Martin de Vivies - Amsterdam Island Magnetic Observatory

The Martin-de-Viviès magnetic observatory sits on Amsterdam Island, one of the most remote pieces of French territory on Earth, deep in the southern Indian Ocean.

About the Martin-de-Viviès magnetic observatory

This is not a stargazing site but a geomagnetic observatory: a scientific station that continuously measures Earth's magnetic field. It sits at an elevation of about 50 metres on Amsterdam Island, part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. It carries the IAGA code AMS and is part of the global INTERMAGNET network of magnetic observatories, operated by the Strasbourg School and Observatory of Earth Sciences (EOST).

History

A permanent French base was established on Amsterdam Island in 1950, and the magnetic observatory itself began operating in 1981. It has recorded digital one-minute magnetic data continuously ever since, contributing to global monitoring of Earth's magnetic field.

Telescopes & research

Rather than telescopes, the site runs magnetic instruments across two dedicated huts - an absolute hut and a variometer hut roughly 15 metres to the north-west - with a recording laboratory a further 120 metres away, kept clear of magnetic interference from the main base.

Location & getting there

Amsterdam Island lies in the far southern Indian Ocean, part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. It is one of the most isolated inhabited outposts in the world, reachable only by a small number of scientific and supply voyages each year.

Visiting the observatory

Because Amsterdam Island is a restricted scientific research territory, there is no general public access, and any visit would need to be arranged through French Southern and Antarctic Lands authorities.

See your named star from here

This station doesn't host telescopes, but the idea behind a Star Register certificate applies just as well from Amsterdam Island as anywhere else: the right ascension and declination assigned to your star mark one real, fixed point in the sky. Name a star or browse the catalogue to see the coordinates for yourself.