Kanzelhoehe Solar Observatory

Perched above Villach on Austria's southern border, Kanzelhöhe Solar Observatory has watched the Sun almost daily since the Second World War, tracking sunspots and solar activity that ripple all the way out to Earth's own space weather.

About Kanzelhöhe Solar Observatory

Kanzelhöhe Solar Observatory, known as KSO, is affiliated with the Department of Astrophysics and Geophysics at the University of Graz. Its mountaintop site near Villach was chosen for clear, steady air well suited to solar imaging, and the observatory now operates under the University of Graz.

History

KSO was founded in 1943 as part of a wartime German Air Force network of solar observatories. It has continued observing ever since, building one of the longest continuous solar image archives in Europe.

Telescopes & research

The observatory images the Sun in hydrogen-alpha, white light, and Ca II wavelengths, publishing current sunspot and solar activity data alongside its long synoptic archive. It also runs UV-B monitoring as part of Austria's national ultraviolet network and contributes solar data to the European Space Agency's space-weather monitoring programme.

Location & getting there

Kanzelhöhe sits on a mountainside near Villach, close to Austria's southern border, a setting chosen for its clear daytime skies rather than dark nights - ideal for a solar observatory rather than deep-sky viewing.

Visiting Kanzelhoehe Solar Observatory

Kanzelhöhe Solar Observatory is operated by the University of Graz and can be reached for enquiries by phone. Check the observatory's official website, kso.ac.at, for current visiting hours and access details before you travel.

See your named star from here

Kanzelhöhe watches our own star up close every clear day; a Star Register certificate lets you claim a star of your own further out in the night sky. Name a star and look up its exact coordinates in our star catalogue, then find it after dark from anywhere with clear skies.