Kyoto City Museum Search

Capturing the sparkle of distant stars to unravel the mysteries of the universe

Opened in 2010 on the campus of Kyoto Sangyo University, this observatory is equipped with a Ritchey–Chrétien reflector telescope (1.3m aperture), the largest telescope owned by a private university in Japan, and it is named “Araki Telescope” after astrophysicist Dr. Toschima Araki, the founder of the university. The observatory has developed astronomical observation instruments on a par with the world's best. The university uses them to analyze the light of stars collected by telescopes and thus study various celestial bodies in the universe. So far, the observatory and its instruments have been put to use in finding out that nova explosions are deeply involved in the birth of the solar system, and they have a track record of research on Cepheid-type variable stars, which was the specialty of Dr. Araki, the founder of the university.

This premier facility is used by university researchers and students – but, as a way to share knowledge, astronomical observation events and astronomy lectures are also held for local citizens, and night-sky education is also promoted in collaboration with nearby elementary, junior and senior high schools.

Since 2022, we have also been engaged in museum activities, including a permanent exhibition featuring meteorites collected from around the world, as well as an annual special exhibition related to astronomy.