Entoto Observatory and Research Center

At 3,200 meters on Mount Entoto above Addis Ababa, the Entoto Observatory and Research Center anchors Ethiopia's young space science program.

About Entoto Observatory and Research Center

Known by its full name as the Entoto Observatory Space Science Research Center (EORC), the facility was established through the Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS) and officially began operations in 2012. Dr. Solomon Belay Tessema, appointed as its first Scientific Director in May 2012, is widely credited as the driving force behind the center and the wider Ethiopian space program that grew out of it.

History

The observatory installed twin 1-meter telescopes in early 2014, and science operations began in early 2015 once commissioning and supplemental equipment installation were complete. It is financed by a consortium of Ethiopian universities, ESSS, and the Ethiopian government, and there are plans to expand the center's work to Lalibela and other towns.

Research & academic programs

The center underpins graduate programs in astronomy and astrophysics, space science, remote sensing, and geodesy, run in affiliation with Addis Ababa University — building local expertise in fields that had little precedent in Ethiopia before EORC's founding.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits on Mount Entoto, close to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at an elevation of about 3,200 meters — high enough to lift it well above the haze and lights of the capital below.

Visiting Entoto Observatory and Research Center

Specific public visiting hours aren't confirmed in our sources, so anyone planning a trip up Mount Entoto should check the center's official channels or contact them directly before travelling.

See your named star from here

With twin 1-meter telescopes and a mountaintop site far above city lights, this is exactly the kind of facility that can locate a specific point in the sky. If you've named a star through Star Register, its coordinates are ready to look up in the catalogue and bring along on a visit.