Santa Maria Magnetic Observatory

On Santa Maria Island in Portugal's Azores archipelago, the Santa Maria Magnetic Observatory keeps a continuous watch on Earth's magnetic field rather than the stars above it.

About Santa Maria Magnetic Observatory

The observatory is operated by the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences and sits at 196 metres altitude. Its role is to record fine changes in the Earth's magnetic field from a remote Atlantic location, far from the electrical interference of major cities.

Instruments & research

Rather than telescopes, the site runs sensitive magnetometers that continuously log geomagnetic field strength and direction, feeding data into international geomagnetism networks used for navigation, space-weather monitoring, and Earth-science research.

Location & getting there

Santa Maria Island sits in the Azores, a mid-Atlantic Portuguese archipelago, at just under 37 degrees north. The island also hosts a European Space Agency tracking station and other geodetic facilities, reflecting the value of its isolated, low-interference location for scientific instruments of all kinds.

Visiting Santa Maria Magnetic Observatory

As a scientific monitoring station rather than a visitor attraction, the observatory is not generally open to the public; check with GFZ or local Azores tourism information before planning any visit.

See your named star from here

Santa Maria Magnetic Observatory doesn't host telescopes of its own (its instruments watch Earth's magnetic field, not the sky), but the Azores' dark, ocean-facing skies are a fine place to look for a star named through Star Register. Browse the star catalogue to find yours.