![Kuffner Observatory](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Kuffner_Observatory.jpg)
The Kuffner observatory is one of two telescope-equipped public
astronomical
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies ...
observatories
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
situated in Austria's capital,
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. It is situated in the West of the city's
Ottakring
Ottakring () is the 16th District in the city of Vienna, Austria (german: 16. Bezirk, Ottakring). It is located west of the central districts, north of Penzing and south of Hernals. Ottakring has some heavily populated urban areas with many resid ...
district, on the slope of the
Gallitzinberg
The Gallitzinberg (449 m) is a forested hill in the West of Austria's capital, Vienna. While it is relatively inconspicuous in the broader context of the Northeastern end of the Wienerwald mountain range, it is nevertheless remarkable because of i ...
at 302 m altitude. Originally a private
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
institution, it was converted into an educational astronomy facility after World War II as buildings and city lights had encroached to a degree that severely hampered scientific nightsky observations. Today the main tasks of the observatory consist in public education on astronomy, operating and preserving the historical equipment, and minor projects in scientific astronomy.
The observatory was noted for its work on photometry, conducted by astronomer
Karl Schwarzschild
Karl Schwarzschild (; 9 October 1873 – 11 May 1916) was a German physicist and astronomer.
Schwarzschild provided the first exact solution to the Einstein field equations of general relativity, for the limited case of a single spherical non-r ...
, star catalogs, and the determining of distances to other stars.
The observatory has several astronomical instruments of historical interest, including a noted heliometer and large meridian circle, and also a vertical circle.
The observatory's first observations were made in 1886.
Scientific achievements
![Kuffner observatory 1891](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Kuffner_observatory_1891.jpg)
The Kuffner observatory was constructed from 1884-1886 according to plans of
Franz Ritter von Neumann. Originally it was a private research institution for which the philanthropic head of the Kuffner brewery dynasty from
Lundenburg,
Moriz von Kuffner
Moriz von Kuffner (30 January 1854 – 5 March 1939) was a Jewish-Austrian industrialist, art collector, mountaineer and philanthropist. From the 1880s to the early 1910s he made a fortune in the brewery business, and became a significant sponso ...
financed the construction (including extensions built in 1889-1890), the equipment, and also the operation.
During the years leading up to World War I the observatory became one of the most important astronomy sites in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, and established a considerable international reputation.
Carl Wilhelm Wirtz
Carl Wilhelm Wirtz (24 August 1876 in Krefeld – 18 February 1939 in Hamburg) was an astronomer who spent his time between the Kiel Observatory in Germany and the Observatory of Strasbourg, France. He is known for statistically showing the exis ...
,
Leo Anton Karl de Ball
Leo Anton Karl de Ball (November 23, 1853 – December 12, 1916) was a German-Austrian astronomer. He is credited by the Minor Planet Center as "K. de Ball" for his (sole) asteroid discovery, but seems to be best known as Leo de Ball.
He was b ...
,
Samuel Oppenheim
Samuel Oppenheim (19 November 1857 in Braunsberg – 15 August 1928 in Vienna) was an Austrian astronomer.
In 1875 Oppenheim began to study mathematics, physics and astronomy in Vienna. He took his Staatsexamen in 1880. From 1881–1887 he worke ...
, and most notably
Karl Schwarzschild
Karl Schwarzschild (; 9 October 1873 – 11 May 1916) was a German physicist and astronomer.
Schwarzschild provided the first exact solution to the Einstein field equations of general relativity, for the limited case of a single spherical non-r ...
spent parts of their careers here. During his assistantship at the Kuffner observatory, Schwarzschild – who would later become the “grandfather of
black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...
theory”—developed a formula that allowed to calculate the relation between the intensity of faint astronomical light sources, the exposure time, and the degree of opacity created in photographic emulsions.
Schwarzschild is noted for his work on advancing photographic photometry.
Demise and reactivation
The financial situation of the Kuffner dynasty deteriorated with the onset of World War I. The observatory was closed in 1915 and, after several failed attempts, was reopened only in 1947. The Vienna city council acquired the facility in 1987, and initiated a total refurbishment that lasted from 1989 to 1995 when it was reopened to the public under the direction of the
Folk high school
Folk high schools (also ''Adult Education Center'', Danish: ''Folkehøjskole;'' Dutch: ''Volkshogeschool;'' Finnish: ''kansanopisto'' and ''työväenopisto'' or ''kansalaisopisto;'' German: ''Volkshochschule'' and (a few) ''Heimvolkshochschule;'' ...
Ottakring as an institution for public education, a ''Volkssternwarte''.
Historical equipment
The Kuffner observatory maintains four major pieces of observation equipment from the late 19th century in working condition: the 270 mm
refracting telescope
A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens (optics), lens as its objective (optics), objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptrics, dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope d ...
, built in 1884, to which a 156 mm
astrograph
An astrograph (or astrographic camera) is a telescope designed for the sole purpose of astrophotography. Astrographs are mostly used in wide-field astronomical surveys of the sky and for detection of objects such as asteroids, meteors, a ...
(now used with modern CCD imagers) was added in 1890; the 132 mm
meridian circle
The meridian circle is an instrument for timing of the passage of stars across the local meridian, an event known as a culmination, while at the same time measuring their angular distance from the nadir. These are special purpose telescopes moun ...
, the largest meridian passage instrument of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; its ancillary
vertical circle
In astronomy, a vertical circle is a great circle on the celestial sphere that is perpendicular to the horizon. Therefore, it contains the vertical direction, passing through the zenith and the nadir. There is a vertical circle for any given azim ...
instrument, one of the few that still exist at European observatories; and the 217/3000 mm
heliometer
A heliometer (from Greek ἥλιος ''hḗlios'' "sun" and ''measure'') is an instrument originally designed for measuring the variation of the sun's diameter at different seasons of the year, but applied now to the modern form of the instrument ...
, the largest of its type that was ever built.
Image:Kuffner Observatory Refractor.jpg,
Image:Meridian Circle - Kuffner Observatory.jpg,
Image:Heliometer Kuffner-Sternwarte.jpg,
The heliometer was designed for measuring tiny distances, and could be used for measuring the distance to other stars by trigonometric parallax.
The instrument was installed in 1896, an by 1910 it had computed 16
parallax distances to other stars, out only 108 total known to science at that time.
The meridian circle (i.e. transit-type instrument) can record the locations of the things in the sky, and also be used to calculate a local time. The instrument type was very important in the old observatories, and had to do with time, the geography of the Earth, and the location of things in the sky.
The great refractor is a double telescope, with a primary of 270 mm (27 cm) aperture objective lens, and was built by Repsold and also Steinheill; it was installed at the observatory in 1886.
The observatory also has some other astronomical instruments, and an Urban No.18
pendulum clock
A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a pendulum, a swinging weight, as its timekeeping element. The advantage of a pendulum for timekeeping is that it is a harmonic oscillator: It swings back and forth in a precise time interval dependent on it ...
.
The clock would often be used in conjunction with other astronomical instruments.
Current research
![Kuffner Observatory Vienna](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Kuffner_Observatory_Vienna.jpg)
Besides its function as a scientific museum and its ongoing mission concerning popularization of astronomy, the Kuffner observatory serves as the Austrian national host for the INES (
International Ultraviolet Explorer
International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE or Explorer 57, formerly SAS-D), was the first space observatory primarily designed to take ultraviolet (UV) electromagnetic spectrum. The satellite was a collaborative project between NASA, the United K ...
New Extracted Spectra) database. It hosted the Meeting on Asteroids and Comets in Europe (MACE) in 2006,
MACE 2006 website
/ref> and the DARKSKY European Symposium, an event of the Dark-sky movement
The dark-sky movement is a campaign to reduce light pollution. The advantages of reducing light pollution include an increased number of stars visible at night, reducing the effects of electric lighting on the environment, improving the well-being, ...
, in 2008. The current director is the Austrian physicist and author Werner Gruber
Werner Gruber (born 15 March 1970, in Ostermiething) is an Austrian physicist, author, lecturer, and cabaret artist and is well known from ORF and as a member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ).
Biography
Gruber grew up in Ans ...
.
Architecture
See also
* List of astronomical observatories
This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in ...
* List of astronomical societies
A list of notable groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education.
Africa
* African Astronomical Society
South Africa
*Astronomical Society of Southern Africa
Asia
China
* Chinese Astronomical Society
India
* Akash Mitra Mandal
*A ...
* Lists of telescopes
This is a list of lists of telescopes.
*List of astronomical interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths
*List of astronomical observatories
*List of highest astronomical observatories
*List of large optical telescopes
*List of largest i ...
References
External links
*
Report on the DARKSKY 2008 European Symposium
{{Coord, 48, 12, 45, N, 16, 17, 28, E, type:landmark, display=title
Buildings and structures in Ottakring
Astronomical observatories in Austria
Public observatories
Science and technology in Austria
Buildings and structures in Vienna
Education in Vienna
Museums in Vienna
Science museums in Austria
Double telescopes