Royal Observatory of Madrid

The Royal Observatory of Madrid was commissioned by Charles III at the suggestion of Jorge Juan. The construction of the main building, designed by Juan de Villanueva, began in 1790 on a small hill situated beside the present day Retiro Park. At the same time the astronomer W. Herschel was commissioned to build a 60 cm diameter reflecting telescope. 

The following places are visited as part of the route:

• · Villanueva Building: the Observatory’s main building. Designed by Juan de Villanueva, it consists of three parts: the central hall, where the Foucault Pendulum is located, which illustrates the daily rotation of the earth and the collection of instruments, Repsold’s meridian circle (1854) and the splendid library, with a wide selection of antique books.

• · Herschel’s Telescope: the replica of William Herschell’s Large Telescope with a diameter of 60 cm and a 25-foot focal distance, dating back to 1796-98, which was destroyed in 1808 during the Napoleonic occupation, can be admired.

• · Hall of the Sciences of the Earth and the Universe: it includes a wonderful collection of astronomical, geodetic and geophysical instruments from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Since its origins, the Royal Observatory has carried out functions in the fields of astronomy and earth sciences (solar and stellar physics, celestial mechanics, official time keeping, geodesy, cartography, geomagnetism, seismology, meteorology). 

Today, it is home to the headquarters of the National Astronomical Observatory and the Central Geophysical Observatory. In recent decades, the observatory has been a pioneer in the development of radio-astronomy in Spain and its applications in astronomic and geodesic studies. The Data Reception Centre for the new national volcanic surveillance and alert service has been set up. These activities and others can be seen in the videos that will be shown during the visit.