The Astronomical Observatory of Rome (OAR) is a scientific research centre of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), the main Italian Research Centre for the study of the Universe. INAF is supervised by the Ministry for University and Research.
The Astronomical Observatory of Rome was established in 1923 from the merger of the two main Astronomical Observatories of Roma in the second half of the 19th century: the Observatory of the “Collegio Romano” and the Observatory of the Campidoglio. Its location was decided in 1938: it was the 15th century Villa Mellini on the Monte Mario Hill in Roma. The Observatory’s headquarters is now in Monte Porzio Catone, south of Rome, in a complex built starting from 1938 in order to host a new Observatory which was to be equipped with a large refracting telescope. The building was entrusted in 1948 to the Astronomical Observatory of Rome – a building still under construction, which for many years represented its second location. From 1965 to 2017 the Astronomical Observatory of Rome also had an observing station at Campo Imperatore on the mountain “Gran Sasso d’Italia”, currently belonging to the Astronomical Observatory of Abruzzo, another INAF research centre ricerca.
Since 2000, Villa Mellini has been the INAF Headquarters, with the President’s Office and the INAF Central Administration, whereas the Astronomical Observatory of Rome is in Monte Porzio Catone.
At the Astronomical Observatory of Rome research activities are carried out in all fields of Astrophysics: solar physics, bodies of the Solar System, stellar formation and evolution, star clusters and exoplanetary systems, formation and evolution of galaxies and galaxy clusters, Cosmology, high-energy and multi-messenger Astrophysics.
At the Astronomical Observatory of Rome new instrumentation is designed and realized, in order to be installed on the best ground telescopes in operation, in the context of research collaborations involving researchers and technologists from Italian and International Institutes.
Over and above research and technology activities, the staff of the Astronomical Observatory of Roma promotes public engagement for Astrophysics and related sciences by organizing several initiatives for schools and the general public, making use of existing facilities in the Astronomical Park around the building, and managing visits for the public at the Astronomical and Copernican Museum and the Solar Tower of Villa Mellini in Monte Mario.
The staff of the Astronomical Observatory of Rome also contributes to university courses and scientific training of students in collaboration with the three Rome Universities, as well as other Institutes.
For further information:
- Our History
- Organization
- How to reach us
- Laboratories and resources
- Museum, Historical Archive and Library
- Phonebook
Translated from Italian by Giuliana Giobbi