Pierre Kauffman Radio Observatory

Pierre Kauffman Radio Observatory sits in a quiet zone near Atibaia, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, about 40 kilometres north of the city of São Paulo.

About Pierre Kauffman Radio Observatory

Formerly known as the Itapetinga Radio Observatory, the site is now jointly managed by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (UPM), University do Vale do Paraíba (Univap), Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and Universidade Federal de Itajubá (UNIFEI). It was renamed in 2016 in honour of the Brazilian-American radio astronomer Pierre Kaufmann.

History

The observatory was founded in 1970 by Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie under the name Itapetinga Radio Observatory. Control passed to INPE in 1982, and the current multi-institution management structure developed from there.

Telescopes & research

Located inside a designated radio-quiet zone to protect its sensitive instruments from interference, the observatory also provides living quarters for visiting scientists, supporting extended research stays at the site.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits at roughly 819 metres elevation, about 7.5 km south of Atibaia and 40 km north of São Paulo, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Visiting Pierre Kauffman Radio Observatory

As a working research facility inside a protected radio-quiet zone, public access is limited; check with the operating institutions or their official website for any visit arrangements before travelling.

See your named star from here

This site listens to the sky in radio waves rather than visible light, but the coordinates that come with a star named through Star Register work with any optical telescope under the clear skies near Atibaia. Name a star or explore the star catalogue to find your star.