observatory

noun

ob·​ser·​va·​to·​ry əb-ˈzər-və-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural 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

Synonyms

• lookout
• outlook
• overlook

Examples of observatory in a Sentence

the observatory is located on a mountaintop

Recent Examples on the Web

Three years ago this month, Vice President Kamala Harris moved into her official residence in northwest Washington, a quiet 73-acre enclave where the U.S. Navy keeps an observatory as well as the nation’s master clock. —Robert Draper, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Look into local observatories or stargazing tours to up the astronomical ante. —Maya Silver, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2024

With construction scheduled to begin by the end of the month, the 23,000-square-foot project will include several different features, including an observatory, planetarium, theater, exhibits, and an immersion zone. —Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024

Five thousand tiny robots on the telescope collect data at an unprecedented rate, per a statement from the observatory. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024

The observatory is a popular tourist attraction in the capital city. —Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

All across the Bay Area Monday morning in back yards, outside schools, atop office buildings and observatories people paused to watch a rare astronomical spectacle: a partial solar eclipse. —Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024

In 2015, scientists at LIGO, an observatory whose construction had taken decades of dreaming and designing and revising, ran an experiment that within days detected those gravitational waves. —Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024

Such findings are only possible due to the extreme sensitivity this and the other three radio telescopes at the observatory possess. —Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from New Latin observatorium, from Latin observare

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

observatory

noun

ob·​ser·​va·​to·​ry əb-ˈzər-və-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural observatories

1

: a place or institution equipped with instruments for observation of natural objects and events (as in astronomy)

2

: a place providing a wide view