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The Spanish National Observatory (Spanish: Observatorio Astronómico Nacional de España) is an astronomical observatory with several facilities in the Madrid area.
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Royal Observatory
The seat of the National Observatory is the Royal Observatory (Spanish: Real Observatorio Astronómico de Madrid) in the Parque del Buen Retiro. This historic observatory was built in 1790. Equipped with a Herschel telescope, it took over the purely astronomical work of the naval observatory, the Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada, in the south of the country. The building was designed by Juan de Villanueva and represents one of the highlights of Spanish neoclassical architecture. Its domed lantern was conceived as a classical circular temple. It houses historic scientific equipment and a library, which can be visited by prior arrangement.
Yebes Observatory
Yebes Observatory is a modern facility north-east of Madrid.