CARLOFORTE, ITALY

This observatory was established in 1899, along with five others around the world, as part of an international program to measure the earth's rotation. All six were built on the latitude of 39 degrees 08 minutes. Built in the small town of Carloforte, which is on the Sardinian Island of S. Pietro, the observatory was first called the International Latitude Astronomical Station of Carloforte .

As the photo shows, the portion of the observatory which is similar to the other observatories is perched on top of a large base. For almost 80 years, the observatory was devoted to the study of the earth's rotation and polar motion. The observations were carried out with the zenital telescope, except during 1944 and 1945, which was during the Second World War.
In 1978, the headquarters were moved to Punta Sa Menta, a site about 15 kilometers from Cagliari, which has the same latitude as Carloforte. The observatory is now known as the Cagliari Astronomical Observatory.