IEEC | OTHER

The 2026 season of guided tours at the Montsec Observatory is here

date

2026-05-17

time

12:00

format

ON-SITE

One more year, the Montsec Observatory (OdM) organises daytime guided tours to its facilities. Managed by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), the OdM is a state-of-the-art scientific and technological infrastructure for astronomical research, satellite communications and atmospheric measurements, managed by the IEEC.

Its facilities, located in Sant Esteve de la Sarga (Pallars Jussà) and inside the Orígens UNESCO Global Geopark, are reserved for scientific use and, therefore, are closed to the general public. But several days a year, the Observatory opens its doors.

These sessions offer the opportunity to take a tour of the Observatory’s infrastructure and equipment, such as its two astronomical telescopes: the Joan Oró Telescope (named after the renowned biochemist from Lleida) and the TRAC, a 40-cm diameter robotic telescope installed in 2025 and used, among others, for observing near-Earth and potentially hazardous asteroids and tracking satellites and space debris.

You will also get a first-hand look at its satellite communications infrastructure, its Earth Observation satellite calibration systems and its atmospheric measurement instruments, all of them based on innovative technologies.

IEEC astronomers will explain how the equipment works, what scientific discoveries have been made recently, and how communication with nanosatellites is carried out.

The guided tours of this 2026 will be held on the following days:

  • Sunday 17 May at 12:00 pm
  • Sunday 14 June at 12:00 pm
  • Sunday 12 July at 12:00 pm
  • Sunday 9 August at 12:00 pm
  • Sunday 13 September at 12:00 pm

The duration of the visit is approximately 1 hour, and it is free. Since places are limited, prior registration is required.

During these daytime visits there will be no observations of the sky with telescopes. To carry out this activity, we recommend visiting the Parc Astronòmic del Montsec (PAM), located in Àger, which offers astronomical activities for families.

We look forward to seeing you there!