Nizamia observatory

Nizamia Observatory was once one of India's most productive astronomical sites, built in Hyderabad under the patronage of the Nizams and active in a landmark international star-mapping project.

About Nizamia Observatory

The observatory was built by Nawab Zafar Jung Bahadur of the House of Paigah, Amir of the Khurshid Jahi estate, with the backing of Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad.

History

Founded in 1908, Nizamia Observatory took part in the Carte du Ciel project, an international effort to photographically map the entire sky, contributing 463,542 observations to the survey. The observatory is now defunct.

Telescopes & research

Nizamia Observatory was equipped with an 8-inch Cooke Astrograph and a 15-inch Grubb refractor telescope, instruments notable for their time.

Location & getting there

The observatory was located in Hyderabad, India.

Visiting Nizamia Observatory

As a defunct observatory, Nizamia is not an operating public site; anyone interested in its history or remaining structures should check current local heritage information before visiting.

See your named star from here

Nizamia Observatory once helped map hundreds of thousands of points on the sky; a star you've named through Star Register is one more point with its own fixed coordinates. Find it in our catalogue, or see our packages to name a star of your own.