Épendes Observatory

Épendes Observatory, formally the Observatoire Robert A. Naef, sits at 680 metres above sea level in Épendes, in Switzerland's Canton of Fribourg.

About Épendes Observatory

Inaugurated on 10 May 1984, the observatory was named in memory of Robert Adolf Naef (1907-1975); the minor planet 1906 Naef was named in his honour. It's run today by the Association des Amis de l'Observatoire d'Épendes, a volunteer group dedicated to sharing astronomy with the public.

Telescopes & research

The observatory is equipped with the Télescope Keller, a Celestron C14, a coelostat, a refractor, a spectrograph, and its own small planetarium, giving it the range to run both deep-sky observation and solar viewing sessions.

Location & getting there

Épendes sits at 680 metres elevation in the Canton of Fribourg, in the hills of western Switzerland. Use the map and directions above to plan your route.

Visiting Épendes Observatory

Visits are free but require advance registration, with a maximum of 30 visitors per session. Public evenings run on Fridays year-round, from 19:00 to 21:00 between November and March, 21:00 to 23:00 in April and September to October, and 22:00 to midnight from May to August. Solar observations are also offered on the first Sunday of the month, from 10:00 to 12:00, weather permitting.

See your named star from here

Épendes Observatory's coelostat and refractor exist to bring precise, fixed points in the sky into view, exactly the sort of instrument that could be aimed at the coordinates of a star named through Star Register. Name a star or browse the star catalogue to see it listed.