The observatory is in Psiloritis, at an altitude of 1750m, 20km away from Anogia. Its location offers great conditions for high-quality astronomical observations in the Mediterranean region.
It was founded in collaboration with the University of Crete, the foundation for research and Technology (FORTH), and the Max-Planck Institute for Extra-terrestrial Physics.
The first stone building was built in 1986, and then a metal construction was added to it, with a dome 8m in diameter. The building now houses three telescopes.
In addition to an important research and educational work the observatory also runs the observation programmes on interacting galaxies, active galactic nuclei, planetary nebulae, and supernova remnants.
Since 1988, the observatory has a guest house of 200m2 and during the summer months it organises open nights, where the public can watch the stars through a 1.3m telescope.