// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Asiago Astrophysical Observatory go to the party? It was a star.

Asiago Astrophysical Observatory
Organization	University of Padua ;
Observatory code	043
Location	Asiago, Province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy
Coordinates	45°51′59″N 11°31′34″E / 45.8663°N 11.52608°E
Altitude	1,045 m (3,428 ft)
Established	1942
Website	www.astro.unipd.it/inglese/observatory/telescopio_en.html
Telescopes	Museo degli strumenti dell'astronomia ;
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The Asiago Astrophysical Observatory (Osservatorio Astrofisico di Asiago, or Asiago Observatory for short) is an Italian astronomical observatory (IAU code 043) owned and operated by the University of Padua. Founded in 1942, and for a long time the biggest telescope in Europe, it is located on the plateau of Asiago, 90 kilometers northwest of Padua, near the town of Asiago. Its main instrument is the 1.22-meter Galilei telescope, currently used only for spectrometric observations.

The observatory saw the construction of a 1:1 scale model of the European Extremely Large Telescope's primary mirror.^[1]

Cima Ekar Observing Station

The nearby Cima Ekar Observing Station (Italian: Stazione osservativa di Asiago Cima Ekar) is located approximately 3.8 kilometers to the southeast on Mount Ekar, and hosts the biggest optical telescope on Italian soil. It has the observatory code 098. Cima Ekar also participates in the Asiago-DLR Asteroid Survey, a prominent international dedicated programme to search and follow-up asteroids and comets, with special emphasis on near-Earth objects.