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Updating Locations for Observatory Codes

Observatory codes are assigned to observatories that report astrometric observations of minor planets, comets or irregular natural satellites. The Minor Planet Center's listing of observatory codes is therefore not a complete listing of observatories worldwide.

New codes are assigned on a regular basis, either as a result of new observers reporting observations or as a result of extracting observations from the old literature. See the Guide to Minor Body Astrometry for information on how to obtain an observatory code.

Positions of observatories have been reported with respect to a number of geographical datums over the years. The bulk of positions for observatories operating in the 19th and early 20th centuries have been taken from the annual lists of observatory coordinates given in the Astronomical Ephemeris/ Nautical Almanac. Ideally, all positions should be reported with respect to the WGS84 datum. If you have previously reported coordinates for your site, you should remeasure its location using Google Earth and report the new measures.

The current list of assigned codes is here.

The KML file of observatory-code locations has been removed, following a request from some Spanish observers concerned about security at remote, unattended sites.

What to Report

When reporting updated coordinates for your site, be sure to include the following information:

Longitude (in sexagesimal form, to 0.1" or better, preferably 0.01")
Latitude (in sexagesimal form, to 0.1" or better, preferably 0.01")
Altitude (in meters)
Source for coordinates
- If source is Google Earth, please simply state this.
- If source is GPS, please state this and indicate whether the altitude is referred to the WGS84 ellipsoid or to mean sea level.
- Use of other sources is strongly discouraged.
(Optionally) Height of instrument above ground (in meters)

A convenient form in which to report the required information is:

COM OC, xxx xx xx.xx E, xx xx xx.xx N, xxxx m, GoogleEarth
COM OC, xxx xx xx.xx E, xx xx xx.xx S, xxxx m, GPS, MSL        ! GPS altitude referred to mean sea level
COM OC, xxx xx xx.xx W, xx xx xx.xx N, xxxx m, GPS, ELL        ! GPS altitude referred to WGS84 ellipsoid
COM OC, xxx xx xx.xx E, xx xx xx.xx N, xxxx m, 10 m, GoogleEarth  ! Telescope is 10 m above ground level

where OC is the three-character observatory code.

If your site has a webpage, you can report the URL in the same message as the updated coordinates. The format should be:

URL OC http://...

where OC is the three-character observatory code.

Click here to report coordinates!

Known Problems with the Observatory Code list

A number of sites have previously only had low-precision coordinates reported. The observers at the sites listed below should report high-precision positions using Google Earth:

416 149.13   0.816   -0.575   Barton, near Canberra
484 174.75   0.753   -0.657   Happy Valley, Wellington
495 357.66   0.598   +0.800   Altrincham
497 359.30   0.626   +0.776   Ascot-Loudwater
502   0.85   0.617   +0.783   Colchester
588  11.25   0.715   +0.697   Eremo di Tizzano
589  12.64   0.739   +0.673   Santa Lucia Stroncone
631  10.02   0.596   +0.800   Hamburg-Georgswerder
674 242.39   0.826   +0.563   Ford Observatory, Wrightwood
792 288.30   0.753   +0.657   University of Rhode Island, Quonochontaug
863 137.18   0.807   +0.588   Furukawa
984 357.26   0.631   +0.774   Eastfield
986 358.75   0.624   +0.779   Ascot
989 357.69   0.600   +0.797   Wilfred Hall Observatory, Preston
E21 151.5667 0.8838  -0.4665  Norma Rose Observatory, Leyburn
E27 153.2667 0.8871  -0.4600  Thornlands

Note that the quoted precision in the last two entries is not justified. The above list is not exhaustive and will be modified in the future as updates are received.

Sites with Updated Coordinates

The following observatory codes have had new coordinates measured:

2008 May 11: 235, A78, J76.
2008 May 10: A26, B34.
2008 May 9: B38.
2008 May 8: 005, 006, 007, 013, 014, 015, 017, 025, 026, 030, 031, 032, 033, 034, 035, 036, 042, 066, 188, 516, 592, 595, 645, 693, 701, 703, 704, 705, 801, 802, 998, J40.
2008 May 7: 418, D44, I09, J51, J53, J59, J79.
2008 May 6: 309.

Updated entries for the codes listed above will appear in the on-line list of observatory codes and the .kml file after the next DOU MPEC is issued.

Requests for Assistance

Help is requested in identifying the locations of the following sites/instruments. With the information we have available, it is not possible for us to clearly identify these sites. For each site, we list the observatory code and name, followed by the approximate longitude and latitude, and finally the dome or building that needs identification.

008 Algiers-Bouzareah      003 02.1     E  36 48.1     N   Need identification of observatory, before requesting particular dome.
012 Uccle                  004 21 30    E  50 47 53    N   Need identification of what instruments are in what domes.
066 Athens                 023 43 05.83 E  37 58 24.21 N   Need confirmation that identification is correct.
071 NAO Rozhen, Smolyan    024 44 23    E  41 41 42    N   Schmidt dome.
109 Algiers-Kouba          003 04.3     E  36 44.3     N   Historical site, may be no trace left.

Report coordinates here, noting the justification for the identification of the feature (e.g., "I work there", "I've observed there", "I live next door", etc.). Further entries will be made to this list in the future.

Disclaimer

The MPC has no connection with Google Earth, but is simply a satisfied user of the service.

MPC