Durtal observatory
Satellite imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
Tucked into the countryside near Durtal in the Maine-et-Loire department of France, the Durtal observatory is a working station that has contributed real data to international asteroid research.
About Durtal observatory
Durtal is part of a wider network of amateur and professional observatories that pool observations for scientific projects. Its CCD imaging has been used in multi-site studies of asteroids, including observations of the binary asteroid 90 Antiope.
Location & getting there
The observatory is located near the town of Durtal in western France, in the Maine-et-Loire department (postal code 49430).
Visiting Durtal observatory
No public visiting information is published for this site. If you're interested in a visit, check for local astronomy club listings or contact the observatory's operators directly before travelling.
See your named star from here
Durtal's observers already track faint, precise coordinates in the sky for asteroid research, so pointing a telescope at the location of a named star is well within reach for a site like this. Find your star's coordinates in our star catalogue.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check Google Maps for current times before you travel.