Innsbruck University Observatory

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The Innsbruck University Observatory is the observatory of the Institute for Astro and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck .

Old university observatory Hötting

The old observatory in Hötting: main building (right) and dome with 15 cm Coudé refractor (left)

The old university observatory , also called Oppolzersche observatory , was founded in 1904 and is located in today's Botanical Garden ( 47 ° 16 ′ 5.4 ″  N , 11 ° 22 ′ 51 ″  E ).

history

The University of Innsbruck had a chair in astronomy since Eduard von Haerdtl's appointment in 1892, but no observatory. Egon von Oppolzer , who was appointed associate professor in Innsbruck in 1902, therefore began in 1904 to build an observatory based on his own plans near his villa in Hötting . He financed this out of his own pocket, especially by selling his valuable collection of paintings. Only the 40 cm reflector telescope was financed by the Imperial Academy of Sciences . Oppolzer died in 1907 at the age of 38 before his work was completed. After his death, after lengthy negotiations, the state acquired the observatory for 50,000 crowns and incorporated it into the university in 1909. It formed the basis for the later Institute for Astronomy, today's Institute for Astro and Particle Physics. The university's new botanical garden was laid out on the site around the observatory that was also acquired.

Furnishing

The two-story observatory consists of a meridian room and a dome attached to the east. In order to enable rapid temperature equalization, it was built using a lightweight construction made of reinforced concrete, corrugated iron and glass. Oppolzer's workrooms and his extensive private library were in his villa.

The main instrument was a zenith telescope for observing the polar height fluctuation , which was built by Gustav Heyde in Dresden based on Oppolzer's design. In the dome there is a Zeiss mirror telescope with a diameter of 40 cm from 1905, also known as the “academy reflector” after the sponsor, which was originally intended to be used for star spectroscopy. The original equipment also includes a meridian circle  and a blinking comparator from Zeiss. Most of the historical instruments have been preserved and the observatory is now a listed building .

The construction and equipment of the observatory remained unchanged until after the Second World War. In 1953 and 1968/69 it was expanded under Viktor Oberguggenberger  and Josef Fuchs and received, among other things, a darkroom, a seminar room and a small workshop. To the north of the historic observatory there is a dome that houses a Coudé refractor built by Zeiss in 1972 with an opening of 15 cm.

New university observatory

Viktor-Franz-Hess-Haus (left) with the new observatory

The new university observatory is located on the roof of the Viktor-Franz-Hess-Haus, which houses the Institute for Astro and Particle Physics alongside other scientific institutes, on the Technology campus in Hötting-West ( 47 ° 15 ′ 50.9 ″  N , 11 ° 20 ′ 34 ″  E ). When the building was completed in 1986, a dome was erected on the roof, in which a Ritchey-Chrétien reflector telescope with a diameter of 60 cm was installed in 1996 . It has been in full operation since 1999 and, in addition to training students, is also used for research, especially on variable stars . The second eruption of the mysterious object V838 Mon was discovered here in February 2002 .

See also

literature

  • Leopold-Franzens University Innsbruck (ed.): Historical observatory. Innsbruck 2014 ( PDF; 823 kB )
  • Hundred years of astronomy at the Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck (1892–1992). Edited by the Institute for Astronomy and the Innsbruck University Archives, Innsbruck 1992
  • Volker Witt: A Zenittelescope and its consequences. How astronomy came to Innsbruck. In: Stars and Space, September 2010, pp. 88–95

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ S. Kimeswenger , C. Lederle, p Schmeja, B. Armsdorfer: The peculiar variable V838 Mon. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 336 (2002), L43-L47. doi : 10.1046 / j.1365-8711.2002.06017.x