Urania Jena public observatory
The Urania Jena public observatory is an observatory operated by a non-profit association of the same name, succeeding the Zeiss factory observatory . It is located in Schillergäßchen in the center of the city of Jena .
The association operates another observatory, the forest observatory , which was temporarily subordinate to the University of Jena . This is three kilometers from Jena and at an altitude of 345 m above sea level. NN .
history
In 1897 a separate astronomy department was founded within the Carl Zeiss company in Jena , which developed and constructed optical devices. In the course of time, the employees working there developed an increasing interest in astronomy . In 1909 an astronomical association, the Urania eGmbH , was founded in the form of a cooperative . The name goes back to Urania , the muse of astronomy. The aim of the association was to expand one's own knowledge by observing the sky and to make astronomy accessible to the population.
Carl Zeiss provided the association with its first works observatory, the forest observatory located three kilometers outside of Jena. The observatory had been shut down by the company after three years of use due to the transport difficulties of the increasingly larger telescopes . . The company Carl Zeiss also donated a refractor with 13 cm opening and 2 m focal length , a prominences - spectroscope , and a " comet viewfinder " said short focal length refractor 8.5 cm opening and 0.5 m focal length. In the first year, 2,000 visitors came to the observatory.
In 1924 the cooperative was dissolved by a unanimous decision of the members and renamed into a registered association "Volkssternwarte Urania Jena eV".
In 1935 the forest observatory had to be handed over to the University of Jena because the university wanted to use the observatory for research purposes. As compensation, the association was provided with an observation dome in the Jenaer Schillergäßchen that needed renovation . The sheet metal dome with a diameter of 4.5 m originally stood on the grounds of the villa of the wealthy private astronomer Carl Wilhelm Winkler. Winkler had bequeathed the dome and the inventory to the university. After the renovation and the transfer of the telescopes from the forest observatory, the public observatory resumed operations in September 1936. Although the new location was less favorable for astronomical observation, it was easier for visitors to reach.
During the Second World War , the observatory almost came to a standstill, the dome was badly damaged and rusted through in places.
In 1947 the observatory was restored with the support of VEB Carl Zeiss Jena. Since associations were banned during the GDR era , the members were subordinated to the Volkshaus as the “culture group AG Astronomie”. In 1953 the rusted through dome of the observatory was replaced by masonry and a new wooden dome, the 13 cm refractor was overhauled and fitted with a new mount .
In 1966 the forest observatory was returned to the AG Astronomie by the University of Jena, which made two observatories available to the AG. From then on, the members of the working group used the forest observatory for astronomical observations and astrophotography , while the public observatory in Schillergäßchen was used for public observations of the sky.
Dome of the forest observatory
The large Cassegrain telescope in the forest observatory
The large Cassegrain telescope in the forest observatory
In 1989, in the course of the collapse of the GDR, the financial support from VEB Carl Zeiss Jena, which had been contractually guaranteed until then, was not received. In 1990 the AG was renamed again into the Volkssternwarte Urania Jena eV association .
The following years were problematic because the Zeiss company was closed and experienced club members left Jena due to unemployment and the ownership structure of the observatory was initially unclear. The establishment of the " Ernst Abbe " Foundation in 1992, which promotes the commitment of the association members and ensures the maintenance of the observatory, was positive . The association celebrated its centenary in 2009.
The Urania public observatory offers regular public observations of the sky and astronomical lectures. The forest observatory can also be visited on request.
Instruments
Urania observatory
The main instrument is a Zeiss Coudé refractor with an objective aperture of 150 mm and a focal length of 2250 mm. This excellently working telescope is particularly suitable for public observations of the sky and especially for the moon and planets, star clusters, small lighter nebulae and galaxies due to the view that remains at the same height. During the bright summer time, sun observations are offered in excellent quality in white light and also in H-alpha light, whereby the visitor can dynamically experience the sun as an active star with spots, prominences and surface features.
Forest Observatory
The 6 m observation dome houses a large Cassegrain telescope with a mirror diameter of 500 mm and a focal length of 10,000 mm. Guided tours on request, see web links.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 55 ′ 31 ″ N , 11 ° 34 ′ 58 ″ E