Michiel Coignet Observatorium

Michiel Coignet Observatorium is a public observatory in Antwerp, Belgium, named after the city's 16th-century astronomer and instrument-maker Michiel Coignet.

About Michiel Coignet Observatorium

The observatory is run by Urania (Volkssterrenwacht Urania), Antwerp's amateur astronomy organisation, from its site on Zirkstraat. It traces its roots to the Royal Astronomical Society of Antwerp (KSGA), which established a public observatory on Sint-Laureiskaai on the Eilandje at the start of the 20th century, before the operation moved to Zirkstraat during the First World War.

History

After a period of closure for renovation, the observatory was officially inaugurated on 26 November 2023 and reopened to the public in April 2024. A new visitor centre, with exhibition and lecture spaces and a planetarium, was added to the site in April 2026.

Visiting Michiel Coignet Observatorium

Museum admission costs 9 euros and requires advance reservation. There is no elevator, and reaching the telescope means climbing around 100 steps. The observatory opens on several evenings and afternoons each month, timed around when the Moon is visible in the evening sky -- check the official website for the current schedule.

See your named star from here

Urania's staff and telescopes make Antwerp a genuine place to go looking for the night sky -- including a star named with Star Register, whose coordinates can be pointed to from a public observatory like this one. Browse the star catalogue to find your star.