Museo Astronomico di Brera

About the museum

The Museo Astronomico di Brera is housed in the Palazzo di Brera, in the wing occupied by the Astronomical Observatory, whose history goes back to the mid-18th century. The collection was formed over the decades on the initiative of some directors of the Observatory interested in the history of astronomy, starting with Giovanni Schiaparelli, who gathered in the entrance corridor some of the most significant instruments used by the astronomers of Brera.

The present layout of the gallery is the result of decades of conservation, restoration and cataloguing, begun in the 1980s by the Istituto di Fisica Generale e Applicata of the Università degli Studi di Milano, and of a re-display financed by Regione Lombardia in 2020. The exhibited instruments, about one hundred, include refracting telescopes built at Brera between 1778 and 1785, the instruments for the geodetic map of Lombardy, the Reichenbach multiplying circle of 1808, and the micrometers used by Schiaparelli for double stars and for the cartography of Mars.

The museum also includes the Schiaparelli dome, built on the roofs of the palace after 1873, with the 8-inch (22 cm) refracting telescope built by the Merz firm of Monaco di Baviera between 1862 and 1865. Schiaparelli, director of the Observatory from 1862 to 1900, used it for his studies of double stars, comets, asteroids and planets, in particular Mars. The telescope and the dome were restored in 1999 and returned to their original condition.

Highlights

• Gallery of instruments with about one hundred scientific and astronomical instruments
• Schiaparelli dome with the 8-inch refracting telescope
• 18th-century refracting telescopes built in the Brera workshop
• Reichenbach multiplying circle (1808)
• Instruments used for the first geodetic map of Lombardy

Permanent exhibitions

• Galleria degli strumenti – About one hundred scientific and astronomical instruments used by the astronomers of Brera from the mid-18th century, including telescopes, micrometers and geodetic instruments.
• Cupola Schiaparelli – Dome on the roofs of the palace with the 8-inch refracting telescope used by Schiaparelli for his observations, visitable only in accompanied groups.

Founded

1764

Operated by

INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera

Admission & discounts

The “Galleria” ticket on weekdays costs €6 (reduced €3). Admission is free with the “La Grande Brera” ticket and with the Abbonamento Musei Lombardia. Also free for journalists, tourist guides, ICOM members and INAF staff. Tickets can be transferred but cannot be cancelled or refunded, and punctuality at the time indicated is recommended.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The gallery is reached from the corridors of the Palazzo di Brera by a wide two-storey staircase, without a lift; the gallery itself is all on one level and free of obstacles for wheelchairs. The Schiaparelli dome is impossible to reach for people with considerable mobility difficulties, since access is only by stairs and then along a metal grated walkway over the roofs. In bad weather or for those with vertigo there is an alternative internal route, also with stairs. People with mobility problems are asked to contact the museum before the visit.

Kids & families

Free admission up to age 5; the museum offers an educational programme for schools.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Palazzo di Brera: from the entrance, follow the signs for the Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Corporate events

Company visits and personalised events on request, writing to eventi.oabr@inaf.it.

Plan your visit