The U.S. Naval Observatory is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the country. Established in 1830 as the "Depot of Charts and Instruments", its primary mission was to care for the U.S. Navy's chronometers, charts, and other navigational equipment. Today, the U.S. Naval Observatory is internationally recognized as the preeminent authority in the areas of Precise Time and , and distributes Earth Orientation parameters and other Astronomical Data required for accurate navigation and fundamental astronomy.
This page last updated 12-06-08
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The Chandra X-ray Observatory is part of NASA's fleet of "Great Observatories" along with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitizer Space Telescope and the now deorbited Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Chandra allows scientists from around the world to obtain unprecedented X-ray images of exotic environments to help understand the structure and evolution of the universe. Already surpassing its ?ve-year life, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory is rewriting textbooks and helping advance technology
OFFICIAL SITE OF THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
The Space Telescope Science Institute, is  working hard to study and explain the once-unimaginable celestial phenomena now made visible using Hubble’s cutting-edge technology. In the course of this exploration the HST crew  will continue to share with you the grace and beauty of the universe… because the discoveries belong to all of us.
Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically-cooled science instruments, Spitzer is the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. Its highly sensitive instruments give us a unique view of the Universe and allow us to peer into regions of space which are hidden from optical telescopes.
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
Website offers daily images of the Sun taken through many different filters which include The Sun Now, Sunspots, Space Weather and Solar Winds. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between the ESA and NASA.
The Palomar Observatory, Home to the 200-inch Hale Telescope located in north San Diego County, California.  It is a world-class center of astronomical research that is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology.  The observatory is home to five telescopes that are nightly used for a wide variety of astronomical research programs. The research is conducted by Caltech's faculty, post-doctoral fellows and students, and by researchers at Caltech's collaborating institutions.
CalTech is host to MANY observatories which include, but is not limited to Palomar, Owens Valley Radio Observatory, Keck, TMT and Submillimeter Telescope to name just a few.
The Gemini Observatory consists of twin 8-meter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best sites on our planet for observing the universe.  Together these telescopes can access the entire sky.
Don't be fooled by optical delusions! True, it's the SUBARU, but that's not all that's on top of Mauna Kea!
From a remote outpost on the summit of Hawaii's dormant Mauna Kea volcano, astronomers at the W. M. Keck Observatory probe the deepest regions of the Universe with unprecedented power and precision.
Their instruments are the twin Keck Telescopes, the world's largest optical and infrared telescopes. Each stands eight stories tall and weighs 300 tons, yet operates with nanometer precision. At the heart of each Keck Telescope is a revolutionary primary mirror. Ten meters in diameter, the mirror is composed of 36 hexagonal segments that work in concert as a single piece of reflective glass.
W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY
And baby makes four!  (on top of Mauna Kea)
More OBSERVATORIES on page 2...
More observatories on page 2
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    Since the dawn of mankind, we've looked to the heavens.  We've wondered and watched.  Observing.  Waiting.  For what?  We're so  obsessed with observing the skies, that we've built special places to observe from and ironically call them "Observatories."  I'm sure that every minute of every day someone around the world is observing the heavens.  While many of the foremost discoveries in space in bygone years goes hands down to Earth-bound telescopes, in recent years the awards go to our outer-space platforms such as the HST, Chandra and Spitzer.  There are many observatories around the world and far too numerous for me to provide links to.  But I do think that I've captured some of the most important and historic observatory links that continue to provide us with new knowledge of what's "out there."  The images released from camera systems on these workhorses never fail to blow me away.  Some of the stuff out there is so breathtakingly beautiful, I never even could have dreamt of it.