Weikersheim observatory
The club observatory Weikersheim is not far from the state border between Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria on a street called Kreuzallee , which leads to the Karlsberg hunting park , in the Gewann Galgen in the area of the city of Weikersheim .
history
The first dome of the observatory originally stood in the Bad Mergentheim district of Wachbach and was privately owned . This was acquired for the city of Weikersheim through an initiative of the Rotary Club and set up on Galgenberg in 1978 . The facility has been continuously renovated and expanded since then. Over the years, for example, a new technique for closing the dome gap, a new dome roof covering or an optimally space-using table top have been installed. In 2003 the main device, a 30 cm Cassegrain, was replaced by a more modern Cassegrain telescope . This telescope has a mirror diameter of 50 cm, so it collects about three times as much light as the old telescope. Visually it reaches up to stars of the 15th magnitude .
From 2005 to 2007 the observatory was completely rebuilt. Today there is a seminar room in addition to the two observation domes. In this, interested visitors can be offered an attractive program even when the sky is cloudy. The observatory is operated by the Astronomical Association Weikersheim eV Almost 120 voluntary amateur astronomers belong to the association . He wants to impart knowledge of astronomy and space travel to laypeople or deepen such knowledge. He conducts public relations work in the form of guided tours and lectures. As a public observatory , it is open to all interested visitors, especially amateur astronomers and students.
Equipment of the observatory
Dome 1
- 18-inch f / 8 Ritchey-Chrétien reflector telescope in lattice tube construction with 3720 mm focal length in the larger of the two domes. Since November 2017 it has been used for the observation and photography of planets and " deep sky " objects and is the main instrument for visitor groups.
- 140 mm f / 7 apochromat TEC-140 with 980 mm focal length for visual observation and astrophotography as well as a Herschel prism for the possibility of observing the sun in white light.
- 80-mm f / 15 Vixen refractor 80L, which is used for searching, observing the objects and for autoguiding
- 80mm Lunt 80 H-Alpha Solar Telescope
- Mount: 10 Micron GM4000 German mount
Dome 2
- 14-inch f / 10 Ritchey-Chrétien reflecting telescope with 3350 mm focal length
- 8-inch f / 4 Newtonian telescope with 800 mm focal length for astrophotography
- 80-mm f / 11 Vixen refractor 80M, which serves as a search and guide instrument
- Mount: 10 Micron GM3000 German mount
The observatory dome has a diameter of about 6.00 m and a height of about 5 m.
The planet path
In 1980, on the initiative of the Röttingen sundial maker Kurt Fuchslocher , the Astronomical Association set up one of the first European planetary paths . The size of the solar system can be hiked on a scale of 1: 1,000,000,000 from the beginning of Kreuzallee in the Tauber valley to the Creglingen district of Niederrimbach. Our sun is symbolized by a ball about 1.5 m in size, and after 6.5 km you reach Pluto with a diameter of 2 mm.
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 29 ′ 13 ″ N , 9 ° 55 ′ 12 ″ E