History of Astronomy: Museums, memorials, historical places and exhibits

Individual museums and memorials

• Aarhus (Århus), Denmark
  • The Ole Rømer Observatory
  • The Steno Museum
    The Danish Museum for the History of Science and Medicine (including astronomy)
  • Steno Museet (in Danish)
• Akashi, Japan
  • Akashi City Museum of Astronomical Science
• Arecibo, Puerto Rico, USA
  • Arecibo Observatory: General Information for Visitors and Tourists
• Austin, Texas, USA
  • McDonald Observatory: Visitors' Information Center
• Bern, Switzerland
  • Einstein-Haus (in German)
• Berlin, Germany
  • Archenhold-Sternwarte (in German)
• Birr, Ireland
  • Historic Science Centre
• Bologna, Italy
  • Astronomical Museum / Museo della Specola
  • Catalogue of the Museo della Specola
• Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Museum of Clocks and Watches
    Including a collection of portable sundials from the 16th-18th century. Information from Bratislava Interactive Information System.
• Bristol Springs, New York, USA
  • C. E. K. Mees Observatory: Tour
    (maintained by University of Rochester, Physics and Astronomy Department)
• Cambridge, UK
  • The Whipple Museum of the History of Science
    There are particular strengths in early mathematical instruments, sundials, surveying instruments, astronomy, and optical instruments generally.
  • Trinity College
    where Newton wrote Principia
• Carloforte/Cagliari, Italy
  • Museo Virtuale degli antichi strumenti scientifici in dotazione alla Stazione Astronomica di Carloforte (in Italian) (or see this version
• Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
  • Leander McCormick Observatory: Public Nights
• Chicago, Illinois, USA
  • The Adler Planetarium
    Home to one of the world's leading collections of early scientific instruments and rare books
    • Homepage
    • Information from Northwestern University
• Cracow (Krakow), Poland
  • Walking Round Old Cracow
    Includes information on the history of astronomy in Cracow, on the monument and a portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, as well as on the Jagiellonian University Museum holding rare late-fifteenth-century astronomical instruments and an eleventh-century Arab astrolabe.
• Den Haag (The Haag), Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands
  • Museon
• Des Moines, Iowa, USA
  • Drake Observatory
• Dortmund, Germany
  • Vermessungstechnisches Museum (Museum of Surveying Instruments)
• Edinburgh, UK
  • The Royal Observatory Edinburgh Visitor Centre
• Edmonton, Canada
  • Edmonton Space & Sciences Centre
• Enschede, Overijsse, The Netherlands
  • Natuurmuseum
    Including astronomy
• Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
  • Lowell Observatory Visitor Center
• Florence, Italy
  • History of Science Museum
    • The Medici collection
      ( mathematical and astronomical apparatuses)
    • Room IV: Galileo Galilei
• Franeker, Friesland, The Netherlands
  • Planetarium Eise Eisinga
• Genève (Genf), Switzerland
  • Musée d'histoire des sciences (in French)
    Astronomy: instruments from a former observatory founded in 1772, telescopes, spectacles, astrolabes, sundials. Surveying instruments: graphometers, theodolites, alidades. Navigation: sextants, octants, compasses.
• Glarus, Switzerland
  • Museum Bally-Prior (in German)
    Including astronomy, especially meteorites
• Greenbelt, Maryland, USA (Northeast of Washington, DC)
  • Goddard Space Flight Center: Visitor Center and Museum
• Haarlem, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands
  • Teylers Museum
    Including astronomy
• Hamburg, Germany
  • The Aby Warburg Collection at Hamburg Planetarium
• Hengelo, Overijssel, The Netherlands
  • Techniekmuseum Hein
    Including space travel
• Jaipur, India
  • Jantar Mantar (13 May 1996: disappeared)
    Written for astrologers (!), but of interest. To be used with caution.
  • Find documents about Jantar Mantar with Alta Vista
• Japan
  • Map of Recommendable Planetarium in Japan
    Including some information about the science museums and other institutions where the planetariums are located.
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Lake Gardens park
    With models of Stonehenge, Guo Shou Jing observatory, and Jantar Mantar.
• Le Locle, Switzerland
  • Musée d'horlogerie (in French)
• Leiden, The Netherlands
  • Museum Boerhaave
    Including astronomy
• Lincolnshire, UK
  • Woolsthorpe Manor
    where Newton has been born and grown up
• London, UK
  • National Maritime Museum with Old Royal Observatory
  • Newtonian Places in London
  • Science Museum
    Unfortunately, the astronomy gallery has been closed some years ago. However, there is something of interest for historians of astronomy in the following galleries:
    • Computing Then and Now
    • Exploration of Space
    • Foucault pendulum
    • Meteorology
    • Optics
    • Surveying
    • Time Measurement
    • Weighing and Measuring
• Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Griffith Observatory, Hall of Science astronomy museum
• Luzern, Switzerland
  • Verkehrshaus der Schweiz (in German)
    Including space travel
• Mattsee, Austria
  • Abbey Museum
    Includes an astronomical clock (1704)
• Melbourne, Australia
  • Museum of Victoria
    • National Air and Space Museum of Australia
    • Scienceworks
      • Science and Technology Collections
        • Aerospace
        • Astronomy
        • Horology
        • Measurement
        • Surveying and navigation
• Mittweida, Germany
  • Raumfahrt-Museum Mittweida (Space Travel Museum)
• Monteporzio, Italy
  • Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma (OAR), Monteporzio Catone (in Italian)
• Mount Wilson, USA
  • Mount Wilson Observatory: Tourist Information
  • The Mount Wilson Observatory Astronomical Museum
• Munich (München), Germany
  • Deutsches Museum
    • Department of astronomy
• Nagoya, Japan
  • Nagoya City Science Museum (English version under construction)
    Including an Astronomy section
  • Nagoya City Science Museum
    The data refers to the planetarium.
• Naples (Napoli, Neapel), Italy
  • Historical museum of Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory
  • Historical museum of Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory (in Italian)
  • Museum of the Institute of Physics, Naples
    Collection of early instruments from 1645 to 1900, including astronomical instruments
• New Haven, CT, USA
  • Peabody Museum of Natural History, Historical Scientific Instruments Collection
    including astronomical instruments
• Newport News, Virginia, USA
  • The Mariners' Museum
    Holds a large collection of navigational equipment (timepieces, chronometers, quadrants, sextants, etc.)
• North Salem, New Hampshire, USA
  • America's Stonehenge
• Noordwijk, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands
  • Noordwijk Space Expo
    Including astronomy
• Oakland, California, USA
  • Chabot Observatory & Science Center
• Oxford, UK
  • Museum of the History of Science (WWW server)
    Holds a comprehensive collection of astronomical instruments.
  • Museum of the History of Science (short information)
• Palermo, Italy
  • Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo: Museum and Historical Archive
• Palomar Mountain (near San Diego), CA, USA
  • Palomar Observatory: Visitor Information
  • Palomar Brochure
• Paris, France
  • Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (short information)
  • Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (Home page)
    • Stars and Galaxies
  • Musée des arts et métiers (short information)
  • Musée des arts et métiers (Home page; most in French)
    • Album: L'instrument scientifique
      (including astronomical instruments)
    • Catalogue des collections
      • Astronomie
      • Géodésie et topographie
      • Mesure du temps
      • Mesure et contrôle
      • Poids et mesure
  • Paris Observatory: visitors' information
  • Observatoire de Paris: accueil du public (in French)
• Parkes, Australia
  • Visitors Discovery Centre of Parkes Observatory
• Pisa, Italy
  • Domus Galilaeana
• Prague, Czech Republic
  • The astronomical clock Orloj
• Regensburg, Germany
  • Kepler-Gedächtnishaus (in German)
    (Or see this shorter version in English)
• Riga, Latvia
  • Museum of the University of Latvia
    Including Memorial Museum of Fridrich Cander, and a tour to the tower of the Astronomical observatory
  • Museum of Space Exploration
• Rome, Italy
  • Astronomical Museum of the Observatory of Rome
  • Museo Astronomico e Copernicano (in Italian)
  • Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma (in Italian)
• San Diego, CA, USA
  • San Diego Aerospace Museum
    Including Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Spacecrafts
• Sekizaki (?), Japan
  • Sekizaki Marine/Astronomical Museum (in Japanese)
• Sidmouth, Devon, United Kingdom
  • Norman Lockyer Observatory
• Stockholm, Sweden
  • Center for History of Science / Observatory Museum
• Sunspot, New Mexico, USA
  • National Solar Observatory/Sacramento Peak - Tours
• Szombathely, Hungary
  • Gothard Memorial Museum
• Tartu, Estonia
  • Tähetorni muuseum (Museum of Tartu Observatory) (in Estonian, English in preparation)
• Tokyo, Japan
  • Gotoh and Astronomical Museum
    The data is given for the planetarium.
  • National Science Museum (Home page)
    • Main Building
      Including history of astronomy
  • National Science Museum (short information)
  • National Science Museum (short information)
• Toronto, Canada
  • David Dunlap Observatory: Visitors' Information
• Torun, Poland
  • Nicolaus Copernicus' birthplace
  • The monument to Nicolaus Copernicus
  • Kopernika St. (Nicolaus Copernicus' Museum)
• Tucson, AZ, USA
  • Kitt Peak National Observatory: Visitor Center
• Turku, Finland
  • Maritime Museum (15 May 1996: disappeared)
    Housed in an observatory, the basic exhibition displays the history of astrology in Turku.
• Utrecht, The Netherlands
  • Utrechts Universiteitsmuseum
    Including astronomy
    (5 Jun 1996: disappeared)
• Victoria, B.C., Canada
  • Public Programs of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
• Vienna (Wien), Austria
  • Institute for Astronomy (Universitätssternwarte): Tours (in German)
  • Globenmuseum der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek
• Washington, D.C., USA
  • National Air and Space Museum
    • Stars (Gallery 111)
    • Lunar Exploration Vehicles (Gallery 112)
    • Rocketry and Space Flight (Gallery 113)
    • Space Hall (Gallery 114)
    • Albert Einstein Planetarium, Gallery 201
    • Exploring The Planets (Gallery 207)
    • Apollo To The Moon (Gallery 210)
  • National Museum of American History
    • History of science and technology
      • Timekeeping
        Including astronomical clocks and sundials
  • U.S. Naval Observatory
• Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
  • Isaac Newton Room at Babson College
• Wellington, New Zealand
  • Carter Observatory
    See the Heritage section
• Williams Bay, WI, USA
  • Yerkes Observatory: Tour
• Zurich (Zürich), Switzerland
  • Beyer Museum der Zeitmessung (Museum of Time Measurement)
    Displays also sundials and astronomical clocks

Exhibits

Many of the past exhibits may still be visited in virtual form.

• The Earth & the Heavens: The Art of the Mapmaker
  British Library exhibition, 7 July - 22 October 1995
• The Measurers: a Flemish Image of Mathematics in the Sixteenth Century
  Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, UK, till 15 December 1995; shows also some history of astronomy exhibits
• The Artist and the Moon: an exhibition to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of John Russell, R. A.
  Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, UK, 16 October 1995 - 28 January 1996
• Out of This World: The Golden Age of the Celestial Atlas
  Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, Missouri, USA, November 1, 1995, to February 1, 1996
• The Starry Messenger and the Polar Star: Scientific relations between Italy and Sweden from 1500 to 1800
  Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden, 6 December 1995 - 29 February 1996
  • Galileo Galilei, 1635
  • Paolo Frisi & Daniel Melanderhielm, 1769: Moon
  • Anders Åkerman, 1766: Globes
• The Geometry of War, 1500-1750
  Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, UK, until 30 November 1996. "The astronomical content is not great, but it does offer a different slant on the astrolabe and the beginnings of the telescope." (J. A. Bennett)

More information about places to visit may be found in the list of observatories and other places.

For general science museums see History of Science: Museums. Please let me know when you are aware that a museum listed there displays also history of astronomy items (astrolabes, astronomical clocks, sextants, sundials, telescopes, etc.). In this case it will be moved here.

See also Electronic newsletters for the history of astronomy including sections on museums and exhibits.

Other lists

• NASA Space Sensors and Instrument Technology Museum Guide
• Museum Online Resource Review: Astronomy
• General / Science / Museums / Air & Space : Reviews
• Museums in the Netherlands
  • Museums with an Astronomy/meteorology collection
  • Museums with a Space travel collection
• Astronomy museums: Find more with Alta Vista
  However, most of the pages you will find have just links to museums.

To the History of Astronomy homepage