Definition of observatory
observatories
1 : a building or place given over to or equipped for observation of natural phenomena (as in astronomy); also : an institution whose primary purpose is making such observations
2 : a situation or structure commanding a wide view
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Examples of observatory in a Sentence
the observatory is located on a mountaintop
Recent Examples of observatory from the Web
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Wally Broecker is 84 years old and drives to work at the Lamont-Doherty observatory across the Hudson every day from the Upper West Side.
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Shows are Tuesdays at 7 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. On Tuesdays, from 7 to 9 p.m., the observatory's main telescope is open for public viewing, weather permitting.
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The atmospheric observatory here, which receives some money from NASA, is one of the most advanced among scores of facilities around the world where greenhouse gases and other pollutants are monitored.
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The stops include a day visit to Tromso, Norway, known as the Gateway to the Arctic, and an overnight stay in far-north Alta, Norway — a hub for Northern Lights viewing that is home to the first Northern Lights observatory.
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At least two more spacecraft observatories are also being developed--to study the universe in the X-ray wavelengths and to look more closely at habitable planets.
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But that less expensive ($378 million) observatory could make news.
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The data for these models is not fabricated but rather comes directly from the Kepler mission, a space observatory launched by NASA in 2009 which has, to date, verified the existence of more than 2,300 exoplanets.
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The house has a rooftop observatory with telescope, a caretaker's suite, a guest studio, gold-leaf chimneys and the master suite has his-and-her baths.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'observatory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of observatory
probably from New Latin observatorium, from Latin observare
OBSERVATORY Defined for English Language Learners
observatory
playDefinition of observatory for English Language Learners
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: a special building for studying stars, planets, weather, etc. : a building from which scientists study and watch the sky
OBSERVATORY Defined for Kids
observatory
playDefinition of observatory for Students
observatories
: a place that has instruments for making observations (as of the stars)
Learn More about observatory
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See words that rhyme with observatory Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for observatory Spanish Central: Translation of observatory Nglish: Translation of observatory for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of observatory for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about observatory
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