Welcome to the integrated web portal for UNESCO’s Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative, supported by the International Working Group on Astronomy and World Heritage and by the International Astronomical Union through its Commission C4 on World Heritage and Astronomy. The Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy exists to raise awareness of the importance of astronomical heritage worldwide and to facilitate efforts to identify, protect and preserve such heritage for the benefit of humankind, both now and in the future.
Places connected to the Sky
This week we are launching our new community project for IAU100. We are inviting people worldwide to share their local heritage of astronomy-related places, which will then appear on this portal alongside the “official” case studies.
There are many ways in which locations can be connected to the sky, as these leading examples, submitted by our portal team and others, show:
Kuffner Observatory, Austria
Otford Solar System, United Kingdom, USA, Falkland Islands, Australia, New Zealand
Point Venus, French Polynesia
Stonehenge Aotearoa, New Zealand
For more information follow this link!
What is astronomical heritage?
Cultural heritage related to the sky is a vital component of cultural heritage in general.
Why preserve it?
What is the purpose of this web portal?
Astronomy and world heritage
This portal supports UNESCO’s Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative (AWHI) through the provision of thematic essays, case studies and general information, for example on preparing a nomination dossier for the World Heritage List.
We encourage professional users to register and login in order to view detailed information, propose a new case study or suggest changes to an existing one.
Astronomical heritage categories
Click on the different parts of this diagram to find out more about a certain category of astronomical heritage.
Regional and national heritage
We are developing a list of astronomical heritage resources at the regional or national level that are available on other internet sites. If you have items that you would like added to this list, please contact our This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Dark skies
See our Dark Skies Information page for further information about International Dark Sky Reserves, Starlight Reserves, and other Dark Sky Places.
Full case studies
Full case studies, structured as sections of draft dossiers, aim to highlight issues that might arise if State Parties were to prepare nomination dossiers highlighting the astronomical values of the properties concerned. Examples:
Chankillo, Peru
Risco Caído and the sacred mountains of Gran Canaria, Spain
Short case studies
Short case studies follow the format used in the ICOMOS–IAU Thematic Study on Astronomical Heritage. Examples:
Hortobágy Puszta and astronomy in shepherding practices, Hungary
Jantar Mantar at Jaipur, India
Sydney Observatory, Australia
Movable objects
We have recently introduced movable object case studies in order to document items such as artefacts and portable instruments in a more suitable format. Examples:
Nebra Sky Disc, Germany
Ishango Bone, Democratic Republic of the Congo
IAU “Outstanding Astronomical Heritage” sites
The IAU has begun to compile its own list of astronomical heritage sites that are outstanding in the history of astronomy but are not necessarily suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List. The period from the European Renaissance to the middle of the 20th century was an extremely rich one for the history of astronomy and the initial list focuses on sites of this type. Examples:
Uraniborg and Stellaeburgum, Sweden
La Plata Observatory, Argentina
Finding relevant information
You can locate case studies of interest both geographically and temporally using our astronomical heritage finder, or browse a complete list. You could also start from one of our Thematic Essays.