The Observatory of Strasbourg is an astronomical observatory in Strasbourg,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the city of Strasbourg became part of the German Empire. 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 Great refractor refers to a large telescope with a lens, usually the largest refractor at an observatory with an equatorial mount. The preeminence and success of this style in observational astronomy defines an era in modern telescopy in the 19t ...

). At the time this was the largest instrument in the German Empire. In 1881, the ninth General Assembly of the

Astronomische Gesellschaft __NOTOC__ The ''Astronomische Gesellschaft'' is an astronomical society established in 1863 in Heidelberg, the second oldest astronomical society after the Royal Astronomical Society. In 1882, the ''Astronomische Gesellschaft'' founded the Centra ...

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 ...

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 e ...

s. After 1909, the instruments were also used to observe binary stars and perform photometry of nebulae. The observatory is currently the home for the

Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...

, 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 ...

, 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 c ...

service and Aladin, 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 The Jardin Botanique de l'Université de Strasbourg (3.5 hectares), also known as the Jardin botanique de Strasbourg and the Jardin botanique de l'Université Louis Pasteur, is a botanical garden and arboretum located at 28 rue Goethe, Strasbourg, ...

. In the vaulted basement below the observatory, a University-administered museum is located. Called ''Crypte aux étoiles'' ("star crypt"), 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 an ...

Notable astronomers

* Julius Bauschinger *

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 Ado ...

André Danjon André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and 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-speaking countries. It is a variation ...

* William Lewis Elkin * Ernest Esclangon * Ernst Hartwig * Carlos Jaschek * Pierre Lacroute * Otto Tetens * 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 exis ...

* Walter Wislicenus

References

External links

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