|
In 1906, the Berlin Observatory, which had been operational since 1711 (and discovered, among other things the planet Neptune) could no longer operate, as fine dust and light pollution in the growing German capital interfered with observations.
Construction of a new observatory in (then) remote Babelsberg started in 1911 and the new site became operational in 1913.
In 1915, a 65 cm refractor — the first big astronomical instrument manufactured by the famous enterprise of Carl Zeiss Jena — was mounted. After World War I, in 1924, a 122 cm reflector telescope was installed, making Babelsberg the best-equipped observatory of Europe.
After World War II, the 122 cm reflector was dismantled as reparation to the Soviet Union. It was moved to the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, where it is still operational today.
Observations in Babelsberg resumed in 1950 and at the end of its active observations, the observatory had the second largest archive of astronomical photographic plates as a result of over 60 years of photographic sky survey.
|
|
 Humboldt House
 Meridian House
|