This page lists the 104 pre-defined sites in observability.date. The list was based originally on some data from astropy, in which I have subsequently fixed many errors and added many new sites. You can download the raw data file here.
Light pollution data is taken from the World Atlas of the Artificial Night Sky Brightness, and the naked-eye limiting magnitude at the zenith is estimated from the light pollution data using equations from Schaefer 1990 (PASP, 102, 212). In practice, the age, acuity and experience of the observer, and local geography at the observing site, can yield significantly different limiting magnitudes.
| ID | Name | Latitude (°) | Longitude (°) | Elevation (m) | Light pollution | Limiting magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aip | Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam | 52° 24' 17.87" N | 13° 06' 15.38" E | 67 | very bad | 5.5 |
| aao | Australian Astronomical Observatory | 31° 16' 31.38" S | 149° 04' 2.03" E | 1136 | negligible | 6.8 |
| ali | Ali Observatory | 32° 19' 34.72" N | 80° 01' 32.88" E | 5035 | negligible | 6.8 |
| alma | Atacama Large Millimeter Array | 23° 01' 44.40" S | 67° 45' 18.00" W | 5000 | negligible | 6.8 |
| apex | Atacama Pathfinder Experiment | 23° 00' 41.32" S | 67° 46' 42.97" W | 5058 | negligible | 6.8 |
| apo | Apache Point Observatory | 32° 46' 48.00" N | 105° 49' 12.00" W | 2798 | low | 6.7 |
| arecibo | Arecibo Observatory | 18° 20' 39.12" N | 66° 45' 9.72" W | 238 | bad | 6.1 |
| atca | Australia Telescope Compact Array | 30° 18' 46.08" S | 149° 33' 54.00" E | 209 | very low | 6.8 |
| bao | Beijing XingLong Observatory | 40° 23' 44.52" N | 117° 34' 33.24" E | 950 | moderate | 6.6 |
| biruni | Biruni Observatory | 29° 39' 0.95" N | 52° 30' 16.34" E | 1705 | extreme | 4.2 |
| calan | Observatorio Astronómico Nacional de Chile | 33° 23' 43.80" S | 70° 32' 11.23" W | 859 | extreme | 4.6 |
| calaralto | Calar Alto | 37° 13' 25.00" N | 02° 32' 46.00" W | 2158 | low | 6.7 |
| cao | Crimean Astrophysical Observatory | 44° 43' 27.96" N | 34° 00' 35.64" E | 578 | low | 6.7 |
| cfht | Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope | 19° 49' 30.96" N | 155° 28' 7.67" W | 4215 | very low | 6.8 |
| ctio | Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory | 30° 10' 8.40" S | 70° 48' 22.32" W | 2215 | very low | 6.8 |
| dao | Dominion Astrophysical Observatory | 48° 31' 18.00" N | 123° 25' 0.00" W | 229 | bad | 5.8 |
| dct | Discovery Channel Telescope | 34° 44' 39.50" N | 111° 25' 21.05" W | 2337 | very low | 6.7 |
| dwingeloo | Dwingeloo Radio Observatory | 52° 48' 43.55" N | 06° 23' 47.02" E | 14 | bad | 6.3 |
| effelsberg | Effelsberg 100m telescope | 50° 31' 30.36" N | 06° 52' 59.16" E | 328 | bad | 6.3 |
| ekar | Mt. Ekar 182 cm. Telescope | 45° 50' 54.92" N | 11° 34' 52.08" E | 1413 | bad | 6.1 |
| elt | European Extremely Large Telescope | 24° 35' 21.48" S | 70° 11' 29.76" W | 3060 | negligible | 6.8 |
| fast | 500m-aperture Spherical Telescope | 25° 39' 10.44" N | 106° 51' 23.80" E | 853 | very low | 6.8 |
| flwo | Whipple Observatory | 31° 40' 51.40" N | 110° 52' 39.00" W | 2320 | low | 6.7 |
| gbo | Green Bank Observatory | 38° 25' 59.52" N | 79° 50' 22.92" W | 806 | moderate | 6.6 |
| gemn | Gemini North | 19° 49' 25.69" N | 155° 28' 8.57" W | 4213 | very low | 6.8 |
| gems | Gemini South | 30° 14' 26.67" S | 70° 44' 12.06" W | 2750 | very low | 6.8 |
| griffith | Griffith Observatory | 34° 07' 8.11" N | 118° 18' 1.51" W | 346 | extreme | 3.7 |
| haleakala | Haleakala Observatories | 20° 42' 29.32" N | 156° 15' 24.22" W | 3048 | very low | 6.7 |
| halley | Halley's Mount | 15° 57' 44.82" S | 05° 41' 58.06" W | 659 | very low | 6.7 |
| hanford | LIGO (Hanford) | 46° 27' 18.52" N | 119° 24' 27.56" W | 162 | moderate | 6.5 |
| iao | Indian Astronomical Observatory | 32° 46' 45.98" N | 78° 57' 51.00" E | 4486 | negligible | 6.8 |
| igo | IUCAA Girawali Observatory | 19° 04' 22.55" N | 73° 50' 41.09" E | 981 | moderate | 6.5 |
| iram | IRAM 30m telescope | 37° 03' 59.04" N | 03° 23' 32.64" W | 2843 | moderate | 6.5 |
| irtf | NASA Infrared Telescope Facility | 19° 49' 34.39" N | 155° 28' 19.20" W | 4168 | very low | 6.8 |
| ishigaki | Ishigaki Astronomical Observatory | 24° 22' 23.92" N | 124° 08' 21.18" E | 182 | bad | 6.3 |
| jcmt | James Clerk Maxwell Telescope | 19° 49' 22.15" N | 155° 28' 37.06" W | 4072 | very low | 6.8 |
| jodrell | Jodrell Bank Observatory | 53° 14' 12.48" N | 02° 18' 30.60" W | 89 | bad | 5.8 |
| keck | W. M. Keck Observatory | 19° 49' 34.67" N | 155° 28' 27.95" W | 4160 | very low | 6.8 |
| kpno | Kitt Peak National Observatory | 31° 57' 48.00" N | 111° 35' 60.00" W | 2120 | low | 6.7 |
| lapalma | Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma | 28° 45' 30.00" N | 17° 52' 48.00" W | 2327 | low | 6.7 |
| lasilla | La Silla Observatory (ESO) | 29° 15' 32.40" S | 70° 44' 1.68" W | 2347 | negligible | 6.8 |
| lbt | Large Binocular Telescope | 32° 42' 5.76" N | 109° 53' 19.32" W | 2902 | low | 6.7 |
| lco | Las Campanas Observatory | 29° 00' 51.12" S | 70° 41' 33.00" W | 2282 | negligible | 6.8 |
| lhk | Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl | 49° 23' 53.32" N | 08° 43' 29.58" E | 561 | very bad | 5.5 |
| lick | Lick Observatory | 37° 20' 36.00" N | 121° 38' 12.00" W | 1290 | bad | 6.1 |
| livingston | LIGO (Livingston) | 30° 33' 46.42" N | 90° 46' 27.27" W | 18 | bad | 6.1 |
| lmt | Large Millimeter Telescope | 18° 59' 10.32" N | 97° 18' 53.28" W | 4563 | moderate | 6.6 |
| lowell | Lowell Observatory | 35° 05' 48.00" N | 111° 32' 6.00" W | 2198 | low | 6.7 |
| mcdonald | McDonald Observatory | 30° 40' 18.00" N | 104° 01' 18.00" W | 2075 | very low | 6.8 |
| mdm | Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT Observatory | 31° 56' 60.00" N | 111° 37' 0.00" W | 1938 | low | 6.7 |
| medicina | Medicina Radio Telescope | 44° 31' 13.80" N | 11° 38' 48.84" E | 25 | bad | 6.1 |
| midi | Observatoire du Pic du Midi | 42° 56' 11.93" N | 00° 08' 29.29" E | 2829 | moderate | 6.5 |
| miro | Mount Abu InfraRed Observatory | 24° 39' 17.34" N | 72° 46' 45.18" E | 1680 | low | 6.7 |
| mmt | Multiple Mirror Telescope | 31° 41' 18.00" N | 110° 53' 6.00" W | 2608 | low | 6.7 |
| molonglo | Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope | 35° 22' 14.78" S | 149° 25' 41.50" E | 736 | low | 6.7 |
| mrao | Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory | 26° 41' 49.30" S | 116° 37' 51.82" E | 374 | negligible | 6.8 |
| mro | Manastash Ridge Observatory | 46° 57' 10.08" N | 120° 43' 40.08" W | 1198 | moderate | 6.6 |
| mso | Mt. Stromlo Observatory | 35° 19' 14.34" S | 149° 01' 27.60" E | 767 | bad | 5.8 |
| mtbigelow | Catalina Observatory: 61 inch telescope | 32° 25' 0.00" N | 110° 43' 54.00" W | 2510 | bad | 6.3 |
| mullard | Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory | 52° 10' 2.36" N | 00° 01' 57.88" E | 21 | bad | 5.8 |
| mwo | Mount Wilson Observatory | 34° 13' 33.24" N | 118° 03' 25.20" W | 1742 | very bad | 5.1 |
| nobeyama | Nobeyama 45m Telescope | 35° 56' 40.27" N | 138° 28' 20.71" E | 1347 | bad | 6.3 |
| noto | Noto Radio Telescope | 36° 52' 33.06" N | 14° 59' 20.04" E | 30 | bad | 6.1 |
| nov | National Observatory of Venezuela | 08° 47' 24.00" N | 70° 52' 0.00" W | 3610 | moderate | 6.6 |
| oaj | Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre | 40° 02' 31.24" N | 01° 00' 58.27" W | 1954 | low | 6.7 |
| oao | Okayama Astrophysical Observatory | 34° 34' 37.69" N | 133° 35' 37.85" E | 371 | bad | 5.8 |
| oanc | Observatorio Astronómico Nacional de Colombia | 04° 38' 22.90" N | 74° 04' 59.99" W | 2555 | extreme | 4.2 |
| oca | Observatoire de de la Côte d’Azur | 43° 43' 38.17" N | 07° 17' 56.80" E | 349 | very bad | 5.1 |
| ohp | Observatoire de Haute Provence | 43° 55' 51.00" N | 05° 42' 48.00" E | 650 | bad | 6.3 |
| olin | Olin Science Center | 41° 22' 44.65" N | 72° 06' 16.57" W | 65 | very bad | 5.1 |
| onsala | Onsala Space Observatory | 57° 23' 35.00" N | 11° 55' 3.79" E | 18 | bad | 6.3 |
| palomar | Palomar Observatory | 33° 21' 21.60" N | 116° 51' 46.80" W | 1706 | bad | 6.3 |
| paranal | Paranal Observatory (ESO) | 24° 37' 39.00" S | 70° 24' 16.20" W | 2635 | negligible | 6.8 |
| parkes | Parkes 64m Telescope | 32° 59' 52.01" S | 148° 15' 46.51" E | 378 | very low | 6.8 |
| pdb | Plateau de Bure Interferometer | 44° 38' 3.12" N | 05° 54' 28.80" E | 2551 | moderate | 6.5 |
| pddo | Observatório Pico dos Dias | 22° 32' 5.39" S | 45° 34' 58.90" W | 1847 | moderate | 6.6 |
| peyton | Peyton Observatory | 40° 20' 47.75" N | 74° 39' 6.12" W | 45 | very bad | 5.1 |
| pulkovo | Pulkovo Observatory | 59° 46' 18.48" N | 30° 19' 34.25" E | 81 | extreme | 4.6 |
| roanjase | Los Nogales de Roan Jase | 33° 43' 0.92" S | 70° 19' 50.66" W | 1070 | moderate | 6.5 |
| roe | Royal Observatory, Edinburgh | 55° 55' 23.66" N | 03° 11' 16.35" W | 128 | very bad | 5.1 |
| rog | Royal Observatory Greenwich | 51° 28' 40.12" N | 00° 00' 5.31" W | 46 | extreme | 4.2 |
| salt | Southern African Large Telescope | 32° 22' 32.96" S | 20° 48' 38.91" E | 1798 | negligible | 6.8 |
| saoras | Special Astrophysical Observatory | 43° 38' 48.60" N | 41° 26' 25.60" E | 2064 | very low | 6.8 |
| sirene | Observatoire SIRENE | 44° 00' 0.00" N | 05° 29' 13.00" E | 1100 | moderate | 6.5 |
| ska | Square Kilometre Array | 30° 43' 17.61" S | 21° 24' 38.60" E | 1054 | negligible | 6.8 |
| skinakas | Skinakas Observatory | 35° 12' 42.43" N | 24° 53' 56.70" E | 1732 | moderate | 6.6 |
| sma | Submillimeter Array | 19° 49' 28.12" N | 155° 28' 43.03" W | 4073 | very low | 6.8 |
| southam | Gordon Southam Observatory | 49° 16' 31.55" N | 123° 08' 36.98" W | 10 | extreme | 4.6 |
| spm | Observatorio Astronomico Nacional, San Pedro Martir | 31° 02' 39.60" N | 115° 27' 49.50" W | 2830 | very low | 6.8 |
| spt | South Pole Telescope | 90° 00' 0.00" S | 180° 00' 0.00" E | 2800 | negligible | 6.8 |
| srt | Sardinia Radio Telescope | 39° 29' 34.94" N | 09° 14' 42.58" E | 650 | moderate | 6.5 |
| subaru | Subaru Telescope | 19° 49' 32.00" N | 155° 28' 34.00" W | 4139 | very low | 6.8 |
| teide | Teide Observatory | 28° 18' 3.96" N | 16° 30' 38.52" W | 2390 | bad | 6.3 |
| tona | Observatorio Astronomico Nacional, Tonantzintla | 19° 01' 58.00" N | 98° 18' 50.00" W | 2174 | very bad | 5.1 |
| uclo | University College London Observatory | 51° 36' 48.06" N | 00° 14' 32.12" W | 77 | extreme | 4.6 |
| ucmjo | University of Canterbury Mount John Observatory | 43° 59' 7.19" S | 170° 27' 53.70" E | 1028 | very low | 6.8 |
| ufrj | Observatório do Valongo | 22° 53' 54.82" S | 43° 11' 11.97" W | 23 | extreme | 4.6 |
| vbo | Vainu Bappu Observatory | 12° 34' 35.98" N | 78° 49' 35.76" E | 725 | moderate | 6.6 |
| vidojevica | Astronomical Station Vidojevica | 43° 08' 28.30" N | 21° 33' 20.80" E | 1145 | low | 6.7 |
| vienna | Vienna Observatory | 48° 13' 55.00" N | 16° 20' 3.00" E | 229 | extreme | 4.6 |
| vla | Very Large Array | 34° 04' 43.50" N | 107° 37' 5.82" W | 2124 | very low | 6.8 |
| wendelstein | Wendelstein Observatory | 47° 42' 13.53" N | 12° 00' 44.09" E | 1784 | bad | 6.3 |
| wise | Wise Observatory | 30° 35' 50.26" N | 34° 45' 43.94" E | 863 | moderate | 6.5 |
| wright | Wright's Tower | 54° 40' 26.94" N | 01° 37' 44.48" W | 198 | very bad | 5.5 |