Port-aux-Francais Magnetic Observatory

The Port-aux-Français Magnetic Observatory sits on the Kerguelen Islands, a remote French territory in the southern Indian Ocean, at an elevation of about 35 metres.

About Port-aux-Français Magnetic Observatory

Known by the IAGA code PAF, the station is operated by the Institut de Physique du Globe of Strasbourg (EOST). It is a member of the international INTERMAGNET network of geomagnetic observatories, sending its data by email every 12 hours to the Paris GIN station.

History

The first magnetic observations at Port-aux-Français date back to 1902-1903. A dedicated observatory opened in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year, and the current facility was established in 1988 about 3 km east of that original site.

Telescopes & research

The site runs an EOST D-I fluxgate magnetometer, a proton Overhauser magnetometer, and a suspended FGE triaxial fluxgate variometer, recording data at one-second intervals with 0.1 nT resolution to track fine changes in Earth's magnetic field.

Location & getting there

The Kerguelen Islands are one of the most isolated archipelagos on Earth, part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, reachable only by scheduled research and supply vessels.

Visiting Port-aux-Français Magnetic Observatory

This is a remote scientific research station and is not open to public visitors.

See your named star from here

Port-aux-Français studies Earth's magnetism rather than the stars above it, so it isn't a telescope-viewing site. A star named with Star Register still has fixed coordinates you can use anywhere with a clear sky - see our naming packages or browse the catalogue.