Oukaïmden Observatory

Oukaïmeden Observatory rises to 2,750 metres in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, one of the highest-altitude astronomical sites in Africa and home to the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system.

About Oukaïmeden Observatory

Assigned the observatory code J43, Oukaïmeden runs the Morocco Oukaimeden Sky Survey, a programme dedicated to tracking small Solar System bodies such as asteroids and comets from its high, dark mountain site.

History

The observatory was founded in 1988 in the commune of Oukaïmeden, chosen for its elevation and clear mountain skies above the surrounding Atlas range.

Telescopes & research

Oukaïmeden hosts the TRAPPIST-North telescope, the northern-hemisphere twin of TRAPPIST-South, both remotely operated by the University of Liège in Belgium in collaboration with the European Southern Observatory and the Jura Observatory. In May 2016, observations from the TRAPPIST project led to the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanetary system, one of the most closely studied multi-planet systems beyond our own.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits high in Morocco's Atlas Mountains, in Africa, at an elevation of 2,750 metres above the ski town of Oukaïmeden, roughly an hour's drive from Marrakech.

Visiting Oukaïmeden Observatory

As a working research facility at altitude, Oukaïmeden is not set up for casual walk-in tourism. Anyone hoping to visit should check current access arrangements with the operating institutions before travelling.

See your named star from here

From a mountaintop dedicated to tracking precise points in the sky, it is easy to see how a telescope pointed at the right coordinates can find a star named through Star Register. Name a star today and find its position in our catalogue.