Iranian National Observatory
Image: Wikimedia Commons
The Iranian National Observatory (INO) sits atop the Gargash summit near Kashan, Iran, at an elevation of roughly 3,600 metres, home to the country's largest astronomical research telescope.
About Iranian National Observatory
INO was founded in 2008 and formally inaugurated in 2021, becoming Iran's flagship facility for optical astronomy. Its centrepiece is INO340, a 3.4-metre optical telescope designed and built domestically, which captured its first light on 15 October 2022.
Telescopes & research
INO340 uses a Ritchey-Chretien optical configuration with a Cassegrain focus. Its primary mirror is a meniscus-shaped Zerodur ceramic disc around 18 centimetres thick with a 700-millimetre central hole, held in shape by 60 active and passive actuators. Planned instrumentation includes a wave-front sensor, an auto-guider, imaging CCDs, and a high-resolution spectrograph, positioning the telescope for a broad range of observational astronomy.
Location & getting there
The observatory occupies a high-altitude site in Kashan County, Iran, at roughly 3,600 metres above sea level, an elevation chosen for its dark, dry, and stable atmospheric conditions well suited to optical astronomy.
Visiting Iranian National Observatory
Contact details are published on the observatory's official website; check there or call ahead before planning a visit, since access to a high-altitude research telescope is typically arranged rather than casual.
See your named star from here
A telescope of INO340's precision can be aimed at exact celestial coordinates, the same coordinates recorded on every named star certificate from Star Register. Find your star's position in the catalogue.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check the official website and Google Maps for current times before you travel.
