Ilmala observatory

The Ilmala Observatory once stood on rocky high ground in Helsinki's Pasila district, recording Finland's weather and magnetic field for more than half a century before it was demolished to make way for a water tower.

About Ilmala Observatory

Ilmala Observatory was a meteorological and geomagnetic research station in the Pasila district of Helsinki, Finland. It replaced an earlier magnetic observatory at Kaisaniemi, whose readings had been disrupted by interference, and it operated from 1910 until its demolition in 1967.

History

Built in 1910 on open, rocky ground chosen to avoid the magnetic interference that had affected the previous Kaisaniemi site, Ilmala Observatory ran for 57 years. It was demolished in 1967 to clear the site for the Ilmala 2 water tower, which still stands in the district today.

Research

Staff at Ilmala carried out magnetic observations, routine surface weather measurements, and studies of the upper atmosphere. Early upper-air work used kites fitted with meteorographs; this later gave way to weather balloons carrying radio telemetry equipment, tracking conditions far above Helsinki.

Location & getting there

The observatory stood in Pasila, a district just north of central Helsinki, Finland, on elevated rocky terrain suited to sensitive magnetic instruments.

Visiting the site today

The original observatory building no longer exists; the Ilmala 2 water tower now occupies the site. There is no observatory to tour, though the Pasila district itself remains an easy stop within Helsinki.

See your named star from here

Though Ilmala's own instruments are long gone, its former home city of Helsinki still has clear enough skies on a good night to find a named star. Name one through Star Register and look up its coordinates in the star catalogue.