People's Observatory Kempten
The Kempten public observatory was located next to the former Kempten youth hostel on a ridge in the east of the city and was operated by the non-profit association of the same name. The last observation took place there on October 20, 2011. The construction of a new observatory in the Kempten area is currently planned.
history
In the 1960s, the German Youth Hostel Association set up numerous stations for sky observation. So next to the Kempten youth hostel, a wooden roll-top hut with sheet copper cladding was built. In 1983 the Astronomical Working Group of the Adult Education Center in Kempten took over the use of the building that had not been in use for a long time. In 1986 the Astronomieverein Kempten e. V., which began in 1989 with the construction of a larger observatory building. The new observatory was built by the association members themselves and completed in 1991. It is an approx. 6 × 3.5 m stone building with a wooden roof that can be completely rolled off. In 2002 the association was named Volkssternwarte Kempten e. V. in order to underline the popular gastronomic character of the facility and the non-profit nature of the association.
Instruments
The Volkssternwarte has a 30 cm and a 20 cm Newtonian telescope and a 10.5 cm Fraunhofer refractor on a German mount . Another Newton with 45 cm mirror diameter and 2000 mm focal length has been in operation in the observatory since 1999 . There is also a DSLR that has been converted into an astro camera for making astronomical recordings.
public relation
Due to the demolition of the old building and the upcoming new building, there are currently no scheduled public observations. The Volkssternwarte Kempten is currently offering astronomical observations in loose succession under the open sky.
Before that, the observatory offered public observations on the first and third Thursday of the month and organized special tours on special occasions, e.g. B. Mercury or Venus transit , Mars opposition or solar and lunar eclipses. Lectures on various astronomical topics are also available for registered groups.
New building
At the moment, planning is beginning on the new building, which will be built near the Eschacher Weiher , far enough away from light pollution from artificial light sources and at an altitude of approx. 1040 meters above sea level. NN. This new observatory will be named Observatory 1000+ due to its altitude .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Current dates. Volkssternwarte Kempten e. V., accessed on March 3, 2018 .
Coordinates: 47 ° 43 ′ 31 ″ N , 10 ° 19 ′ 59 ″ E