Gazing up at Morro do Observatório, have you ever wondered about the secrets hidden within its slopes? Morro do Observatório isn’t just a peak offering breathtaking views of Rio de Janeiro. It’s a portal to the stars, a place where history and the cosmos intertwine. The Observatório do Valongo, perched atop Morro da Conceição, is the heart of this celestial journey. It began its life in 1881 on the Morro de Santo Antônio as the Observatório Astronômico da Escola Polytechnica. Its founder, Dr. Manuel Pereira Reis, envisioned a place where students of the Escola Polytechnica and Escola da Marinha could learn the practical magic of astronomy and geodesy.
The observatory’s move to Morro da Conceição in the 1920s marked a turning point. The bustling city of Rio de Janeiro needed space, and the observatory found a new home on land once known as Chácara do Valongo, owned by the Costa Barros family. The observatory was renamed Observatório do Morro do Vallongo. It housed impressive instruments, including the Cooke & Sons refractor telescope, arriving in 1907. This marvel, the largest refractor in Brazil at the time, allowed for astronomical photography. This focus on education remained the core mission of Morro do Observatório’s observatory, even after its relocation.
However, a period of stagnation followed the death of director Manuel Amoroso Costa in 1928. The situation worsened with the passing of astronomy instructor Orozimbo do Nascimento in 1936. The Escola Polytechnica made the difficult decision to discontinue astronomy and geodesy, leaving Morro do Observatório’s observatory in a state of neglect. Its revival began in 1956 when astronomers Mário Ferreira Dias and Alércio Moreira Gomes, left the Observatório Nacional. They joined Morro do Observatório, followed by Luís Eduardo da Silva Machado in 1958. These three astronomers breathed new life into the observatory.
They established the Astronomy Undergraduate Course at the Faculdade Nacional de Filosofia in 1958. Morro do Observatório became a hub for practical astronomy lessons, just as it had been for the Escola Polytechnica students decades earlier. The team cleaned, repaired, and brought the old instruments back into use for the next generation of astronomers. With the university reform of 1967, the Observatório do Valongo on Morro da Conceição became an integral part of UFRJ. It now stands as a testament to its rich past. It continues its mission of education and discovery as the home of UFRJ’s astronomy undergraduate program and, since 2003, a postgraduate program. Morro do Observatório, with its Observatório do Valongo, isn’t just a place to view the stars. It’s a place where the stars shape lives and futures.