Monte Agliale observatory

On a hilltop above Borgo a Mozzano in Tuscany, the Monte Agliale observatory has grown from a local teaching resource into a contributor to international research - including a study that revealed a dust ring around the distant dwarf planet Haumea.

About Monte Agliale Observatory

Located at Cune, in the province of Lucca, at around 750 metres elevation, Monte Agliale is a public observatory serving schools, teachers, and astronomy enthusiasts of all ages. It holds Minor Planet Center code 159.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's main instrument is an automatic 0.5-metre f/4.6 Newtonian telescope fitted with an SBIG ST10 camera, used for specialised supernova observations in collaboration with professional astronomers, with results published in international scientific journals. Monte Agliale also collaborated with other European observatories on a study of the dwarf planet Haumea - roughly 5.1 billion kilometres away - helping confirm, through a stellar occultation, that Haumea is surrounded by a dust ring about 70 kilometres thick and 2,300 kilometres wide.

Location & getting there

Monte Agliale observatory sits on its namesake hill near Cune, in the municipality of Borgo a Mozzano, in the province of Lucca, Tuscany.

Visiting Monte Agliale Observatory

The observatory regularly organises guided visits and observing evenings for schools and the public. Check locally for current schedules before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

A facility precise enough to help detect a ring of dust around a dwarf planet billions of kilometres away can certainly find the coordinates of a named star closer to home. Explore our star-naming packages or browse the catalogue of stars already named through Star Register.