‘Spaceship’ observatory allows Cyprus stargazers a peek at the final frontier

By Yiannis Kourtoglou

A new space observatory in Cyprus looks like it just uncloaked itself on the set of a sci-fi movie and is ready for takeoff.

Perched high on the Troodos mountains and with an unobstructed view of the skies, the 1.77 million euro publicly funded Troodos Observatory was inaugurated in May. Purveyors hope the project will encourage visitors to areas increasingly affected by urbanisation and broaden a depth of celestial knowledge.