Gornergrat Infrared Telescope

The Gornergrat Infrared Telescope was a research facility with a 1.5-meter mirror housed in a northern tower at 3,135 meters elevation in the Swiss Alps. The equipment used advanced correction technology to achieve high-quality infrared observations from this remote mountain site.

The facility began operations in the late 1960s and was managed until 2005 by Italian research institutions including the Istituto di Radioastronomia. During these decades, the telescope contributed to advances in infrared astronomy observation techniques.

The observatory represented a collaborative effort where scientists from across Europe worked together to advance infrared astronomy from a remote Alpine location. This shared mission brought researchers from different countries to a single high-altitude facility for collective scientific discovery.

The Gornergrat site is reachable from Zermatt by a mountain railway, which historically provided access to the research facility. The high elevation requires time to acclimate, particularly for visitors coming from lower elevations.

The instrument featured tip-tilt correction technology that automatically compensated for air turbulence, significantly improving observation quality at this extreme altitude. This innovation was particularly important because atmospheric distortion is common at such high mountain locations.

Elevation above the sea: 3,135 m

Diameter: 1.5 m

Website: http://arcetri.astro.it/irlab/tirgo

GPS coordinates: 45.98340,7.78360

Latest update: December 14, 2025 11:01