Stuttgart observatory
The Stuttgart observatory is a club and public observatory operated by an amateur astronomical association . It is located in the middle of Stuttgart on the Uhlandshöhe , right next to the Stuttgart-Ost municipal waterworks at an altitude of 354.4 m above sea level. NN .
history
The Stuttgart observatory is maintained by a non-profit association and run by the association members on a voluntary basis. At the instigation of the astronomer and writer Robert Henseling (1883–1964), the Schwäbische Sternwarte eV association was founded in 1919 and registered in 1920. According to the statutes of the association, the aim of the association is to convey and disseminate scientific knowledge about astronomy among the population and to support the Stuttgart planetarium . The association is recognized as directly non-profit.
In the course of 1921 the tower of the observatory was built by the architect Wilhelm Jost , among others . This was made possible through the contributions of the members of the association and through donations. Albert Einstein , for example, gave guest lectures in Stuttgart to raise funds. The observatory on Uhlandshöhe went into operation at the beginning of January 1922. The management company was discontinued during the Second World War, resumed soon after the end of the war and continued to this day.
The Stuttgart Planetarium, the Association of Sternfreunde VdS and the astronomical yearbook Das Himmelsjahr were brought into being from among the founders of the Stuttgart observatory .
The observatory offers regular public observations of the sky and astronomical lectures. In addition to the public star tours , the members of the association deal with astronomical observations, astrophotography and scientific tasks such as the observation and photometry of variable stars and the measurement of minor planets and star coverages .
On November 10, 2015, large parts of the observatory, including the library and a lecture hall, were destroyed by arson. The observatory has been extensively renovated and has been open for public tours again since April 2018.
Instruments
The Stuttgart observatory has a total of five telescopes that are permanently mounted on the observatory. Another transportable telescope can be set up on the observation terrace if necessary.
In the large dome there is a historic refractor (achromat) from Carl Zeiss with a 7 ″ (175 mm) aperture and 2.59 m focal length . In addition to the public tours, the instrument is mainly used for monitoring sunspots and observing planets .
Another 7 ″ refractor (Starfire) of the newer design (apochromat) with a lens diameter of 178 mm and a focal length of 1,650 m is used for guided tours for visual observation and for astrophotography.
A 16 " Newtonian telescope with a 406 mm main mirror and a focal length of 1.801 m is particularly suitable for observing faint objects such as galaxies , star clusters or planetary nebulae . In addition, it is used to observe star coverages that are recorded with a video camera and their evaluations forwarded to a Japanese institute.
Two H-alpha telescopes are available for solar observation .
Web links
- Observatory website
- Hans-Ulrich Keller: Stuttgart Observatory , published on April 19, 2018 in: Stuttgart City Archives: Stuttgart City Lexicon .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Observatory - Fire must have been started Stuttgarter Nachrichten, November 12, 2015
- ↑ Observatory is closed after a fire Stuttgarter Zeitung, November 11, 2015
Coordinates: 48 ° 46 ′ 57 " N , 9 ° 11 ′ 47" E