Brorfelde Observatory (; obs. code: 054) is an

astronomical Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

located in Brorfelde near

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. It is home to the Brorfelde Schmidt Telescope and was run as a branch of the

Copenhagen University Observatory Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

until 1996. It still has telescopes that are used by

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

students, but the operating staff moved to the ''Rockefeller Complex'' in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. Brorfelde Observatory and Brorfelde was a part of a Danish advent calendar running in 2012, and 2019 on DR1 - a Danish national TV channel.

Instruments

The 77-centimetre

Schmidt telescope Schmidt may refer to: * Schmidt (surname), including list of people and fictional characters with the surname * Schmidt (singer) (born 1990), German pop and jazz singer * Schmidt (lunar crater), a small lunar impact crater * Schmidt (Martian c ...

from 1966 at Brorfelde Observatory was originally equipped with photographic film. An engineer is here showing the film-box, which was then placed behind the locker at the center of the telescope (at the telescope's prime focus).

Recognition

The Hungaria asteroid 3309 Brorfelde was discovered and named after the observatory, marking its inaugural minor planet discovery. The naming citation was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Funct ...

on 7 September 1987 ().

People related to the observatory

Bengt Strömgren Bengt Georg Daniel Strömgren (21 January 1908 – 4 July 1987) was a Danish astronomer and astrophysicist. Life and career Bengt Strömgren was born in Gothenburg. His parents were Hedvig Strömgren (née Lidforss) and Elis Strömgren, wh ...

, Danish astronomer instrumental in founding it. * Poul Jensen, Asteroid discoverer *

Karl Augustesen Karl A. Augustesen (born 1945) is a Danish astronomer and co- discoverer of minor planets. Working at Brorfelde Observatory, he is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 6 numbered asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet� ...

, Asteroid discoverer

Minor planets

References

External links