Okayama Astrophysical Observatory

Okayama Astrophysical Observatory sits atop Mt. Chikurinji in Okayama, Japan, and for more than fifty years has been a centre of the country's optical and infrared astronomy.

About Okayama Astrophysical Observatory

The observatory was founded in 1960 as a branch of the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory. In 1988, its parent institution transitioned into the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), and Okayama continued as one of its key sites.

History

Over more than five decades, Okayama has anchored Japanese optical and infrared research, hosting scientific milestones including the world's first optical identification of X-ray stars.

Telescopes & research

Its flagship instrument is the 188-cm Reflector Telescope, the largest reflector in Japan, built by the British firm Grubb-Parsons and now operated by the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The site also has a 91-cm and a 50-cm reflector telescope. Research here has covered spectroscopic studies of peculiar and cool stars, searches for extrasolar planets, and atmospheric studies of exoplanets.

Location & getting there

The observatory is located on Mt. Chikurinji in Okayama, Japan, with views over the city of Asakuchi and the Seto Inland Sea.

Visiting Okayama Astrophysical Observatory

Visitors can view the 188-cm telescope through a glass observation window; check the observatory's website for current visiting hours before travelling.

See your named star from here

Japan's largest reflector telescope has spent decades resolving faint points of light into real discoveries, the same precision that can pick out a star named through Star Register at its exact coordinates. Name a star or explore the catalogue of named stars.