The Sankt Andreasberg Observatory, also called Harz Observatory, is a project of the charitable society ''Sternwarte Sankt Andreasberg e. V.'', which translates into ''Sankt Andreasberg Observatory registered society''.Menschen den Himmel nahe bringen, Braunlager Kurier, September 18, 2014 It was opened in August 2014 and is supposed to become the first completely

barrier free Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability or other factors. It addresses common barriers to participation by creating things that can be used by the ma ...

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. H ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

.Gabriele Schulte
Der Milchstraße ganz nah
Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, August 22, 2014 The society's expressive goal is to make the sky accessible to all people, whether they are

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, s ...

or not.

Celestial observation Observational astronomy is a division of astronomy that is concerned with recording data about the observable universe, in contrast with theoretical astronomy, which is mainly concerned with calculating the measurable implications of physical m ...

, lectures and Workshops convey general

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, ...

knowledge to visitors.

Location

The

Sankt Andreasberg Sankt Andreasberg is a former town in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 November 2011, it is part of the town Braunlage. It is situated in the Harz, approximately 7 km west of Braunlage proper, and 20 km east ...

Observatory is located near the Rehberg on the premises of the ''Internationale Haus Sonnenberg'', an international educational facility. It is one of the most elevated observatories in northern Germany.Sternwarte öffnet sich für alle, Angela Potthast, Goslarsche Zeitung, August 1, 2014 The air in an altitude of 710 metres is especially low on

turbidity Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. Fluids ...

and since the

Harz Nature Park The Harz (Lower Saxony) Nature Park (german: Naturpark Harz (Niedersachsen)) or just Harz Nature Park lies in the districts of Goslar and Göttingen (in the area of the former Osterode am Harz district) in South Lower Saxony. The nature park in th ...

is far away from big cities, there is far less

light pollution Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive use of artificial lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day or night. Light po ...

there then in other parts of northern Germany. According to the

Federal Agency for Nature Conservation The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (german: Bundesamt für Naturschutz, ''BfN'') is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government' ...

, Sankt Andreasberg is one of the six best locations for astronomy in Germany. In April 2011 the Sky Quality Meter measured 21,81 mag/arcsec².

History

The Sankt Andreasberg Observatory Society was founded in 2008, aiming at building and operating an observatory for all people. At first, they wanted to build it from scratch on the

Jordanshöhe The Jordanshöhe is a mountain, roughly , in the Harz in central Germany. It lies north of the town of Sankt Andreasberg in the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony. To the west is the Kuppe. On the mountain there is the Jordanshöhe youth hostel ...

. However, due to environmental protection constraints, it was decided in July 2013 to rent a building of the Internationale Haus Sonnenberg, about 1 km north of the originally designated site, and to repurpose it as an observatory. The constructions in and around the building were mostly financed by donations. The observatory was opened on August 22, 2014. The eastern front of the building is supposed to be extended by an observation dome.

Equipment

The outdoor area includes five telescope mounts of different heights, featuring power outlets and data transmission facilities. The association owns several telescopes to be used by guests. A 120 cm

reflecting telescope A reflecting telescope (also called a reflector) is a telescope that uses a single or a combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century by Isaac Newton as an alternati ...

is currently being assembled. Another reflecting telescope, featuring a primary mirror of 400 mm diameter (16″ f/8 Hypergraph) and a computer aided mount of type Knopf MK70S were first used during the STATT 2015 (August 13–16, 2015). The reflecting telescope can be used visually as well as photographically.

Universal design

The goal is to realise a completely barrier free observatory. It is supposed to be accessible for everybody. Therefore, the building is equipped with sufficiently wide doors, step free access ways and ramps for people with mobility constraints, as well as handrails with

Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille display ...

inscriptions. Offers and media provided by the observatory address all senses and also consider learning, mental, seeing, hearing and movement constrains. Tactile

star chart A star chart is a celestial map of the night sky with astronomical objects laid out on a grid system. They are used to identify and locate constellations, stars, nebulae, galaxies, and planets. They have been used for human navigation since ...

s and models of

celestial objects An astronomical object, celestial object, stellar object or heavenly body is a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists in the observable universe. In astronomy, the terms ''object'' and ''body'' are often use ...

help people with impaired vision to experience these objects and aid in the learning process by enabling the tactile sense.''Sternwarte ist da – jetzt geht es dem Verein um den Ausbau'', Karl-Heinz Siebeneicher, Goslarsche Zeitung, March 9, 2015 Depending on their kind and design, tactile star charts can be used to illustrate constellations (stars on a plane), proportions and siting (3D model).

3D printed 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer c ...

models of the

lunar surface The geology of the Moon (sometimes called selenology, although the latter term can refer more generally to " lunar science") is quite different from that of Earth. The Moon lacks a true atmosphere, which eliminates erosion due to weather. It does ...

, of whole

moons A natural satellite is, in the most common usage, an astronomical body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or small Solar System body (or sometimes another natural satellite). Natural satellites are often colloquially referred to as ''moons'' ...

comets 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 ...

and

asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

enable blind people to gather an impression of their surface structure and form. Talking telescopes enable visually impaired people to experience their own and astronomical objects' spatial orientation. A device utilises the

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

, a

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

and an

accelerometer An accelerometer is a tool that measures proper acceleration. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change of velocity) of a body in its own instantaneous rest frame; this is different from coordinate acceleration, which is acce ...

to determine its own position and to support users in alignment via vocal commands, as well as naming objects it is aligned to. Barrier free telescope mounts in the outdoor area enable people with mobility constraints to operate the telescopes. Their stable mounting aids them by enabling the telescopes to be aligned with little physical effort and little shaking. In total, five telescope mounts of different heights are provided. Live projections from the telescopes to the lecture room enable a big audience to do observations. They assist visually impaired people by enhancing details, that are hard to see in a telescope. For people with mobility constraints, they simplify or enable access to the observation. A Children's and Youth's academy for Astronomy is planned to be established in cooperation with the Internationale Haus Sonnenberg, focusing on

STEM fields Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...

and

Environmental studies Environmental studies is a multidisciplinary academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. Environmental studies connects principles from the physical sciences, commerce/economics, the humanities, and socia ...

. The observatory also wants to acquire a jib-arm mount for telescopes to be used by smaller people and those in need of a wheelchair.

Sankt Andreasberg Telescope Meet-up

The society has organised the ''Sankt Andreasberger Teleskoptreffen'' (STATT), or Sankt Andreasberg Telescope Meet-up, in every August since 2009,Bau der Sternwarte wird immer konkreter, Karl-Heinz Siebeneicher, Goslarsche Zeitung, March 10, 2014 which has attracted more the 100 people interested in astronomy from all over Germany. In addition to observation opportunities, there is a schedule featuring lectures by prestigious experts. In 2014, when the observatory was officially opened, the annual meet-up of the northern German observatories was held there simultaneously.

Cooperations

* Bildungsstätte Internationales Haus Sonnenberg *

Braunlage Braunlage () is a town and health resort in the Goslar district of Lower Saxony in Germany. Situated within the Harz mountain range, south of the Brocken massif, Braunlage's main business is tourism, particularly skiing. Nearby ski resorts includ ...

Grammar School * Andersicht *

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different p ...

Community College * Haus der Astronomie,

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, ''Fortbildung in Schulen'' Department * Netzwerk Norddeutscher Sternwarten * Associations of disabled people

Awards

* 3rd Place Reiff Bildungspreis für Schulastronomie 2013 * 2nd Place Bildungspreis der Region Braunschweig 2014Sternwarte Sankt Andreasberg – Sternwarte gewinnt 2. Bildungspreis
Sankt Andreasberg Observatory Website (in German), April 3, 2015.

References

External links

Sankt Andreasberg Observatory Website
(in German) {{Portal bar, Germany, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science Astronomical observatories in Germany Articles containing video clips