Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca

Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca

Alternative names	ca
Observatory code	620
Location	Costitx, Mallorca, Spain
Coordinates	39°38′33″N 2°57′02″E / 39.642528°N 2.950516°E / 39.642528; 2.950516
Established	May 1991 (1991-05)[1]
Website	http://www.oam.es/
Location of Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca
[edit on Wikidata]

The Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca (Spanish: Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca, OAM) is an observatory just south of Costitx, Mallorca, Spain.^[3]

The observatory was inaugurated in May 1991 and was the first astronomical center in the Balearic Islands autonomous community and province of Spain.^[1]

The observatory is a pioneer among Spanish observatories and uses robotic telescopes (four of them located at La Sagra^[4][5] in Andalucia) to discover and track asteroids.^[6]

Researchers at the OAM have found asteroids that are potential threats to Earth, such as the 2006 WH₁.^[6] Salvador Sánchez is director of the OAM.^[3] In 2008, asteroid number 128036, discovered at the OAM in 2003, was named after Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal.^[7][8] As of 2008, the OAM tracks more than 2,000 asteroids.^[9]

There is a large planetarium attached to the observatory, which often runs performances open to the public. The Open University is one of a number of academic institutions which runs summer schools at the observatory.^[10]

In March 2017, the observatory has closed and gone into liquidation. The land will be up for auction at €1.7 million.^[11]