Conrad Observatory

Conrad Observatory is an underground geophysical research facility built into the Trafelberg mountain in Lower Austria, operated by GeoSphere Austria.

About Conrad Observatory

The observatory's basic task is monitoring the physical parameters that matter for understanding processes on and beneath the Earth's surface: seismic activity, gravitational acceleration, magnetic field variations, geodetic parameters, atmospheric waves, and meteorological data are all recorded continuously here.

History

The facility is named after Austrian seismologist Victor Conrad (1876-1962). It consists of two parts: the seismic-gravimetric observatory (SGO), opened in 2002, and the geomagnetic observatory (GMO), which has operated since 2014.

Telescopes & research

Rather than astronomical telescopes, Conrad Observatory's key instruments include a superconductive gravimeter, one of only around 35 in operation worldwide, and seismometers sensitive enough to detect earthquakes of magnitude 4 and above. The observatory contributes to international earthquake monitoring and supports the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization's (CTBTO) global nuclear test detection network, as well as research into geomagnetic storms.

Location & getting there

It sits atop the Trafelberg, roughly 1,146 metres above sea level, near the town of Pernitz in Lower Austria, about 45 km southwest of Vienna.

Visiting Conrad Observatory

Because it is an active scientific research station rather than a public museum, visitors should check GeoSphere Austria's official information before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

Conrad Observatory's instruments face inward and downward rather than skyward, but the remote, elevated Trafelberg setting is a reminder that any location on Earth can, in theory, be used to point a telescope toward the coordinates of a star named through Star Register. Explore other named stars in our catalogue.