Kjell Henriksen Observatory

The Kjell Henriksen observatory is the world's northernmost aurora station, located at 78 degrees North on Svalbard.

The Kjell Henriksen Observatory (KHO) in Svalbard is an optical observatory located at the archipelago Svalbard 1000 km north of mainland Norway (78o N 16o E). Here more than 25 optical instruments as well as other non-optical instruments, are employed for research on the middle- and upper atmosphere.

KHO has a gross total area of approximately 700 square meters, which includes a service section of approximately 200 square meters floor space. The instrument section contains 30 instrument rooms with domes.

There are still domes available for rent on a yearly basis, please contact Professor Fred Sigernes if you have questions about renting one or more of those.

The domes have a diameter of 1m. In addition, high speed fiber network access and 220/110V power are included in the rent.

The observatory has a good infrastructure/network. It has kitchen facilities so that visitors may cook their own food, and a living section where it's possible to take a nap during a late campaign night.

Institution University Centre in Svalbard
Country Norway
Infrastructure type Observatory
Disciplines Physics
Language of operation English
Keywords aurora borealisarctic atmospherekjell henriksen observatoryauroraatmospheric scienceupper polar atmospheremiddle polar atmosphereauroral observatory

Availability

The Kjell Henriksen Observatory is available for scientists with the auroral season being from the beginning of November until end of February. Typically, a guest instrument group rents one instrument module on annual basis.

Contact information

Professor Fred Sigernes; freds@unis.no

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