OBSERVATORY

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

I. (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A structure commanding a wide view of its surroundings

Synonyms:

lookout; lookout station; observation tower; observatory

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("observatory" is a kind of...):

construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "observatory"):

observation dome (lookout consisting of a dome-shaped observatory)

widow's walk (a lookout atop a coastal house)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A building designed and equipped to observe astronomical phenomena

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("observatory" is a kind of...):

building; edifice (a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place)

Credits

Context examples:

In real life, thanks to observatories such as NASA's Kepler space telescope, we know that two-star systems can indeed support planets, although planets discovered so far around double-star systems are large and gaseous.

(Earth-Sized 'Tatooine' Planets Could Be Habitable, NASA)

Pops of bright blue and green in this image of the Fireworks galaxy (NGC 6946) show the locations of extremely bright sources of X-ray light captured by NASA's NuSTAR space observatory.

(NASA Satellite Spots a Mystery That's Gone in a Flash, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Much of the dust seen here emits little to no visible light (in fact, the dust blocks visible light) and is therefore revealed most clearly with infrared observatories like Spitzer.

(Spitzer Studies a Stellar Playground With a Long History, NASA)

The observations were made during Spitzer's "warm mission," a phase that began in 2009 after the observatory ran out of liquid coolant, as planned.

(The 'Serpent' star-forming cloud hatches new stars, NASA)

The observatory's high-energy X-ray eyes were able to peer into a particular site of powerful gamma rays and confirm the source: A spinning, dead star called a pulsar.

(Pulse of a Dead Star Powers Intense Gamma Rays, NASA)

Arp 299 also emits copious amounts of infrared light that has been detected by observatories such as NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, but those data are not included in this composite.

(Chandra Samples Galactic Goulash, NASA)

IMERG data are calibrated using Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) data received by the GPM core observatory satellite.

(France's Flooding Rains Examined by NASA’s IMERG, NASA)

After the fix, Kepler started its K2 mission, which has provided an ecliptic field of view with greater opportunities for Earth-based observatories in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

(Kepler Confirms 100+ Exoplanets During Its K2 Mission, NASA)

NASA scientists are tracking the upcoming Halloween flyby of asteroid 2015 TB145 with several optical observatories and the radar capabilities of the agency's Deep Space Network at Goldstone, California.

(Halloween Asteroid a Treat for Radar Astronomers, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

This discovery, announced today, is the first observation of gravitational waves by three different detectors, marking a new era of greater insights and improved localization of cosmic events now available through globally networked gravitational-wave observatories.