© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Mauna Kea Observatories, USA - Located at the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on Big Island, Hawaii, are several astronomical research facilities and large telescope observatories. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

Mauna Kea Observatories, USA - Set in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and at an altitude of 4,205 m (13,796 ft), Mauna Kea is one of the best locations on Earth for ground-based astronomy.

© Shutterstock

Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, Spain - Noted as the second-best location for optical and infrared astronomy in the Northern Hemisphere after Mauna Kea, this observatory is on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands.

© Shutterstock

Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, Spain - Pictured is the MAGIC telescope at Roque de los Muchachos. Effectively a huge mirror, it detects particle showers released by gamma rays.

© Shutterstock

La Silla Observatory, Chile - An astronomical observatory located at the edge of the Atacama Desert, La Silla is set in one of the driest and most isolated places in the world. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 4.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

La Silla Observatory, Chile - Located far from sources of light pollution, scientists are able to enjoy one of the darkest night skies on Earth. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

South African Astronomical Observatory, South Africa - The national center for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa, this observatory's primary telescopes are located in Sutherland.

© Shutterstock

South African Astronomical Observatory, South Africa - Numerous telescopes are operated by the observatory, including two known as Solaris-1 and Solaris-2 (pictured), which detect circumbinary planets.  (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Kitt Peak National Observatory, USA -

Perched at the top of Kitt Peak in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert, this observatory boasts 22 optical and two radio telescopes—the largest and most diverse gathering of astronomical instruments in the Northern Hemisphere. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

Kitt Peak National Observatory, USA - Set at an altitude of 2,096 m (6,877 ft), astronomers enjoy observation time of 260 nights per year.

© Shutterstock

Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico - A huge radio telescope sunk into a lush, hilly landscape, Arecibo is operated by the University of Florida. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico - It's from here that in 1974 an interstellar radio message was beamed into deep space in the hope that extraterrestrial intelligence might receive and decipher it. 

© Public Domain

Australian Astronomical Observatory, Australia - Located at Coonabarabran in New South Wales, this facility was formerly known as the Anglo-Australian Observatory. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Australian Astronomical Observatory, Australia - Its telescope, however, is still called the Anglo-Australian Telescope, rating among the world's most scientifically productive.

© Shutterstock

Indian Astronomical Observatory, India - Set in the country's remote Ladakh region, this observatory has one of the world's highest sites for optical, infrared, and gamma-ray telescopes.

© Shutterstock

Indian Astronomical Observatory, India -

The facility is situated at an elevation of 4,500 m (14,764 ft), and operates two telescopes: the Himalayan Chandra Telescope and the High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope. 

© Public Domain

Royal Observatory, Scotland - Established in Edinburgh in 1896, this hallowed astronomical institution carries out research and university teaching. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

Royal Observatory, Scotland - While expanded and modernized over the years, the original 19th-century building includes two cylindrical copper domes on top of the East and West Towers. The East dome shelters a reflector, the West dome an astrophotographic telescope. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

Griffith Observatory, USA - A popular Los Angeles tourist attraction, the Griffith Observatory houses a planetarium that was used to train WWII pilots in celestial navigation and, later, Apollo program astronauts. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.5)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Griffith Observatory, USA - The fabulous views afford visitors their own stargazing opportunities—Hollywood style!

© Shutterstock

Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, USA - Staying with the stargazing theme, do you remember the 1997 movie 'Contact,' when Jodie Foster's character detected an alien signal? It was filmed here.

© Shutterstock

Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, USA - Located near Socorro in New Mexico, the observatory's 27 radio telescopes each stand 25 m (82 ft) and are visually stunning. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)

© Shutterstock

Atacama Large Millimeter Array, Chile - Clustered in northern Chile's Atacama Desert are 66 radio telescopes constructed on the 5,000-m (16,000-ft) elevation Chajnantor plateau. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

Atacama Large Millimeter Array, Chile - The telescopes are tasked with providing insight on star birth and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 4.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

South Pole Telescope, Antarctica - This facility is based at one of the most extreme locations on the planet—the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. 

© Public Domain

South Pole Telescope, Antarctica - Designed to map the Southern sky, the telescope is 10 meters (394 inches) in diameter. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Very Large Telescope, Chile - The Very Large Telescope (VLT) facility is located on the Cerro Paranal mountain in the Atacama Desert. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

Very Large Telescope, Chile - The VTL consists of four individual optical telescopes, named Antu, Kueyen, Melipal, and Yepun—all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

Sydney Observatory, Australia - Inaugurated in 1859, this heritage-listed astronomical observatory and meteorological station functioned until the early 1980s.

© Shutterstock

Sydney Observatory, Australia -

Today, this fully-restored Sydney landmark serves as a museum and cultural venue. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.5)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Yerkes Observatory, USA - Founded in 1897, this observatory, located at Williams Bay, Wisconsin was regarded as "the birthplace of modern astrophysics."(Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

© Flickr/Creative Commons

Yerkes Observatory, USA -

Yerkes ceased operation in 2018, but, while closed to the public, researchers still have access to the vast historical glass plate archives at the site. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)

See also: Stellar shots of the Milky Way.

© Flickr/Creative Commons