Union observatory
The Union Observatory , English Union Observatory was an astronomical observatory in the suburb of Observatory of Johannesburg in South Africa . It has the observatory code 078.
The name has been changed several times over the years. Founded in 1903 as the Transvaal Meteorological Department on the Observatory Ridge , it was known as the Transvaal Observatory from 1909 to 1912 , then the Union Observatory from 1912 to 1961 , when it was renamed the Republic Observatory . Due to increasing light pollution in the Johannesburg area, it was closed in 1972.
At the same time, the South African government decided to bring all astronomical research under the umbrella of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). The most important telescopes were brought to the SAAO observation station in Sutherland . The Radcliffe Observatory in Pretoria also fell victim to this decision.
One of the most important observations ever made at the Union Observatory was the discovery of Proxima Centauri in 1915 by the then director Robert Innes .
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Coordinates: 26 ° 11 ′ 3.3 ″ S , 28 ° 4 ′ 27.2 ″ E