An undiscovered astronomical gem sits in the downtown heart of Quito, Ecuador. Amid the high altitude urban bustle stands the Quito Observatory, a three turreted victorian style complex in triangular La Alameda park. Built in 1875, this observatory now serves as a recently reopened museum and weather station, and is still occassionally utilized for public outreach on clear evenings.

Sitting less than a degree south of the equator and at +9,000 feet altitude, the observatory has a nearly unobstructed view of both hemispheres. Modern urban light pollution has ended the days of the Quito Observatory as an astronomical research resource, but a tour of the equipment housed within harkens back to days of yore, when gentlemen astronomers conducted observations with stopwatch in one hand, pipe in the other.

That's the scoop on the old Quito Observatory.