Lunping Magnetic Observatory

Rather than watching the stars, Lunping Magnetic Observatory in Taiwan spent decades watching the Earth's own magnetic field — and its data would later help scientists understand what happens underground before a major earthquake.

About Lunping Magnetic Observatory

Lunping Magnetic Observatory was a geomagnetic (not optical) observatory established in 1965 at Lunping, Taiwan, at coordinates 25°00'N, 121°10'E. It is currently listed as closed.

Telescopes & research

The station was instrumented with Ruska magnetographs, a proton precession magnetometer and a GSI first-order precession magnetometer, used for geomagnetic research and earthquake monitoring. Its records documented geomagnetic anomalies preceding the magnitude 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake of 1999: a study found a marked temporal variation in induction arrows beginning 24 months before the quake, which normalised afterward. That data has since contributed to broader understanding of the relationship between geomagnetic changes and seismic activity.

Location & getting there

The station was located at Lunping in Taiwan, in the Asia region, at 25°00'N, 121°10'E. As the facility is now closed, the map on this page marks its historical location.

Visiting Lunping Magnetic Observatory

The observatory is no longer operating, so it is not set up for public visits; its scientific legacy lives on chiefly through published earthquake and geomagnetic research.

See your named star from here

Though Lunping tracked the Earth's magnetism rather than the stars, its story is a reminder that precise coordinates matter in every branch of science. A named star from Star Register comes with its own coordinates, listed in our catalogue, ready to be found from an active observatory near you.