Tromsø Auroral Observatory is, unlike most of the city's other university facilities, not situated in Breivika but high up by the lake Prestvannet where its immediate neighbours are Tromsø Satellite Station and a day nursery, all surrounded by woodland which is part of the city's recreational areas.

Designed by the architects Terje Jacobsen and Eigill Hallset the building was completed in 1971. Tromsø Geophysical Observatory is a research and teaching facility and is part of the University of Tromsø's Faculty of Science and Technology.