These closed and abandoned astronomical observatories once gazed skyward into a star-spangled universe, revealing hidden wonders of time and space. Once.

You’ll typically find observatories atop the highest mountains, mainly because there’s less air to see through up there. Smaller countries with smaller mountains do the best they can, as is the case with this abandoned observatory (or old radar station, depending on the source) slowly deteriorating high up on Portugal’s aptly named Serra da Estrela (“Star Mountain Range”).

Case Western University Observatory, Ohio

Flickr member David Barnas (Dark Spot Photography) perfectly captures the lonely majesty of abandoned observatories in the above image. This breathtaking photo dates from May of 2013 and offers a unique view of the dome of one of Case Western University’s now-disused observatories.

Lick Observatory, California

Lick Observatory encompasses a number of telescopes and other related observing tools protected by structural domes of various ages and sizes. With construction atop Mount Hamilton near San Jose, California beginning in 1876, Lick Observatory boasts individual observatories in current use, temporarily closed and outright abandoned pending demolition. Flickr members Kelly The Deluded (kjoyner666) and Panoramio user Nick Sower captured what appears to be the 20-Inch Carnegie Double Astrograph in need of a new paint job – at the very least.

City Observatory, Edinburgh, Scotland

The venerable City Observatory on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland dates back to 1818 and provided stalwart scientific service for nearly two centuries – the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh moved out of the observatory in 2009. Since then, the buildings have been managed by the City of Edinburgh Council, who restored the interior decor but then rented out the rooms as holiday accommodations. Flickr member Jenni Douglas (photojenni) snapped the interior of one of the observatory’s domes in May of 2007.

Crimea, Ukraine

Russia’s hotly-contested annexation of Crimea from the Ukraine was still six years away when Flickr member Max Bashyrov (movaxdx) snapped the above image of “some kind of abandoned observatory.” With all that visible rust, we’ll have to assume it was formerly engaged in observing Mars, the Red Planet.

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Star Crossed 10 More Abandoned Observatories

Above and beyond your typical five-star hotel, this open-air room sits at nearly 6,500 feet in the mountains of Switzerland with panoramic views of the Alps.

A bed, side tables and lamps are not quite all visitors need to enjoy their stay at Null Stern (translated: Zero Star), but bathrooms are just a few minutes down the slope and meals are delivered by a butler. The name is a little misleading, since in most hotels one would have greatly reduced access to the infinite stars in the night sky.

At around $250 per night, the space and its amenities are a steal and reservations are refunded in case of inclement weather. The wall-and-ceiling-free room is available in spring and fall but closed during the winter.

The Null Stern is part art experiment and part boutique hotel, using the sky as a ceiling and mountains as walls.

“Even though this version is radically different from the first one in the nuclear bunker,” a previous project by the same creators, “the essence and the spirit of the concept remains the same,” said one of the artists behind Null Stern “To put the guest at the centre of the experience and to focus on the intangible by reducing everything else to the minimum.”

Fusing height, light, density and greenery with regional vernacular architecture, this ambitious urban Sky Walk plan aims to turn the tops of downtown buildings into a extensive series of connected green-roof parks connected by aerial walkways.

Anders Berensson Architects was commissioned to develop a design that would accommodate Stockholm’s growing population and associated housing needs, but their solution goes above and beyond conventional urban planning, literally and otherwise.

Their proposal takes advantage of existing infrastructure and tightly-packed buildings, creating green community spaces essentially out of thin air, all while respecting zoning regulations and building codes dictating heights and usages.

The heights of new buildings in the scheme would be tuned to the aspirations of the aerial component, aimed to facilitate the desired connections across streets and between blocks, ultimately creating a long meandering walkway along the city’s riverfront.

Views and light orientations are also taken into consideration, with residential units aimed as much as possible with natural daylight in mind.

The thin profiles of the perforated-metal Sky Walk structures will minimize shading from these components as well.

From the architects: “The design makes larger parts of the area accessible to the public since both courtyards and roof terraces is crossed by public paths. The sky walk on the roof terraces will be one of the longest parks in Stockholm with best view in town. The new city area will host about approximately 5800 apartments, 8000 work places and about 300 shops.”

House painting is such time-consuming and meticulous work just to get a single color on a facade; perhaps next time you could clad your home in printed image of the night sky instead.

For the Night House, Chicago artist Kate McQuillen covered a suburban house with a contiguous skyscape of nighttime space images digitally printed on weatherproof styrene panels.

The project was funded by sales of a screenprinted poster and created as part of the Terrain Biennial, an Oak Park-based international exhibition of yard, balcony and porch interventions.

Like some kind of suburban camouflage, the covered sections of the home start to disappear against the backdrop of the sky at the right times of early evening and morning. Read also: The Night House, a poem by Billy Collins.

Designed to span over 80 feet and connect a pair of apartment structures in London, this remarkable see-through glass pool will give swimmers the ultimate view of the city on all sides. This record-setting, first-of-its-kind creation reflects recent advances in material science and structurally engineering.

In addition to this dazzling connector, a secondary bridge will allow people to walk between roofs, accessing other amenities including a bar and spa. Unlike many deceptive architectural renderings, this audacious structural design has already received planning approval – the real-life version coming in 2017 will indeed be as shown.

Developed by Arup Associates in collaboration with project architects of HAL, this water bridge will be 15 feet wide and 9 feet, framed in thick but transparent glass on three sides. Aquarium specialists and engineers were consulted throughout to ensure the safety of the endeavor.

This residential project is part of a larger overhaul being orchestrated by Frank Gehry and Foster + Partners, a master plan which includes eight other major architectural features and renovations surrounding the historic Battersea Power Station.

“My vision for the sky pool stemmed from a desire to push the boundaries in the capability of construction and engineering, I wanted to do something that had never been done before,” said Ballymore’s chairman and CEO, Sean Mulryan. “The experience of the pool will be truly unique, it will feel like floating through the air in central London.”

Meanwhile, in India, a similar undertaking is underway. The pool designed for the Twilight Star development in Surat, Gujarat, has a shorter span but a bonus feature: it is cantilevered out beyond the edges of the buildings it connects, providing an additional thrill for those willing to take the plunge.