Monte Bianco obsertatory

At 4,807 metres above sea level, on the summit of Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc) on the Italian side of the mountain, once stood one of the highest astronomical observatories ever built.

About Monte Bianco observatory

Monte Bianco observatory was a former astronomical observatory sited directly on the summit of Mont Blanc, at 4,807 metres, making it one of the highest observing stations of its era.

History

The observatory was established in 1893, when the extreme altitude made it valuable for studying the atmosphere and testing high-altitude astronomical observation. It operated for little over a decade before being dissolved and dismantled around 1909, and no trace of it remains at the summit today.

Location & getting there

The site sat at the very top of Mont Blanc, straddling the border area between Italy and France at 4,807 metres — a location reachable only via serious high-altitude mountaineering, both in the 1890s and today.

Visiting Monte Bianco observatory

Because the observatory was dismantled in the early twentieth century, there is no building left to visit at the summit. The site is of historical interest to mountaineers and astronomy historians rather than a working public observatory.

See your named star from here

Even though the original observatory is gone, the coordinates of a star named through Star Register remain fixed in the sky above Mont Blanc and everywhere else. Any working observatory can use them to help you find your star. Browse our naming packages or explore the catalogue of named stars.