If you had to find a fairyland on a map, many would confidently look towards Switzerland. An Alpine fairy tale is a real brand, firmly rooted in our consciousness, because these mountains are not only home to purple milkies and magical animals, but there is also an amazing place where you can feel like you’re on top of the world. This - Sphinx Observatory, built in Swiss Alps at an altitude of 3,571 meters, more tall buildings in Europe simply not.
For a long time, the observatory attracted the attention exclusively of scientists; research was successfully carried out here in various areas sciences such as meteorology, astronomy, glaciology, physiology, and also studied radiation and cosmic rays. Year-round access to the observatory is ensured by the operation of the railway, which can be used to reach the foot of the peak, as well as a special elevator built more than 100 years ago. The unusual elevator shaft was carved right into the rock. Later, in 1937, the Sphinx Observatory itself was built, which housed scientists. Before this, they had to live in very harsh conditions and spend the night in temporary shelters.
The Sphynx observatory is located in the area of the Jungfraujoch pass, which connects the peaks of Mönch and Jungfrau, in the so-called Bernese Alps. By the way, next to the observatory is the highest railway station in Europe - Jungfraujoch, which is located slightly below our site (only 3454 meters above sea level). It was thanks to the opening of this station that the current observatory appeared. Although, at first the scientists had to live in tents.
The station and the observatory are connected by a tunnel in which a special elevator operates. As we have already said, the observatory is intended for scientists, but the enterprising Swiss have made this place accessible to tourists. In particular, an observation deck with a terrace has been built for them, allowing them to view the surrounding majesty of the Alps at 360 degrees.
Today, the Sphinx Observatory is one of the favorite tourist spots. Despite the fact that the road to the top from the nearest city of Bern takes about four hours, there are many people who want to visit the top of the world at any time of the year. Climbing up the elevator, visitors find themselves on a small observation deck, which offers a wide view of the Great Aletsah glacier, snow-capped mountain peaks, and green valleys in the foothills. In addition, you can look through the telescope installed under the dome of the observatory.
Despite the fact that the observatory looks quite small, inside there is everything you need for normal life. Scientists work in four laboratories, a research pavilion cosmic rays, mechanical workshops. There is a library, a kitchen, a living room, ten bedrooms and a bath - everything that provides comfortable conditions for living and conducting scientific experiments.
The main dominant feature of the Bernese Alps is a trio consisting of the peaks of the Eiger (3970 m above sea level), Monk (4107 m) and Jungfrau (4158 m). As part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch region, these giants, as well as the largest Aletsch glacier in Switzerland, are included in the List World Heritage UNESCO.
The most exciting excursion in these parts is the train ride up to the saddle of the Jungfrau mountain - Jungfraujoch (3454 m). Nowhere in Europe is there a railway track laid at such stratospheric heights. From here you can get to a platform with an all-round view and see close to the top of the gigantic mountain trio, the Aletsch glacier and the Grindelwald valley.
I'm healthy, but there's no need to worry. Switzerland has a clearly planned and coordinated system of transfers, and local punctuality railways comparable only to Japanese ones. Transfers usually take no more than 20 minutes, and trains run to the minute. Please note that trains run in the mountains with gears. Slope steepness for conventional formulations here is irresistible. And the third cog rail, located between the other two, helps the train move smoothly upward.
A very popular circular route starting in Interlaken: Interlaken Ost - Lauterbrunnen - Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe - Grindelwald - Interlaken Ost. It also works in reverse side. That is, from Interlaken you can go both to the village of Lauterbruenen and to Grindelwald, and there, changing trains, get to the Kleine Scheidegg pass, where the fun begins. Here the second transfer is made to the very famous train of the Jungfrau railway system, which slowly but surely creeps up the Jungfrau mountain. The first two kilometers to the Eigergletscher station (2320 m) pass along open area, after which the train is pulled into an eight-kilometer rock tunnel carved into the Eiger, Monk and Jungfrau mountains.
To prevent tourists from getting bored, and also for sanitary purposes, the train makes two stops in the tunnel: Eigerwand and Eismeer at levels 2865 and 3160 m. Both stations are equipped with galleries ending in glass-covered ones observation decks. From the first, in cloudless weather, you can see green valleys surrounded by snow-covered mountains. The landscape that opens up to the eye at the second station is eternal ice and majestic rocks. And finally, the final station of the Jungfraujoch path is the top of Europe, which leads to Mount Jungfrau and the adjacent Aletsch glacier. The journey from Interlaken takes about 3 hours.
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Next to the Sphinx, at an altitude of 3571 m above sea level, there is an open terrace from which a magnificent panorama of the Alps is visible.
The huge frozen mass of the Aletsch glacier is clearly visible. Descending along the slopes of the mountains into the valley, it forms a canyon 24 km long. Its bottom resembles a well-paved road, spreading over a kilometer in places. It involuntarily comes to mind that such a highway could solve the problem of Moscow traffic jams once and for all. But the silence of the mountains drowns out such everyday thoughts. It seems that there is no place for a living soul here - all the more surprising is the presence of Alpine jackdaws, small black birds with yellow beaks. Feeding them has become a kind of ritual, like the tradition of feeding pigeons in St. Mark's Square in Venice. True, there are far fewer jackdaws than pigeons, and no one fines you for this.
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Details Category: Work of astronomers Published 10/11/2012 17:13 Views: 7493
An astronomical observatory is a research institution that conducts systematic observations celestial bodies and phenomena.
Typically, an observatory is built on an elevated area, where a good view opens up. The observatory is equipped with observation instruments: optical and radio telescopes, instruments for processing observation results: astrographs, spectrographs, astrophotometers and other devices for characterizing celestial bodies.
From the history of the observatory
It is difficult to even name the time when the first observatories appeared. Of course, these were primitive structures, but still observations of the celestial bodies were carried out in them. The most ancient observatories are located in Assyria, Babylon, China, Egypt, Persia, India, Mexico, Peru and other countries. The ancient priests were essentially the first astronomers, because they made observations of starry sky.
- an observatory created back in the Stone Age. It is located near London. This structure was both a temple and a place for astronomical observations - the interpretation of Stonehenge as a grand observatory of the Stone Age belongs to J. Hawkins and J. White. Speculation that this is an ancient observatory is based on the fact that its stone slabs are installed in a certain order. It is well known that Stonehenge was a sacred place of the Druids - representatives of the priestly caste of the ancient Celts. The Druids were very well versed in astronomy, for example, the structure and movement of stars, the size of the Earth and planets, and various astronomical phenomena. Science does not know where they got this knowledge from. It is believed that they inherited them from the true builders of Stonehenge and, thanks to this, had great power and influence.
Another ancient observatory, built about 5 thousand years ago, was found on the territory of Armenia.
In the 15th century in Samarkand, the great astronomer Ulugbek built an observatory outstanding for its time, in which the main instrument was a huge quadrant for measuring angular distances stars and other luminaries (read about this on our website: http://site/index.php/earth/rabota-astrnom/10-etapi-astronimii/12-sredneverovaya-astronomiya).
The first observatory in the modern sense of the word was the famous museum in Alexandria, arranged by Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Aristillus, Timocharis, Hipparchus, Aristarchus, Eratosthenes, Geminus, Ptolemy and others achieved unprecedented results here. Here, for the first time, they began to use instruments with divided circles. Aristarchus installed a copper circle in the plane of the equator and, with its help, directly observed the times of passage of the Sun through the equinoxes. Hipparchus invented the astrolabe ( astronomical instrument, based on the principle of stereographic projection) with two mutually perpendicular circles and diopters for observations. Ptolemy introduced quadrants and established them using a plumb line. The transition from full circles to quadrants was, in essence, a step back, but the authority of Ptolemy maintained quadrants at observatories until the time of Roemer, who proved that observations were made more accurately by using full circles; however, the quadrants were completely abandoned only at the beginning of the 19th century.
First observatories modern type began to be built in Europe after the telescope was invented - in the 17th century. The first large state observatory – Parisian. It was built in 1667. Along with quadrants and other instruments of ancient astronomy, large refracting telescopes were already used here. Opened in 1675 Greenwich Royal Observatory in England, on the outskirts of London.
There are more than 500 observatories in the world.
Russian observatories
The first observatory in Russia was the private observatory of A.A. Lyubimov in Kholmogory, Arkhangelsk region, opened in 1692. In 1701, by decree of Peter I, an observatory was created at the Navigation School in Moscow. In 1839, the Pulkovo Observatory was founded near St. Petersburg, equipped with the most advanced instruments that made it possible to obtain highly accurate results. For this, the Pulkovo Observatory was called the astronomical capital of the world. Now in Russia there are more than 20 astronomical observatories, among them the leading one is the Main (Pulkovo) Astronomical Observatory of the Academy of Sciences.
Observatories of the world
Among the foreign observatories, the largest are Greenwich (Great Britain), Harvard and Mount Palomar (USA), Potsdam (Germany), Krakow (Poland), Byurakan (Armenia), Vienna (Austria), Crimea (Ukraine) and others. Observatories of various countries exchange the results of observations and research, often working on the same program to develop the most accurate data.
Construction of observatories
A typical building for modern observatories is a cylindrical or multifaceted building. These are towers in which telescopes are installed. Modern observatories are equipped with optical telescopes located in closed domed buildings, or radio telescopes. Light radiation, collected by telescopes, is recorded by photographic or photoelectric methods and analyzed to obtain information about distant astronomical objects. Observatories are usually located far from cities, in climatic zones with little cloudiness and, if possible, on high plateaus where atmospheric turbulence is insignificant and it is possible to study infrared radiation absorbed by the lower layers of the atmosphere.
Types of observatories
There are specialized observatories that work according to a narrow scientific program: radio astronomy, mountain stations for observing the Sun; some observatories are associated with observations made by astronauts from spacecraft and orbital stations.
Most of the infrared and ultraviolet range, as well as X-rays and gamma rays of cosmic origin, are inaccessible for observation from the Earth's surface. To study the Universe in these rays, it is necessary to take observation instruments into space. Until recently, extra-atmospheric astronomy was unavailable. Now it has become a rapidly developing branch of science. Without the slightest exaggeration, the results obtained from space telescopes have revolutionized many of our ideas about the Universe.
A modern space telescope is a unique set of instruments, developed and operated by several countries for many years. Thousands of astronomers from all over the world take part in observations at modern orbital observatories.
The picture shows the design of the largest infrared optical telescope at the European Southern Observatory, 40 m high.
For successful work A space observatory requires the joint efforts of a variety of specialists. Space engineers prepare the telescope for launch, put it into orbit, and ensure that all instruments are supplied with energy and are functioning properly. Each object can be observed for several hours, so it is especially important to keep the orientation of the satellite orbiting the Earth in the same direction so that the telescope's axis remains pointed directly at the object.
Infrared observatories
To conduct infrared observations, you have to send a fairly large load into space: the telescope itself, devices for processing and transmitting information, a cooler, which should protect the IR receiver from background radiation - infrared quanta emitted by the telescope itself. Therefore, throughout history space flights There were very few infrared telescopes operating in space. The first infrared observatory was launched in January 1983 as part of the joint US-European IRAS project. In November 1995, the European Space Agency launched the ISO infrared observatory into low-Earth orbit. It has a telescope with the same mirror diameter as the IRAS, but more sensitive detectors are used to record radiation. ISO observations have access to a wider range of the infrared spectrum. Several more space infrared telescope projects are currently being developed and will be launched in the coming years.
Interplanetary stations cannot do without IR equipment.
Ultraviolet observatories
Ultraviolet radiation from the Sun and stars is almost completely absorbed by the ozone layer of our atmosphere, so UV quanta can only be detected in the upper layers of the atmosphere and beyond.
For the first time, an ultraviolet reflecting telescope with a mirror diameter (SO cm) and a special ultraviolet spectrometer were launched into space on the joint American-European Copernicus satellite, launched in August 1972. Observations on it were carried out until 1981.
Currently, work is underway in Russia to prepare for the launch of a new ultraviolet telescope "Spectrum-UV" with a mirror diameter of 170 cm. The large international project "Spectrum-UV" - "World Space Observatory" (WKO-UV) is aimed at exploring the Universe in areas inaccessible to observations with ground-based instruments in the ultraviolet (UV) region of the electromagnetic spectrum: 100-320 nm.
The project is led by Russia and is included in the Federal Space Program for 2006-2015. Currently, Russia, Spain, Germany and Ukraine are participating in the project. Kazakhstan and India are also showing interest in participating in the project. Institute of Astronomy RAS - head office scientific organization project. The leading organization for the rocket and space complex is the NPO named after. S.A. Lavochkina.
In Russia, the main instrument of the observatory is being created - a space telescope with a main mirror with a diameter of 170 cm. The telescope will be equipped with high and low resolution spectrographs, a long slit spectrograph, as well as cameras for constructing high-quality images in the UV and optical parts of the spectrum.
In terms of capabilities, the VKO-UF project is comparable to the American one Space Telescope Hubble (KTH) and even surpasses it in spectroscopy.
EKO-UV will open up new opportunities for research of planets, stellar, extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology. The observatory is scheduled to launch in 2016.
X-ray observatories
X-rays provide us with information about powerful space processes associated with extreme physical conditions. High Energy X-ray and gamma quanta allows you to register them “piece by piece”, with an exact indication of the time of registration. X-ray detectors are relatively easy to manufacture and light in weight. Therefore, they were used for observations in the upper atmosphere and beyond using high-altitude rockets even before the first launches artificial satellites Earth. X-ray telescopes installed on many orbital stations and interplanetary spacecraft. In total, about a hundred such telescopes have visited near-Earth space.
Gamma-ray observatories
Gamma radiation is closely related to X-ray radiation, so similar methods are used to register it. Very often, telescopes launched into near-Earth orbits simultaneously examine both X-ray and gamma-ray sources. Gamma rays bring to us information about the processes occurring inside atomic nuclei, and about transformations elementary particles in space.
The first observations of cosmic gamma sources were classified. In the late 60s - early 70s. The United States launched four Vela series military satellites. The equipment of these satellites was developed to detect bursts of hard X-ray and gamma radiation that occur during nuclear explosions. However, it turned out that most of the recorded bursts are not associated with military tests, and their sources are located not on Earth, but in space. Thus, one of the most mysterious phenomena in the Universe - gamma-ray bursts, which are single powerful flashes hard radiation. Although the first cosmic gamma-ray bursts were recorded back in 1969, information about them was published only four years later.
The observatory is scientific institution, in which employees - scientists of various specialties - observe natural phenomena, analyze observations, and on their basis continue to study what is happening in nature.
Astronomical observatories are especially common: we usually imagine them when we hear this word. They explore stars, planets, large star clusters, other space objects.
But there are other types of these institutions:
— geophysical - for studying the atmosphere, aurora, Earth’s magnetosphere, properties rocks, states earth's crust in seismically active regions and other similar issues and objects;
- auroral - for studying the aurora;
— seismic - for constant and detailed recording of all vibrations of the earth’s crust and their study;
— meteorological - for study weather conditions and identifying weather patterns;
— cosmic ray observatories and a number of others.
Where are observatories built?
Observatories are built in areas that provide scientists with maximum material for research. 
Meteorological - in all corners of the Earth; astronomical - in the mountains (the air there is clean, dry, not “blinded” by city lighting), radio observatories - at the bottom of deep valleys, inaccessible to artificial radio interference.
Astronomical observatories
Astronomical - the most ancient look observatories. In ancient times, astronomers were priests; they kept a calendar, studied the movement of the Sun across the sky, and made predictions of events and the destinies of people depending on the position of celestial bodies. These were astrologers - people whom even the most ferocious rulers feared.
Ancient observatories were usually located in the upper rooms of the towers. The tools were a straight bar equipped with a sliding sight.
The great astronomer of antiquity was Ptolemy, who collected a huge number of astronomical evidence and records in the Library of Alexandria, and compiled a catalog of positions and brightness for 1022 stars; invented the mathematical theory of planetary movement and compiled tables of motion - scientists used these tables for more than 1,000 years!
In the Middle Ages, observatories were especially actively built in the East. The giant Samarkand observatory is known, where Ulugbek - a descendant of the legendary Timur-Tamerlane - made observations of the movement of the Sun, describing it with unprecedented accuracy. The observatory with a radius of 40 m had the form of a sextant-trench oriented to the south and decorated with marble.
The greatest astronomer of the European Middle Ages, who turned the world almost literally, was Nicolaus Copernicus, who “moved” the Sun to the center of the universe instead of the Earth and proposed to consider the Earth as another planet. 
And one of the most advanced observatories was Uraniborg, or Castle in the Sky, the possession of Tycho Brahe, the Danish court astronomer. The observatory was equipped with the best, most accurate instruments at that time, had its own workshops for making instruments, a chemical laboratory, a storage room for books and documents, and even a printing press for its own needs and a paper mill for paper production - a royal luxury at that time!
The first telescope appeared in 1609 - main tool any astronomical observatory. Its creator was Galileo. It was a reflecting telescope: the rays in it were refracted, passing through a series of glass lenses.
The Kepler telescope improved: in its instrument the image was inverted, but of higher quality. This feature eventually became standard for telescopic devices.
In the 17th century, with the development of navigation, state observatories began to appear - the Royal Parisian, Royal Greenwich, observatories in Poland, Denmark, Sweden. The revolutionary consequence of their construction and activities was the introduction of a time standard: it was now regulated by light signals, and then by telegraph and radio.
In 1839, the Pulkovo Observatory (St. Petersburg) was opened, which became one of the most famous in the world. Today there are more than 60 observatories in Russia. One of the largest on an international scale is the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory, created in 1956.
The Zvenigorod Observatory (12 km from Zvenigorod) operates the only VAU camera in the world capable of carrying out mass observations of geostationary satellites. In 2014, Moscow State University opened an observatory on Mount Shadzhatmaz (Karachay-Cherkessia), where they installed the largest modern telescope for Russia, the diameter of which is 2.5 m.
The best modern foreign observatories
Mauna Kea- located on the Big Hawaiian Island, has the largest arsenal of high-precision equipment on Earth.
VLT complex(“huge telescope”) - located in Chile, in the Atacama “telescope desert”. 
Yerkes Observatory in the United States - “the birthplace of astrophysics.”
ORM Observatory (Canary Islands) - has an optical telescope with the largest aperture (ability to collect light).
Arecibo- is located in Puerto Rico and owns a radio telescope (305 m) with one of the largest apertures in the world.
Tokyo University Observatory(Atacama) - the highest on Earth, located at the top of Mount Cerro Chainantor.
The Pulkovo Observatory, one of the oldest and largest in Russia, may soon cease to exist. This situation arose when its current director, Nazar Iskhanov, signed an agreement to build a large residential complex next to the observatory with an area of one and a half million square meters. Astronomers are in despair: due to the bright lighting of houses, it will be simply impossible to observe the sky and up to 90% of research will have to be curtailed. In response to the indignation of employees, Iskhanov for a long time stated that the residential complex would not interfere with stargazing in any way, and then even proposed moving the Pulkovo Observatory somewhere from St. Petersburg - for example, to the Caucasus. For several months now, astronomers have been sounding the alarm and writing letters to various authorities. Their main tasks are to achieve the resignation of the director and preserve the Pulkovo Observatory.
Sole decision
The Pulkovo Observatory was founded in St. Petersburg in 1839. At the same time, Emperor Nicholas I issued a decree banning any construction within a radius of three kilometers from the observatory. The decree was observed until the early 2000s, when city authorities sold almost the entire protected area to developers.
The Pulkovo Observatory is the only one in Europe located within a metropolis. Photo: Not far from the observatory, a gigantic exhibition center has grown up, and a broadband illuminated highway runs through. These buildings made certain negative adjustments to the work of astronomers, and in 2016 a law was passed in St. Petersburg, according to which construction in the protective zone of the observatory became possible only with the permission of scientists.
The employees of the Pulkovo Observatory breathed a sigh of relief, but they were not allowed to calmly continue their research. Last December, astronomers learned that the Planetograd residential complex would grow in the immediate vicinity of the observatory with one and a half million square meters of housing. The construction agreement was unilaterally given by new director observatory Nazar Iskhanov, without even informing the scientific council.
The construction of a large residential complex was approved by the director of the observatory. Photo: Organization "Save the Pulkovo Observatory"
A few months earlier, the developers had already tried to get permission from astronomers, but then the acting head of the observatory, Yuri Nagovitsyn, together with the scientific council, gave them a categorical refusal, since it was obvious that a large residential complex would interfere scientific activity. The new director had a different opinion.
“The director does not understand the importance of the observatory”
According to the development plan, the residential complex will be built just 800 meters from the large refractor of the Pulkovo Observatory. According to scientists, due to the bright lights of houses, almost all research will have to be curtailed. “The current director does not understand the importance of the Pulkovo Observatory for science,” engineer Alexander Shumilov is convinced. — Major Research will be irretrievably lost! Ikhanov did not respond to the arguments of his employees, and astronomers, together with ordinary St. Petersburg residents, united into an initiative group that began the fight for the observatory.
Due to the construction of a residential complex, the observatory was under threat of closure. Photo:
Employees of the Pulkovo Observatory expressed a vote of no confidence in their director, and at the meeting labor collective 127 people out of 162 present voted for Ikhanov’s resignation.
Astronomers and ordinary St. Petersburg residents united to save the observatory. Photo: Organization "Save the Pulkovo Observatory"
The curtailment of research will most likely entail mass layoffs of employees. Currently, 320 people work at the Pulkovo Observatory. Simultaneously with the cessation of a number of observations, astronomers research fellows and specialists will be left without work.
Everything is according to the law
Legally, the construction of a residential complex next to the Pulkovo Observatory is completely legal: the land is owned by the developer, and scientists, represented by Iskhanov, gave their consent to the construction. “We act according to the law,” the press service of the Setl City company emphasized. — We have all the permitting documents. Moreover, we met the scientists halfway. Construction will be carried out only during daylight hours so as not to interfere with observations at the observatory. Once construction is completed, we will erect a 3-meter fence around the residential complex and plant a line of trees.”
Construction of a residential complex is underway 800 meters from the observatory. Photo: Organization Organization "Save the Pulkovo Observatory"
Iskhanov himself first tried to convince astronomers that the construction would not interfere with sky observations, and then changed his position, emphasizing that he acted solely in the interests of the observatory. The manager explained that the observatory is in dire need of funds: all the money allocated by the state is spent on maintaining the territory, and the construction of a residential complex will help the observatory survive and update its technical equipment.
A number of important observations are carried out at the Pulkovo Observatory. Photo.
I present to your attention an overview of the best observatories in the world. These may be the largest, most modern and high-tech observatories located in amazing locations, which allowed them to make it into the top ten. Many of them, such as Mauna Kea in Hawaii, have already been mentioned in other articles, and many will be an unexpected discovery for the reader. So, let's move on to the list...
Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii
Located on Big Island Hawaii, on the top of Mauna Kea, MKO is an observatory with the world's largest array of optical, infrared, and precision astronomical equipment. The Mauna Kea Observatory building houses more telescopes than any other in the world. 
Very Large Telescope(VLT), Chile
The Very Large Telescope is a complex operated by the Southern European Observatory. It is located on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile. The VLT actually consists of four separate telescopes, which are usually used separately, but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. 
South Polar Telescope (SPT), Antarctica
The telescope with a diameter of 10 meters is located at the Amundsen-Scott Station, which is South Pole in Antarctica. SPT began its astronomical observations in early 2007. 
Yerkes Observatory, USA
Founded back in 1897, Yerkes Observatory has no high technology, like the previous observatories on this list. However, it is rightfully considered “the birthplace of modern astrophysics.” It is located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, at an altitude of 334 meters. 
ORM Observatory, Canaries
The ORM Observatory (Roque de Los Muchachos) is located at an altitude of 2,396 meters, making it one of the best locations for optical and infrared astronomy in the northern hemisphere. The observatory also has the largest aperture optical telescope in the world. 
Arecibo in Puerto Rico
Opened in 1963, the Arecibo Observatory is a giant radio telescope in Puerto Rico. Until 2011, the observatory was operated by Cornell University. Arecibo's pride is its 305-meter radio telescope, which has one of the largest apertures in the world. The telescope is used for radio astronomy, aeronomy and radar astronomy. The telescope is also known for its participation in the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project. 
Australian Astronomical Observatory
Situated at an altitude of 1164 meters, the AAO (Australian Astronomical Observatory) has two telescopes: the 3.9-meter Anglo-Australian Telescope and the 1.2-meter British Schmidt Telescope. 
Tokyo University Observatory at Atacama
Like the VLT and other telescopes, the University of Tokyo observatory is also located in the Chilean Atacama Desert. The observatory is located at the top of Cerro Chainantor, at an altitude of 5,640 meters, making it the highest astronomical observatory in the world. 
ALMA in the Atacama Desert
The ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) observatory is also located in the Atacama Desert, next to the Very Large Telescope and the University of Tokyo Observatory. ALMA has a variety of 66, 12 and 7 meter radio telescopes. This is the result of cooperation between Europe, USA, Canada, East Asia and Chile. More than a billion dollars were spent on the creation of the observatory. Particularly worth highlighting is the most expensive currently existing telescope, which is in service at ALMA. 
Astronomical Observatory of India (IAO)
Situated at an altitude of 4,500 meters, the India Astronomical Observatory is one of the highest in the world. It is managed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore.
