Marine observatory

A marine observatory is a scientific institution whose main task is the observations in the fields of meteorology , geomagnetism and tides, which are important for marine and civil shipping . Usually an observatory is also attached. Some of these observatories also deal with nautical weather forecasts and storm warnings, with astronomical time service and with seismology .

Important observatories are and were among others:

• the United States Naval Observatory
• the Royal Greenwich Observatory
• the naval observatory Paris
• the Deutsche Seewarte in Hamburg (today the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency )
• the Pola Marine Observatory
• the naval observatories in Venice and Genoa
• the Observatorio de la Armada in San Fernando
• the former naval observatory in Tsingtau

Probably the first nautical observatory was built around 1450 on the Portuguese Algarve coast near Lagos . It was an initiative of Prince Henry the Navigator . He wanted to promote not only navigation and neighboring sciences, but also Portuguese trade with West Africa .