The first director was Juan Bautista Menten, who directed and planned the construction of the center, modeled on the Observatory of Bonn (Germany).

Contained within it is one of the most important collections of nineteenth-century scientific instruments, featuring a refracting telescope and a meridian circle manufactured by Repsold.

Ecuador is located in a strategic geographical position where solar-physics studies can be performed year-round, providing data for the scientific community working to understand Sun-Earth interactions.

The Astronomical Observatory of Quito is one of the oldest in Latin America, and is a major attraction for scientists, students and tourists in Ecuador.

Many of the tools were used by the French Geodesic Mission II who worked in the facilities of the Center between 1902 and 1914.The activities and services currently provided by the OAQ are: