observatory

American  

[uhb-zur-vuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / əbˈzɜr vəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

noun

observatories plural

1. a place or building equipped and used for making observations of astronomical, meteorological, or other natural phenomena, especially a place equipped with a powerful telescope for observing the planets and stars.

2. an institution that controls or carries on the work of such a place.

3. a place or structure that provides an extensive view; lookout.

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observatory British  

/ -trɪ, əbˈzɜːvətərɪ /

noun

1. an institution or building specially designed and equipped for observing meteorological and astronomical phenomena

2. any building or structure providing an extensive view of its surroundings

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• observatories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of observatory

1670–80; < Latin observā ( re ) to observe + -tory ²

Explanation

An observatory is a structure that holds a large telescope for observing the stars and planets or some celestial event. If you want to check out a lunar eclipse, then head to your nearest observatory. Observatories for examining the distant sky are typically located far from large cities, since light pollution makes it more difficult to see celestial bodies like stars and planets, or events like meteor showers. Another kind of observatory is quite simply a very tall, often skinny building meant for looking down over a city or its coastline. Observatory comes from the verb observe, or "watch," which in turn is rooted in the Latin observare, "watch over or guard."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

observatory observatories

The observatory, which is the size of a large car, was launched in 2004, with three telescopes aboard, to study the most powerful explosions in the Universe.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Perched on a hilltop beneath the Aegibong Peace Ecopark observatory where telescopes peek into the secluded state, the shop has drawn tens of thousands from South Korea and abroad since opening in November 2024.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Come nightfall, the foundation also puts on a free “Look Up” stargazing program from its observatory, taking advantage of some of the darkest skies on the Eastern Seaboard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

The neutrino was detected on February 13, 2023, by KM3NeT/ARCA, a massive neutrino observatory located deep off the coast of Sicily.

From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026

Haas helped him into a sleeping bag, then stumbled on to the weather observatory a little over two miles away.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Future observatories may be able to test these ideas.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026

Powerful new observatories, including the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, are expected to dramatically expand the search for these repeating lensing events in the coming years.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026

In 1878, confronting the lowest prices for pig iron since colonial times, American ironmasters wondered if the smokestacks on their idled blast furnaces might serve a higher use as astronomical observatories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

So far, scientists have identified only three known interstellar objects entering our solar system, but researchers expect that number to rise as more advanced observatories begin searching the skies.

From Science Daily ● May 8, 2026

In our history it was some horde of furry little mammals who hid from the dinosaurs, colonized the treetops and later scampered down to domesticate fire, invent writing, construct observatories and launch space vehicles.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan