The University of Cambridge has three large astronomy departments as follows:
The Kavli Institute for Cosmology at Cambridge (KICC) is operated jointly by these three departments.
Although Astronomy has been taught at the University of Cambridge since medieval times, the departmental structure has changed frequently, and all three of departments listed above were founded within the last two centuries.
The first astronomical observatory at the University of Cambridge was built at the top of Trinity College gatehouse in 1704.