Fritz Weithas Observatory
The Fritz-Weithas-Sternwarte is a club and public observatory in Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate , which is operated on a voluntary basis by the Bavarian People 's Observatory in Neumarkt . It is located 595 meters above sea level on the Mariahilfberg, near the Höhenberg district.
In 1969, under the chairmanship of Fritz Weithas from Neumarkt, an association was founded with the aim of setting up a public observatory in Neumarkt. The construction of the observatory took place between 1972 and 1974 and was largely financed by private donations. In 1997 and 1998 almost the entire facility was renovated. The association itself has around 250 members today.
The observatory now has an observation tower twelve meters high and five meters wide with a rotating dome. This is followed by a side wing with a lecture room and social facilities, on the roof of which there is another observation platform. The 60 square meter lecture room is equipped with a modern multimedia system.
In addition to observing the sky, the association also does massive public relations work; weekly lectures and tours of the sky are offered to the population. Around 2500 people currently visit the observatory each year.
Since its foundation, efforts have been made to name the observatory after an astronomically active person in the region. Count Palatine Otto II von Neumarkt and the astronaut Hermann Oberth were already in discussion. On May 1, 2007, it was renamed the Fritz Weithas Observatory after its founder .
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Coordinates: 49 ° 16 ′ 21 ″ N , 11 ° 29 ′ 11 ″ E