Observatory transformed into a perfect replica of R2-D2

Is it mere coincidence or brilliant design choice that Star Wars’s beloved R2-D2 bears an uncanny resemblance to an observatory? Either way, the similarities are undeniable, and this observatory in Zweibrücken, Germany, is all the proof you need.

Astrophysicist Hubert Zitt, painter Klaus Ruffing, and a handful of students from the University of Kaiserslautern where Zitt teaches physics transformed the Zweibrücken Observatory of the Natural Science Association into a near-perfect replica of the adorable droid.

Photo: Hochschule Kaiserslautern

Unlike other attempts to make a life-sized R2-D2, Zitt’s work is exacting in its attention to detail. The team painted R2-D2’s markings onto the all-white exterior with a shade of cobalt blue. The building’s domed telescoping roof is now home to the bot’s eye. The door bears his square buttons. No piece of the bot went unpainted.

The result is a fantastically precise replica of R2-D2. Only, you know, very very large.