Star garden
The open-air planetarium Sterngarten am Georgenberg in Vienna-Mauer is a facility that can be used free of charge for clear observation of the sky during day and night. The facility planned by Hermann Mucke was built from 1997 to 2000 and is looked after by the Austrian Astronomical Association . It is intended to make the “upper half of the world” aware and tangible for visitors, especially the seasonal course of the sun's path .
The Sterngarten is located in the south-west of Vienna on the edge of a nature reserve, the recreation areas Lower Austria - Vienna. With three pylons around 17 meters high that can be seen from afar, the complex also attracts hikers and visitors to the nearby Wotruba Church , a sculptural church from 1974–76.
description
The almost 1 hectare facility represents the first project of so-called horizon astronomy in Europe, in which the apparent rotation of the starry sky and the course of the sun's orbit can be demonstrated. It was planned by the former director of the Vienna planetarium Hermann Mucke based on ideas from Oswald Thomas (1882–1963) and consists of
- a step pyramid with stainless steel balustrade and barrier-free access ramp,
- a south mast (southern measuring pillar ),
- six sun columns with transverse arms for the sunrises and sunsets,
- a north mast with a perforated disc for the celestial pole and as a midday shadow pointer
- a time table called "Ungeziffer" (Hermann Mucke),
- a north path with an inclined mast parallel to the earth's axis
- and at the foot of a Analemma and a sundial .
For use during the day
Coming from the Wotruba Church , you enter the Sterngarten from the north and first reach the supporting pillar of the inclined mast at the end of the north path. You can see that the support pillars, inclined mast, north mast and south mast are precisely aligned and thus form a level (picture on the right). The local meridian and the earth's axis lie in this plane . The inclined pillar is parallel to the earth's axis, inclined by 48 ° according to the geographical latitude .
At the foot of the inclined pillar, the dial of a horizontal sundial is embedded in the north path , which uses the inclined mast as a shadow thrower.
The upper edge of the stainless steel parapet protruding one and a half meters above the pyramid platform, the upper edge of the base of the north and south mast and the upper edges of the transverse arms of the sun pillars form a level called the “mathematical horizon”. In the middle of the pyramid platform is a disc that marks the position of the observer. Above this point, the observer can bring his eye exactly into the so-called center of the sky by bending or stretching.
The azimuth of an object in the sky can be estimated on the parapet and the height on the north or south mast or on the pillars of the sun. The north and south masts have stainless steel rings at a height of 10 °.
The six pillars of the sun stand a bit away around the step pyramid. In the east, three of these mark the sunrise at the summer solstice , the equinoxes and the winter solstice . The other three mark in the west the location of the sunset at the winter solstice, the equinox and the summer solstice.
While the pillars mark the geometrical place of rise of the solar body, notches in the transverse arms of the sun pillars indicate the place of rise of the perceptible solar disk. Because of the refraction of rays in the atmosphere, this is always a little further north.
Star guides and goal setting
Due to its location on the Georgenberg ( Maurer Wald nature reserve ), the facility on the extreme south-western outskirts of the city has good visibility and is used by the Austrian Astronomical Association for regular, free star tours , especially with free-eyed observation of the starry sky.
It stands in the tradition of the Sommerhaidenweg , where the club's founder, Oswald Thomas , held his monthly star tours from around 1920. The city lights were even switched off for these star walks along the vineyards, often with 100 participants.
The star garden sees itself as a complement to the Vienna planetarium and as a place where star lovers can develop their own activities. The initiator Hermann Mucke founded a group of experts who organize public star tours once or twice a month and also organize observations for special events such as lunar eclipses or bright comets . The number of monthly tours has doubled since 2018.
On request, the Astronomical Association also organizes special tours for school classes or youth groups.
The wide area allows almost unrestricted use of the facility , even in times of the corona pandemic (2020). Some hygiene measures are only required when observing telescopes .
literature
- Hermann Mucke : Sterngarten on the Georgenberg in Vienna . In: Astronomisches Büro Wien (ed.): Der Sternenbote . Austrian monthly astronomical journal . tape 490/1997 , May 1997, ISSN 0039-1271 , p. 86-93 .
- Hermann Mucke: Sterngarten Georgenberg: second construction phase . In: Astronomisches Büro Wien (ed.): Der Sternenbote . Austrian monthly astronomical journal . tape 504/1998 , July 1998, ISSN 0039-1271 , p. 143-145 .
- Hermann Mucke: Sterngarten Georgenberg - third construction phase . In: Astronomisches Büro Wien (ed.): Der Sternenbote . Austrian monthly astronomical journal . tape 530/2000 , September 2000, ISSN 0039-1271 , p. 176-179 .
- Hermann Mucke: open-air planetarium Sterngarten Georgenberg, Vienna Wall . In: Astronomisches Büro Wien (ed.): Der Sternenbote . Austrian monthly astronomical journal . tape 548/2002 , March 2002, ISSN 0039-1271 , p. 42-52 .
- Hermann Mucke: open-air planetarium Sterngarten Georgenberg . In: Astronomisches Büro Wien (ed.): Der Sternenbote . Austrian monthly astronomical journal . tape 559/2003 , February 2003, ISSN 0039-1271 , p. 36-38 .
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 8 ′ 48 ″ N , 16 ° 15 ′ 8 ″ E
Individual evidence
- ^ Hermann Mucke: Celestial Science in the Open Air Planetarium Vienna . Ed .: Austrian Astronomical Association. 2002, ISBN 3-9501574-0-9 , pp. 122 .
- ^ Austrian Astronomical Association: Open Air Planetarium Vienna - Sterngarten Georgenberg. Retrieved August 4, 2020 .