The Quito Astronomical Observatory sits in La Alameda Park, just north of the Historic Centre, in a Victorian building that has housed telescopes and weather instruments since 1873. The observatory is still operational — it carries out geodesic and meteorological measurements and hosts the main seismic monitoring station for the Quito region — but it is also open to visitors.
The museum inside traces the history of the observatory and Ecuador's contributions to scientific measurement, including the 1736 French Geodesic Mission that gave Quito one of its defining claims to fame (being near the equator). Nightly stargazing sessions are offered through Ecuador's clear Andean skies, which are among the best for astronomy in the tropics. La Alameda Park itself, with its rose garden and central lake, is a pleasant place for a morning walk before or after visiting the observatory.