From the passion for astronomy was born in 2004 the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Siena which, at the university complex of Porta Romana, collects the instruments and the people who in the 90s founded the first university observatory structure in the Chianti area. .

The Astronomical Observatory of the University of Siena, therefore, is a laboratory where university students, but also school pupils of all levels, learn about the sky and use the tools and the most modern technologies for remote control. of observations and for the acquisition and analysis of astronomical images. These skills then make it possible to conduct small research experiences in the field of asteroids, variable stars, exoplanets and active galactic nuclei.

The Astronomical Observatory participates, with targeted educational proposals, in the Scientific Education for an Active and Conscious Citizenship (ESCAC) project and offers guidance paths for high schools, which can also be configured as school-work alternation projects or Skills Paths Transversal and for Orientation (PCTO). Furthermore, public guided observation evenings are often organized, also in collaboration with local associations or entities, to allow anyone to get closer to the starry sky.

The instrumentation of the Observatory is housed in a spherical dome of 3 meters in diameter which, although close to the city, enjoys a good night sky from East to West. The main telescope is a Maksutov-Cassegrain of the Zen Optical Constructions (D = 30 cm, F = 1650 mm), placed on a German Comec 10micron GM2000-QCI equatorial mount. An Sbig STL-6303 CCD equipped with filter wheel, Optec TCF-S focuser and Optec Pyxis field rotator is used for image acquisition. The dome and all the instruments are fully manageable remotely.