Bochum Observatory, often known in Bochum as Cape Kaminski () is a

research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...

Bochum Bochum (, ; ; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348 (April 2023), it is the sixth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federa ...

Nordrhein-Westfalen North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The institution came into being through a private initiative. Its main areas of interest are in

radio astronomy Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies Astronomical object, celestial objects using radio waves. It started in 1933, when Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories reported radiation coming from the Milky Way. Subsequent observat ...

and

environmental research ''Environmental Research'' is a peer-reviewed environmental science and environmental health journal published by Elsevier. The editor in chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial le ...

History and accomplishments

In 1946, Professor Heinz Kaminski founded Bochum Observatory as a popular observatory of the local

Volkshochschule Folk high schools (also ''adult education center'') are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal. They are most commonly found in Nordic countries and ...

. Since 1957 and the launch of the first artificial satellite –

Sputnik Sputnik 1 (, , ''Satellite 1''), sometimes referred to as simply Sputnik, was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space progra ...

1, whose signal was detected in Bochum – this developed into the ''Institute for Space Research / Observatory Bochum''. It was renamed in 1982 as the ''Institute for Environment- and Future Research nstitut für Umwelt- und Zukunftsforschung (IUZ)'. Included among its new tasks are involvement with sociological und global ecological themes. It is a recognized and supported further education institution of the Land of Nordrhein-Westfalen. Its educational work is aided by the Landeszentrale for Political Education of the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Employment of the Land of Nordrhein-Westfalen. In 1999, Professor Heinz Kaminski nominated Thilo Elsner as his successor. Thilo Elsner has been at the Observatory since February 1995 and has contributed significantly to the maintenance and reconstruction of the attached radar dome

Radome A radome (a portmanteau of "radar" and "dome") is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna (radio), antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weathe ...

. The

radar dome A radome (a portmanteau of "radar" and "dome") is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weather and conceal an ...

, which is supported by internal pressure, collapsed in October 1999 due to a large rip in the polyester skin. Heinz Kaminski died in 2002. In 2007, the observatory celebrated its 60th anniversary. In March 2009 the 20m parabolic antenna became the first successful planetary radar in western Europe when it detected its own echoes from the Planet Venus. As a result, the American Space Agency

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

has offered its assistance and in future will be sending relevant data to Bochum.

Equipment

The Institute today owns several antenna systems for receiving data from

geostationary A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...

and orbiting

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

s and interplanetary spacecraft. The development of astronomical topics as well as environmental themes and the study of its associated effects on society is promoted and made accessible to the public at large. This latter task is carried out with the help of a "Mobile Observatory", which consists among things of a high-precision satellite receiver. Recognized as working for the community, the Institute has worked since 1990 for the people of the Ruhr area as an institution for political education in the Land of

. The IUZ's largest structure is the

(radar dome). This has a dome, supported by excess pressure from inside, which protects a 20 m parabolic dish from the weather. The dish has a total weight of over 220 tonnes and can both receive and send data. As a result of a complete upgrading, the installation has an accuracy of about 1/1000 of a degree in positioning and is thus being prepared for the planned Mars mission

AMSAT AMSAT is a name for various amateur radio satellite organizations worldwide. In particular, it often refers to the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, headquartered in Washington, D.C. AMSAT organizations design, build, arrange launches for, a ...

P5A, which will be partly navigated by the IUZ Bochum. Otherwise there is 1000 square meters of exhibition space and a lecture room for 160 people.

Long-term exhibition

''Cosmos, Communism, Cold War – Sputnik 50: The History of Space Travel in Two Political Systems'' is the exhibition in the Radom of Bochum Observatory, supported by the "Federal Foundation for Studying the SED-Dictatorship". It documents the events of the Space Race from the first detection of the

signal in 1957 up to the present day. "The People's Observatory Bochum", one of the few institutions capable of receiving the first signals from Sputnik, became an important place in West Germany for the latest news and information about space. A special exhibition has been put on show in this historic location in space history, with numerous exhibits gathered from all of Germany documenting the instrumentation of space travel."

External links

Website of Bochum Observatory

Sputnik 50: The History of Space Travel in Two Political Systems
Exhibition in Bochum Observatory
RuhrNachrichten (RN) from 27 March 2009: "Bochum Observatory receives signals from Venus" - Bochum on the international stage again reporting back on space observation
called up on March 2009

References

{{Authority control Radio telescopes Buildings and structures in Bochum