Sakurajima Volcano Research Center

Sakurajima Volcano Research Center sits on Sakurajima, Japan's most active volcano, in Kagoshima - a science facility built to monitor eruptions rather than the night sky.

About Sakurajima Volcano Research Center

Despite the "observatory" label sometimes applied to it, this is a volcanology facility, not an astronomical one. It's operated by the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) at Kyoto University and exists to track the ongoing volcanic activity of Sakurajima, one of Japan's most consistently active volcanoes.

History

The center was established in 1960, following a marked increase in Sakurajima's eruptive activity that began in 1955, as researchers sought a permanent base for close, continuous monitoring of the volcano.

Telescopes & research

Rather than telescopes, the site's instruments look inward and downward: around ten seismic stations and roughly twenty ground-deformation monitoring points track the volcano's behaviour, feeding into an underground tunnel system about 230 metres long that houses sensitive water-tube tiltmeters and strainmeters. The center also runs annual open-door events for the public.

Location & getting there

Sakurajima Volcano Research Center sits on Sakurajima itself, in Kagoshima, Japan, right beside the volcano it studies.

Visiting Sakurajima Volcano Research Center

This is a working research facility rather than a visitor centre, so day-to-day access is limited; the center does hold annual open-door events for the public. Check with DPRI or Kyoto University before planning a visit.

See your named star from here

Sakurajima Volcano Research Center studies what's happening beneath the ground, not the stars above it - but the night sky over Kagoshima is the same one your named star sits in. Check its position in our catalogue, or browse star-naming packages, and look for it from a dark spot elsewhere on the island.