a site that was once a quiet hilltop outside the city and is today surrounded by the modern capital.

Visiting Christiania Observatory

As a historic building rather than a modern public observatory, opening access can vary; check current visiting arrangements before making a special trip.

See your named star from here

A star named through Star Register comes with precise right ascension and declination, so any telescope aimed by trained hands can find it, wherever in Oslo you happen to be standing. Name a star before your visit, or explore the catalogue of stars already registered.