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# Look beyond the rooftops at Rundetaarn
- URL: https://www.seecopenhagencity.com/look-beyond-the-rooftops-at-rundetaarn/
- Published: 2026-10-09T11:48:08.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-09T11:48:08.000Z
- Description: The restored observatory is open again, with Saturn among this autumn’s sights
- Author: Pauline Vink
- Tags: Places

From the top of Rundetaarn, visitors usually look out across Copenhagen. On Monday and Tuesday evenings, there is a reason to look further: through a telescope from 1929, towards the Moon or Saturn.

Following a major restoration of the observatory building, dome and nearly century old telescope, visitors can once again step inside and put an eye to the instrument, with staff on hand to explain what they are seeing.

### An evening with Saturn

“I’m looking forward to showing our guests the solar system through the old telescope again,” says astrophysicist Christina Toldbo, who heads the observatory.

“This autumn, Saturn in particular can be seen during the observatory’s opening hours, and of course our own Moon, which is always fascinating to observe.”

A clear sky is needed for a look through the telescope, but cloudy evenings still offer a chance to come inside. Astronomy guides will talk about the instrument, the building and the sky above it, even when Copenhagen’s weather gets in the way.

### From astronomers to the public

Looking upwards was the reason for building the tower in the first place. Christian IV commissioned Rundetaarn so astronomers from the University of Copenhagen could study the sky above the city’s light and smoke. Ole Rømer, known for demonstrating that light travels at a finite speed, was among its early observatory directors.

Built in 1929 as a public observatory, the dome seen on the skyline today came much later. It opened astronomy to visitors who could take a turn at the large telescope themselves.

That instrument now holds something for future visitors, too: messages collected for a time capsule intended to remain inside it for the next 100 years. Rundetaarn’s [short film series about the restoration](https://youtu.be/pA9l08Yf0Qc?si=V1Dcf1ICula3tF83&ref=seecopenhagencity.com) features the capsule in its final episode and follows the team as they put the dome and telescope back together.

**What:** [Observatory evenings at Rundetaarn](https://www.rundetaarn.dk/en/intro/the-observatory/?ref=seecopenhagencity.com)  
**Where:** Rundetaarn, Købmagergade 52A, Copenhagen  
**When:** Mondays and Tuesdays, 6-9pm, October-March. During the autumn school holidays, Monday-Friday, 6-9pm.