Isla de Pascua Mataveri (Easter Island) Magnetic Observatory

The Isla de Pascua Mataveri (Easter Island) Magnetic Observatory sits on the remote Chilean island of Rapa Nui, monitoring Earth's magnetic field far out in the Pacific Ocean.

About Isla de Pascua Mataveri (Easter Island) Magnetic Observatory

Carrying the IAGA code IPM, the observatory closed in 1968 and was reactivated in 2008 through a partnership between a French INTERMAGNET group and the Chilean Meteorological Service. It is now part of INTERMAGNET, the international network of standardised geomagnetic stations.

History

Since its 2008 reactivation, the observatory has recorded striking tsunami-induced magnetic signals during major Chilean earthquakes. On 27 February 2010 it measured a periodic magnetic signal of about 1 nanotesla coinciding precisely with tide gauge readings, and it recorded similar electromagnetic signatures during the 2015 Chilean tsunami as well.

Location & getting there

The observatory is located on Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile, one of the most isolated inhabited places on Earth, roughly 3,500 kilometres from the Chilean mainland earthquake zones it helps monitor.

Visiting Isla de Pascua Mataveri (Easter Island) Magnetic Observatory

As a scientific monitoring station, the observatory is not set up for general tourism; visitors to Easter Island should check with the Chilean Meteorological Service for any access information before planning a visit.

See your named star from here

Easter Island's remote location, far from artificial light, makes for extraordinary stargazing, and a telescope here can be aimed at the exact coordinates of your named star. Look up your star's position in the catalogue.