Tuorla Observatory

Tuorla Observatory, near Turku in southwest Finland, is the Department of Astronomy at the University of Turku and the largest astronomical research institute in the country.

About Tuorla Observatory

Together with the Space Research Laboratory at the University of Turku's Physics Department, Tuorla forms the Väisälä Institute of Space Physics and Astronomy (VISPA). Since 2009 it has been one of seven laboratories within the university's Department of Physics and Astronomy.

History

Tuorla Observatory was founded on 29 April 1952 by professor Yrjö Väisälä. It sits at an elevation of 60 metres in Tuorla, in the Piikkiö municipality, about 12 kilometres from Turku on the road toward Helsinki.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's main instrument is a one-metre Dall-Kirkham reflector, the largest optical telescope in Finland. Research at Tuorla spans active galactic nuclei, which occupies around half of its researchers, along with dark matter, cosmology, astrodynamics, binary stars, the solar neighbourhood, solar physics and astrobiology. The Tuorla Planetarium opened to the public in October 2008.

Location & getting there

Tuorla Observatory sits at 60 metres elevation in Piikkiö, roughly 12 kilometres from Turku, in Finland's Europe region.

Visiting Tuorla Observatory

The Tuorla Planetarium offers public programming; check the University of Turku Department of Astronomy website for current opening hours and events before visiting.

See your named star from here

With Finland's largest telescope and a dedicated planetarium, Tuorla is a fitting place to look for a star you've named. Name a star or explore the catalogue to find its coordinates.