<p>Near the pinned location, at <a href="https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=25f97c1f-aeb9-49f7-803d-f40708e653a3&amp;cp=-24.089553~-69.929889&amp;lvl=17&amp;style=h&amp;v=2&amp;sV=2&amp;form=S00027" rel="noreferrer">24.0893&deg;S 69.9306&deg;W</a>,
Bing Maps shows a building like the one in the University of Antofagasta photos,  with signs of recent construction.</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/gjUeX.jpg" alt="excerpt of Bing Maps aerial view"></p>

<p>It's probably a matter of time until Google updates their satellite imagery in that region.</p>

<p>The Minor Planet Center maintains a <a href="https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/ObsCodesF.html" rel="noreferrer">list of observatory codes</a> with positional information.
A <a href="https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/info/ObservatoryCodes.html" rel="noreferrer">related page</a> there says:</p>

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

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T15:18:44.897Z
Excellent, thank you very much for locating some "ground truth" verification!
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-20T00:30:03.820Z
However, out of "latitude, longitude and altitude" only longitude is given there, so it's not really very good "positional information". fyi I've just asked [Can I use the parallax coefficients for observatories as a proxy for latitude using arctan2(sin, cos)?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/35535/7982)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T12:55:41.047Z
2020-03-19T14:10:41.650Z
2020-03-19T14:10:41.650Z
Mike G
<p>Question: What are the latitude, longitude and altitude of Ckoirama observatory? Is there a central location where coordinates like these can be looked up?</p>

<p>I can confirm that there was a typo in our publication regarding the longitude and latitude of the Ckoirama observatory. They are in fact longitude = -69.93058889; latitude =  -24.08913333; altitude = 966m (mean sea level). These values are recorded direct from the GPS locator system at the telescope. </p>

<p>As for the shed comment....The enclosure is not a standard dome as normally used. Due to the strong westerly thermal winds in this part of the Atacama, it was decided that a flat manoeuvrable roof was the best option for a small 0.6m telescope. A domed enclosure would induce wind pointing restrictions, which would restrict the number of observing nights per year. </p>

<p>Google maps is out of date, so I include some photos of the Ckoirama observatory, one of which shows one of the Starlink satellites.<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/UucbI.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/UucbI.jpg" alt="Ckoirama observatory, with a Starlink trail in the sky background. Image credit: Rodrigo Maluenda"></a>. <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/3jcPj.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/3jcPj.jpg" alt="Ckoirama at night. Image credit: Rodrigo Maluenda"></a>. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T23:28:56.910Z
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your information and photos with us, it's always exciting to see an astronomical instrument with the Atacama night sky above it! Also congratulations on getting photometry of StarLink objects and coaxing a system to make a type of measurement very different from what it's been optimized to do!
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-20T00:42:23.090Z
Answers to [Why is the opening in the Anglo-Australian Telescope's dome so small?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/29116/7982) show to what lengths some have gone  to try to make a dome work in a windy setting. fyi other authors that stopped by and/or errata [1](https://space.stackexchange.com/a/24631/12102), [2](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/a/17225/6031), [3](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/a/10606/6031), [4](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/18818/7982), [5](https://space.stackexchange.com/a/21992/12102)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T21:33:55.060Z
2020-03-19T21:33:55.060Z
Jeremy Tregloan-Reed
<p>A list of "everything in the world" is difficult to create and also maintain: it needs both a dedicated maintainer as well as people who supply the maintainer with the information. Thus on the latter any list will fail for some cases.</p>

<p>The most comprehensible list I know is the ESO-maintained list of observatories:
<a href="https://www.eso.org/~ndelmott/obs_sites.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.eso.org/~ndelmott/obs_sites.html</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T11:07:06.673Z
Okay I see; Ckoirama observatory doesn't seem to be in there but this is certainly a place where "...things like this be looked-up". Thanks!
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T13:11:10.923Z
If you look at the page source for the linked website, you'll see that the lists of observatories are directly encoded in the html/javascript. Those lists are over a decade out of date; quoting from the linked website: "Last modified October 10, 2007".
David Hammen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T10:39:29.330Z
2020-03-19T10:39:29.330Z
planetmaker
<blockquote>
  <p>What are the latitude, longitude and altitude of Ckoirama observatory?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>You already found the latitude and longitude at Google maps: 24.0894 S, 69.9305 W. As far as the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is concerned, Google Earth / Google maps and GPS receiver coordinates are the <strong>only</strong> preferred sources for the location of an astronomical observatory.</p>

<p>The Minor Planet Center maintains for the IAU a <a href="https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/ObsCodesF.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">list of astronomical observatories</a> "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."</p>

<p>From the MPC's page on <a href="https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/info/ObservatoryCodes.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Updating Locations for Observatory Codes</a>, emphasis mine:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>What to Report</strong></p>
  
  <p>When reporting updated coordinates for your site, be sure to include the following information:<br>
  - Longitude (in sexagesimal form, to 0.1" or better, preferably 0.01")<br>
  - Latitude (in sexagesimal form, to 0.1" or better, preferably 0.01")<br>
  - Altitude (in meters)<br>
  - Source for coordinates<br>
   -- If source is Google Earth, please simply state this.<br>
   -- If source is GPS, please state this and indicate whether the altitude is referred to the WGS84 ellipsoid or to mean sea level.<br>
    -- <strong>Use of other sources is strongly discouraged</strong>.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>At the bottom of the same page, the MPC issues a disclaimer:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The MPC has no connection with Google Earth, but is simply a satisfied user of the service.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T16:14:10.560Z
Note that the Ckoirama observatory is not listed in the Minor Planet Center's list.
David Hammen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-20T00:32:00.700Z
However, out of "latitude, longitude and altitude" only longitude is listed there explicitly; fyi I've just asked [Can I use the parallax coefficients for observatories as a proxy for latitude using arctan2(sin, cos)?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/35535/7982)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T13:59:02.400Z
2020-03-19T13:59:02.400Z
David Hammen
<p><a href="https://space.stackexchange.com/a/41992/12102">This answer</a> to <em>Is Starlink 1130 (Darksat) really dimmer?</em> links to the March 16, 2020 paper in arXiv <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.07251" rel="nofollow noreferrer">First observations and magnitude measurement of SpaceX's Darksat</a> which finds only a modest decrease in brightness:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Results. The calibration, image processing and analysis of the Darksat Sloan g’ image gives an estimated Sloan g’ magnitude of 7.57±0.04 at a range of 976.50 km. For STARLINK-1113 an estimated Sloan g’ magnitude of 6.69±0.05 at a range of 941.62 km was found. When scaled to a range of 550 km, a reduction of (55 % ± 4.8 %) is seen in the reflected solar flux between Darksat and STARLINK-1113.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The v1 preprint says </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>...using the longitude(24.1° west) and latitude (69.9°south) of the Ckoirama observatory...</p>
</blockquote>

<p>which puts the Ckoirama observatory <a href="https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=24%C2%B005%2722.4%22W+69%C2%B055%2750.3%22S" rel="nofollow noreferrer">under about 4500 meters of freezing antarctic water</a> (first image).</p>

<p>If I invert the latitude and longitude assignments it <a href="https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=24.1+deg+S+69.9+deg+W" rel="nofollow noreferrer">returns to the Atacama desert</a> where it belongs. If I instead type "Ckoirama observatory" in maps.google.com I get a pin on a map near <code>24.0894 S, 69.9305 W</code> but the satellite image only shows a hole in the ground. (second image)</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/zIDQv.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/zIDQvm.jpg" alt="looking for Ckoirama observatory (not here!)"></a> <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/5RsDR.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/5RsDRm.jpg" alt="looking for Ckoirama observatory (it&#39;s here somewhere)"></a> </p>

<p>click images for full size</p>

<p>The sidebar says:</p>

<pre><code>Antofagasta, Chile W369+6Q Yungay, Antofagasta, Chile
astro.uantof.cl
+56 55 263 xxxx
Open now:  Open 24 hours
</code></pre>

<p>That link leads to <a href="http://www.astro.uantof.cl/research/observatorios/ckoirama-observatory/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.astro.uantof.cl/research/observatorios/ckoirama-observatory/</a> which is very informative but has no latitude, longitude or altitude information. <a href="https://orbit.spacenation.org/5-awesome-observatories-world/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">5 Awesome Observatories Around The World</a> mentions that Ckoirama is;</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>the first observatory built by Chilean engineers</p>
</blockquote>

<p>and links to <a href="http://chile.travel/en/what-to-do/astrotourism" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Astrotourism in Chile</a> but no specific information.</p>

<p><strong>Question:</strong> What are the latitude, longitude and altitude of Ckoirama observatory? Is there a central location where coordinates like these can be looked up?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-03-19T13:04:17.487Z
Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been [moved to chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/105726/discussion-on-question-by-uhoh-latitude-longitude-and-altitude-of-ckoirama-obse).
called2voyage
<observational-astronomy><coordinate><observatory>
Latitude, longitude and altitude of Ckoirama Observatory; where can things like this be looked-up?
uhoh
# Latitude, longitude and altitude of Ckoirama Observatory; where can things like this be looked-up?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-03-19)

This answer to Is Starlink 1130 (Darksat) really dimmer? links to the March 16, 2020 paper in arXiv First observations and magnitude measurement of SpaceX's Darksat which finds only a modest decrease in brightness:

Results. The calibration, image processing and analysis of the Darksat Sloan g’ image gives an estimated Sloan g’ magnitude of 7.57±0.04 at a range of 976.50 km. For STARLINK-1113 an estimated Sloan g’ magnitude of 6.69±0.05 at a range of 941.62 km was found. When scaled to a range of 550 km, a reduction of (55 % ± 4.8 %) is seen in the reflected solar flux between Darksat and STARLINK-1113.

The v1 preprint says 

...using the longitude(24.1° west) and latitude (69.9°south) of the Ckoirama observatory...

which puts the Ckoirama observatory under about 4500 meters of freezing antarctic water (first image).
If I invert the latitude and longitude assignments it returns to the Atacama desert where it belongs. If I instead type "Ckoirama observatory" in maps.google.com I get a pin on a map near 24.0894 S, 69.9305 W but the satellite image only shows a hole in the ground. (second image)
  
click images for full size
The sidebar says:
Antofagasta, Chile W369+6Q Yungay, Antofagasta, Chile
astro.uantof.cl
+56 55 263 xxxx
Open now:  Open 24 hours

That link leads to http://www.astro.uantof.cl/research/observatorios/ckoirama-observatory/ which is very informative but has no latitude, longitude or altitude information. 5 Awesome Observatories Around The World mentions that Ckoirama is;

the first observatory built by Chilean engineers

and links to Astrotourism in Chile but no specific information.
Question: What are the latitude, longitude and altitude of Ckoirama observatory? Is there a central location where coordinates like these can be looked up?

**Tags:** observational-astronomy, coordinate, observatory

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been [moved to chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/105726/discussion-on-question-by-username_0-latitude-longitude-and-altitude-of-ckoirama-obse).  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-03-19. Score: 7

Near the pinned location, at [24.0893°S 69.9306°W](https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=25f97c1f-aeb9-49f7-803d-f40708e653a3&cp=-24.089553~-69.929889&lvl=17&style=h&v=2&sV=2&form=S00027),
Bing Maps shows a building like the one in the University of Antofagasta photos, with signs of recent construction.

![excerpt of Bing Maps aerial view](https://i.sstatic.net/gjUeX.jpg)

It's probably a matter of time until Google updates their satellite imagery in that region.

The Minor Planet Center maintains a [list of observatory codes](https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/ObsCodesF.html) with positional information.
A [related page](https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/info/ObservatoryCodes.html) there says:

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

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Excellent, thank you very much for locating some "ground truth" verification!  
> **username_0**: However, out of "latitude, longitude and altitude" only longitude is given there, so it's not really very good "positional information". fyi I've just asked [Can I use the parallax coefficients for observatories as a proxy for latitude using arctan2(sin, cos)?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/35535/7982)  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-03-19. Score: 5

Question: What are the latitude, longitude and altitude of Ckoirama observatory? Is there a central location where coordinates like these can be looked up?

I can confirm that there was a typo in our publication regarding the longitude and latitude of the Ckoirama observatory. They are in fact longitude = -69.93058889; latitude = -24.08913333; altitude = 966m (mean sea level). These values are recorded direct from the GPS locator system at the telescope.

As for the shed comment....The enclosure is not a standard dome as normally used. Due to the strong westerly thermal winds in this part of the Atacama, it was decided that a flat manoeuvrable roof was the best option for a small 0.6m telescope. A domed enclosure would induce wind pointing restrictions, which would restrict the number of observing nights per year.

Google maps is out of date, so I include some photos of the Ckoirama observatory, one of which shows one of the Starlink satellites.[![Ckoirama observatory, with a Starlink trail in the sky background. Image credit: Rodrigo Maluenda](https://i.sstatic.net/UucbI.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/UucbI.jpg). [![Ckoirama at night. Image credit: Rodrigo Maluenda](https://i.sstatic.net/3jcPj.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/3jcPj.jpg).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you for stopping by and sharing your information and photos with us, it's always exciting to see an astronomical instrument with the Atacama night sky above it! Also congratulations on getting photometry of StarLink objects and coaxing a system to make a type of measurement very different from what it's been optimized to do!  
> **username_0**: Answers to [Why is the opening in the Anglo-Australian Telescope's dome so small?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/29116/7982) show to what lengths some have gone  to try to make a dome work in a windy setting. fyi other authors that stopped by and/or errata [1](https://space.stackexchange.com/a/24631/12102), [2](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/a/17225/6031), [3](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/a/10606/6031), [4](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/18818/7982), [5](https://space.stackexchange.com/a/21992/12102)  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-03-19. Score: 4

A list of "everything in the world" is difficult to create and also maintain: it needs both a dedicated maintainer as well as people who supply the maintainer with the information. Thus on the latter any list will fail for some cases.

The most comprehensible list I know is the ESO-maintained list of observatories:
<https://www.eso.org/~ndelmott/obs_sites.html>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Okay I see; Ckoirama observatory doesn't seem to be in there but this is certainly a place where "...things like this be looked-up". Thanks!  
> **username_5**: If you look at the page source for the linked website, you'll see that the lists of observatories are directly encoded in the html/javascript. Those lists are over a decade out of date; quoting from the linked website: "Last modified October 10, 2007".  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2020-03-19. Score: 3

> What are the latitude, longitude and altitude of Ckoirama observatory?

You already found the latitude and longitude at Google maps: 24.0894 S, 69.9305 W. As far as the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is concerned, Google Earth / Google maps and GPS receiver coordinates are the **only** preferred sources for the location of an astronomical observatory.

The Minor Planet Center maintains for the IAU a [list of astronomical observatories](https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/ObsCodesF.html) "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."

From the MPC's page on [Updating Locations for Observatory Codes](https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/info/ObservatoryCodes.html), emphasis mine:

> **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**.

At the bottom of the same page, the MPC issues a disclaimer:

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

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Note that the Ckoirama observatory is not listed in the Minor Planet Center's list.  
> **username_0**: However, out of "latitude, longitude and altitude" only longitude is listed there explicitly; fyi I've just asked [Can I use the parallax coefficients for observatories as a proxy for latitude using arctan2(sin, cos)?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/35535/7982)  

---

