Cocos-Keeling Islands Magnetic Observatory
Satellite imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
Far out in the eastern Indian Ocean, roughly 2,900 km northwest of Perth, the Cocos-Keeling Islands Magnetic Observatory keeps watch on the Earth's magnetic field from one of the most remote points in Australia's territory.
About Cocos-Keeling Islands Magnetic Observatory
The station is part of Geoscience Australia's Geomagnetic Observatory Network, a group of ten observatories that together cover the country and its surrounding region: six on the Australian mainland, three in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic, and this one on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The network continuously monitors changes in the Earth's magnetic field, with nearby repeat stations re-occupied every few years to track how the field shifts over time.
Location & getting there
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands sit in the eastern Indian Ocean, about 2,900 km northwest of Perth, Western Australia, making this one of the most isolated observatories in the country's monitoring network.
See your named star from here
Though this station's instruments are built for measuring magnetism rather than stargazing, a star named through Star Register still comes with exact sky coordinates you can use with a telescope from the Cocos Islands or anywhere else in the region. Browse the star catalogue to find a named star.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check Google Maps for current times before you travel.
