Manhay Magnetic Observatory

In the forested hills of Belgium's Luxembourg province, the Manhay Magnetic Observatory has quietly measured the Earth's magnetic field since the early 1930s.

About Manhay Magnetic Observatory

Manhay is a geomagnetic observatory that continuously records the strength and direction of Earth's magnetic field, reporting to the international INTERMAGNET network under the station code MAB. It sits on high ground between the valleys of the Ourthe and Amblève rivers, roughly 45 km from Liège and about 15 km from each stream.

History

The observatory was established during the Second International Polar Year of 1932-1933, with its building completed at the end of July 1932. It was built to replace the earlier Uccle and Cointe observatories, whose readings had become unreliable because of interference from nearby electric tram lines. Modern geomagnetic observations in Belgium now continue from both Manhay and the Dourbes observatory, roughly 80 km apart.

Instruments & research

Manhay measures the complete geomagnetic vector, recording readings once every minute. Its data feeds into the international INTERMAGNET network, supporting research into the Earth's magnetic field and space weather.

Location & getting there

The observatory lies in Belgium's Luxembourg province, on elevated ground between the Ourthe and Amblève valleys, in the Ardennes region of the country.

Visiting Manhay Magnetic Observatory

As a precision scientific instrument sensitive to electrical and magnetic interference, Manhay is not set up as a public attraction; anyone with a research interest should contact the operating institute directly.

See your named star from here

Manhay's instruments read the Earth's magnetic field rather than starlight, so it isn't a place to point a telescope. But the same idea runs through both: pinning something real to a precise set of coordinates. If you've named a star with Star Register, its exact position is recorded just as carefully — see it in our star catalogue.