Beijing Ancient Observatory

Established in 1442 in China before telescopes were invented, the Beijing Ancient Observatory is considered to be the oldest observatory in the world. It was first installed during the Ming Dynasty and later expanded during the Qing Dynasty period and is a very interesting attraction. The site has vast grounds of 10,000 square meters. The observatory building is a 15-meters tall brick structure with a 40x40 meters wide platform. The ancient bronze astronomical instruments like the Quadrant Altazimuth, Ecliptic Armilla, Azimuth Theodolite, Altazimuth, Armillary, Sextant and Equatorial Armilla, Celestial Globe, sundials, etc. which were originally on the platform are now located in a museum on the ground floor.

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