Kandilli Magnetic Observatory

Overlooking the Bosporus in Istanbul, the Kandilli Magnetic Observatory has been tracking the Earth's shifting magnetic field for nearly a century, forming part of Turkey's oldest and most important earth-science institution.

About Kandilli Magnetic Observatory

The Kandilli Magnetic Observatory is part of the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI) in Istanbul, a research centre combining astronomy, seismology, and geomagnetism under one roof. Its magnetic programme sits alongside KOERI's better-known earthquake monitoring work.

History

The first magnetic readings at the site were taken in 1927 by Fatin Gökmen using French equipment, and systematic geomagnetic measurements began in earnest in 1947. Decades of observations, originally recorded on photographic paper through the year 2000, have built one of the longest continuous magnetic data records in the region.

Telescopes & research

Rather than optical telescopes, the station's instruments continuously measure the strength and direction of the Earth's magnetic field. This long-running dataset plays an important role in geomagnetic and earthquake-related research carried out by KOERI in Turkey.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits in the Kandilli neighbourhood of Üsküdar, on the Asian side of Istanbul, on a hill above the Bosporus strait - the same site that hosts the wider Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute.

Visiting Kandilli Magnetic Observatory

As a working scientific monitoring station, the magnetic observatory is not set up as a general tourist attraction. Visitors interested in the site are best served by checking KOERI's official website for current access and outreach information.

See your named star from here

Kandilli's instruments read the invisible field lines of the Earth the way an astronomer reads the coordinates of a star. When you name a star with Star Register, you get your own set of celestial coordinates to look up in our star catalogue and find with a telescope anywhere the sky is dark enough.