Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Sers Pic du Midi Observatory

Pic du Midi Observatory

This futuristic observatory at the top of the Pyrénées offers unrivaled views.

Sers, France

Added By
Trevor David
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Pascalou petit/CC BY-SA 3.0
The telescopes look out above the clouds.   Climso/CC BY-SA 3.0
The view of the night sky is pretty stellar.   Steve Elliott/CC BY-SA 2.0
The futuristic structure sits among a jagged range.   Celeda/CC BY-SA 4.0
Visitors arrive at the observatory by cable car.   Benh LIEU SONG/CC BY-SA 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The scene at Pic du Midi is one out of a sci-fi movie: A fortified concrete-and-stone complex, packed full of metal domes, sprawls across the top of a precipitous peak above the clouds. At an altitude of 2,877 meters (9,349 feet), the sweeping view of the surrounding French Pyrénées is rivaled only by the site's magnificently dark night sky.

Prime observing conditions are the reason why astronomers since 1884 have made the arduous trek up this mountainside for an unobstructed view of the firmament. But the history of scientific research on the fabled French peak goes back all the way to 1774, when chemist Jean Darcet and physicist Gaspard Monge climbed the Pic to study the pressure of the atmosphere.

While accessing the summit in those days was a much more trying experience, it did not stop scientists from constructing a full-fledged meteorological station and astronomical observatory in the 1870s. Today, the research facilities are only a fifteen minute cable-car ride from the resort town of La Mongie, and the public is welcome to a view so treasured that NASA scientists traveled there to map the surface of the moon in preparation for the Apollo landing.

Visitors can even choose to spend the night at the Pic, where up to 19 people can be accommodated in a package deal that includes tours of the site's telescopes (including the 2-meter Bernard Lyot telescope, the largest in France), nighttime observing with professional astronomers, and traditional Pyrénées cuisine at the on-site restaurant.

The observatory is also home to the highest museum in Europe, one that will guide you through the history of Pic du Midi and over a century of scientific research and technological progress. But if, for some odd reason, learning about a long history of discovery begins to get tiresome, experienced skiers can plunge 4,600 feet down the vertiginous mountain slopes at no extra charge.

Related Tags

Observatories Strange Science Instruments Of Science

Community Contributors

Added By

Trevor

Edited By

philoursmars, jessicahester1

  • philoursmars
  • jessicahester1

Published

May 18, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/4569700/Pic-du-Midi-Pyrenees-Mission-to-a-frozen-fortress-astronomy.html
  • https://picdumidi.com/en/discover-the-pic-du-midi/an-unmissable-stop-in-the-pyrenees
Pic du Midi Observatory
Sers, 65200
France
42.936389, 0.142778
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Ayré Barèges Funicular

Barèges, France

miles away

Gourgue d'Asque

Asque, France

miles away

Basilica of St. Pius X

Lourdes, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 72

Nearby Places

Ayré Barèges Funicular

Barèges, France

miles away

Gourgue d'Asque

Asque, France

miles away

Basilica of St. Pius X

Lourdes, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 72

Related Stories and Lists

20 Out-of-This-World Stargazing Spots

List

By Jessica Leigh Hester

Related Places

  • Tesla Coil

    Los Angeles, California

    Griffith Observatory's Tesla Coil

    High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high power conical Tesla Coil.

  • Sudbury, Ontario

    Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

    A neutrino detector built into the largest man-made underground cavity in the world.

  • Ercolano, Italy

    Osservatorio Vesuviano (Vesuvius Observatory)

    The oldest volcanology research center in the world.

  • Kremsmünster, Austria

    Kremsmunster Observatory

    This "mathematical tower" was an observatory, early skyscraper, and place to reflect on all of nature and the cosmos.

  • Lowell Observatory in Winter

    Flagstaff, Arizona

    Lowell Observatory

    This Arizona observatory is famous for investigations into Martian life, and as the place humans first spotted Pluto.

  • Ladd Observatory

    Providence, Rhode Island

    Ladd Observatory

    A 132-year-old telescope continues to keep watch over the night skies above Providence.

  • Las Cañadas del Teide, Spain

    The GREGOR Mirror

    A space-grade telescope mirror lies discarded in the shrubs.

  • Great Refractor Potsdam

    Potsdam, Germany

    Großer Refraktor (Great Refractor)

    One of the largest refracting telescopes in the world, and the first built specifically for studying astrophysics.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.