Specola Solare Ticinese

The Specola Solare Ticinese is a solar observatory in Locarno-Monti, in the Swiss canton of Ticino, dedicated to watching the Sun rather than the stars.

About Specola Solare Ticinese

Founded in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year, it is the oldest solar observatory in Locarno and sits at the regional centre of MeteoSwiss, Switzerland's national weather service. Its core work is measuring the sunspot relative number, a long-running index of solar activity.

History

The observatory was originally part of the Federal Observatory at ETH Zurich until 1980, after which it was taken over by a private association and has been largely financed since through the Canton of Ticino's lottery fund. Its sunspot data feeds into the Royal Observatory of Belgium, which now handles distribution of the international sunspot number.

Location & getting there

The site sits in Locarno-Monti, above the town of Locarno on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, southern Switzerland.

Visiting Specola Solare Ticinese

As of May 2025, the observatory temporarily suspended its scientific outreach activities for major building renovations, with completion expected in summer 2026. Check the observatory's current status before planning a visit, as public access may be limited during this work.

See your named star from here

Solar astronomers here track the Sun's activity day by day using precise positional data, not so different from the right ascension and declination that pinpoint a star named through Star Register. Explore our star packages or browse the catalogue.