Neuchâtel Observatory

The Neuchâtel Observatory (French: Observatoire Cantonal de Neuchâtel) is an astronomical observatory funded by the Public Economy Department of the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It is located in the city of Neuchâtel and was founded in 1858. The first director was the German born, Swiss astronomer Adolphe Hirsch.

Besides astronomical observations, the Neuchâtel observatory also works with atomic clocks. Before 1967, one second was defined by the rotation of the earth, and thus Neuchâtel observatory calibrated clocks via observations. Now its telescope is used in a historical fashion by local amateur astronomers, while the calibration is done via atomic clocks.