The Observatory of Strasbourg is an astronomical

observatory 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 ...

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the city of Strasbourg became part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. The

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...

was refounded in 1872 and a new observatory began construction in 1875 in the Neustadt district. The main instrument was a 50 cm Repsold refractor, which saw first light in 1880 (see Great refractor). At the time this was the largest instrument in the German Empire. In 1881, the ninth General Assembly of the Astronomische Gesellschaft met in Strasbourg to mark the official inauguration. $Refracting telescope of the Strasbourg observatory$ The observatory site was selected primarily for instruction purposes and political symbolism, rather than the observational qualities. It was a low-lying site that was prone to mists. During the period up until 1914, the staff was too small to work the instruments and so there was little academic research published prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The main observations were of

comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...

s and

variable star A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as ...

s. After 1909, the instruments were also used to observe

binary star A binary star is a system of two stars that are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other. Binary stars in the night sky that are seen as a single object to the naked eye are often resolved using a telescope as separate stars, in wh ...

s and perform photometry of

nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...

e. The observatory is currently the home for the Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg, a database for the collection and distribution of astronomical information. This includes

SIMBAD SIMBAD (the Set of Identifications, Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) is an astronomical database of objects beyond the Solar System. It is maintained by the Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS), France. SIMBA ...

, a reference database for astronomical objects,

VizieR A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

, an

astronomical catalogue An astronomical catalog or catalogue is a list or tabulation of astronomical objects, typically grouped together because they share a common type, morphology, origin, means of detection, or method of discovery. The oldest and largest are star cat ...

service and

Aladin Aladdin is a folk tale of Middle Eastern origin. Aladdin, Aladin, and variants such as Aladdin and His Magic Lamp, may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Disney franchise * Aladdin (franchise), ''Aladdin'' (franchise) ** Aladdin (Disney chara ...

, an interactive sky atlas. The modern extension of the building houses Planétarium de Strasbourg. The observatory is surrounded by the Jardin botanique de l'Université de Strasbourg. In the vaulted basement below the observatory, a University-administered museum is located. Called ''Crypte aux étoiles'' ("star

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

"), it displays old telescopes and other antique astronomical devices such as clocks and

theodolite A theodolite () is a precision optical instrument for measuring angles between designated visible points in the horizontal and vertical planes. The traditional use has been for land surveying, but it is also used extensively for building and i ...

Notable astronomers

Julius Bauschinger Julius Bauschinger (January 28, 1860 – January 21, 1934) was a German astronomer. Biography Julius Bauschinger was born in Fürth, the son of the physicist Johann Bauschinger. He studied at the Universities of Munich and Berlin, graduating un ...

Adolf Berberich Adolf Joseph Berberich (16 November 1861 – 27 April 1920) was a German astronomer best known for his work on calculating the orbits of minor planets and double stars. The minor planet 776 Berbericia was named in his honour. Early life Adol ...

André Danjon André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French language, French-s ...

William Lewis Elkin William Lewis Elkin (April 29, 1855 – May 30, 1933) was an American astronomer known for his detailed work measuring parallaxes and for pioneering work in meteor photography. He served as director of the Yale University Observatory from 1896 to ...

Ernest Esclangon Ernest Benjamin Esclangon (17 March 1876 – 28 January 1954) was a French astronomer and mathematician. Born in Mison, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in 1895 he started to study mathematics at the École Normale Supérieure, graduating in 1898. Look ...

Ernst Hartwig Carl Ernst Albrecht Hartwig (14 January 1851 in Frankfurt – 3 May 1923 in Bamberg) was a German astronomer. On 20 August 1885, Hartwig discovered a new star, SN 1885A (S Andromedae), in the Andromeda Galaxy, which was the first supernov ...

Carlos Jaschek Carlos Jaschek (March 2, 1926 – April 12, 1999) was a German-born Argentine astrophysicist who spent time in the United States, lived in Switzerland, settled in France, became a French citizenPierre Lacroute Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

Otto Tetens 450px , Otto Tetens (right) with Mataafa in Mulinuu, Samoa 1904 Otto Tetens (26 September 1865, Rendsburg, Kingdom of Prussia – 15 February 1945, Teplitz-Schönau) was a German natural scientist with an astronomy background. Life Tetens was ...

* Friedrich Winnecke *

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 exist ...

Walter Wislicenus Walter Friedrich Wislicenus (November 5, 1859 – October 3, 1905) was a German astronomer. He taught at the University of Strasbourg starting in 1888, and was a professor from 1897 until his death. He was known for his lectures given outsid ...

References

External links

*
Official website of the ObservatoryOfficial website of the PlanetariumPublications of Strasbourg Observatory
digitalized on

Paris Observatory The Paris Observatory (french: Observatoire de Paris ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. Its histor ...

digital library {{Authority control University of Strasbourg Astronomical observatories in France Buildings and structures in Strasbourg Planetaria in France 1875 establishments in Germany Museums in Strasbourg Science museums in France Hermann Eggert buildings

Notable astronomers

See also

References

External links