Hafelekar measuring station

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Research station and amateur radio hut (left) on Hafelekar

The Hafelekar measuring station is a radiation observatory at the University of Innsbruck , the only one of its kind in Austria. It is located a few meters below the Hafelekarspitze in the Nordkette above Innsbruck , not far from the Hafelekar station ( 2269  m above sea level ) of the Nordkettenbahn .

history

Victor Franz Hess measuring system

Since 1931, on the initiative of the Austrian Nobel Prize winner Victor Franz Hess, a measuring station for observing cosmic rays has been located on the Hafelekar. After the Nordkettenbahn was built in 1928, Hess had this place at 2300  m above sea level. A. chosen in order to be able to reach the station regularly and easily. The centerpiece of the system was an ionization chamber (Steinke apparatus) filled with the noble gas argon , which had to be isolated from other radiation with 1.5 tons of lead, which would have been an insoluble transport problem without the railway. If the Nordkettenbahn failed, however, the scientists were now forced to walk up to the Hafelekar, even in extreme weather, in order to maintain the system.

Today's operation

The altitude radiation laboratory is now supervised by the Institute for Astro and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck . A UV measuring point is currently operated by the Medical University of Innsbruck .

Web links

Commons : Hafelekar measuring station  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 47 ° 18 '45.75 "  N , 11 ° 23' 1.9"  E