The Manila Observatory is a non-profit research and development institute Institute owned by the Ateneo de Manila University. It was founded in 1865 by Jesuit monks and over many years of its history has been used for a variety of purposes, the main of which were and remain weather observations and earthquake prediction. Today, the observatory conducts research in the field of seismic activity and the study of the geomagnetic field of the earth.
The question of establishing an observatory was first raised in 1865, when the Jesuit monk Jaime Nonell published an article in which he described observations of a typhoon in September of that year by another Jesuit monk, Francisco Colina. This treatise attracted the attention of the public, who asked the to the abbot, Juan Vidal, that the observations be continued. Initially, there was some doubt about the reliability of the Jesuits' findings, because the monks were using very primitive instruments to observe the weather. However, the Vatican later promised to purchase and donate to the monks Secchi's universal meteorograph. And so began a systematic study of Philippine weather. In 1879, the monks began issuing warnings of typhoons of approaching typhoons, and a year later began studying earthquakes. In 1884. the Spanish government officially recognised the observatory as the premier institute for for weather forecasting in the Philippines. A year later, the time service began, and in 1887 a seismological laboratory, and in 1899 an astronomical laboratory.
In 1901, when control of the Philippines was in US hands, the observatory was turned into the Philippine Meteorological Bureau, which was only interrupted interrupted only during World War II. During the fierce Battle of Manila in 1945, all equipment and important scientific documents were destroyed. It was not until 1951 that the observatory was able to resume its work, but with a very but with very limited functions - its staff were engaged in seismological research and the study of the Earth's ionosphere. In 1963, the observatory was handed over to the University of Ateneo de Manila, of which it remains a part to this day.
The observatory's research activities today are centred on areas such as climate change, the study of regional climatic systems, geomagnetic studies, study of the dynamics of the earth's solid envelope and urban air quality, etc.
