Sun Observatory Wendelsten - Bavaria, DE - Astronomical Observatories on Waymarking.com

On the summit of the Wendelstein there is a weather station belonging to the German Meteorological Office, which is manned around the clock, and an observatory of the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich. With an average of over 120 clear nights per year, Wendelstein's location is ideal for such installations.

The first weather observations on the Wendelstein were recorded in a makeshift observatory erected by the summit chapel by Paul Schiegg in July 1804, the records were, however, often frustrated by lightning, storms, snow and rain. In 1883 the Wendelsteinhaus Meteorological Station was built by Dr. Fritz Erk of the Royal Bavarian Meteorological Central Station in Munich at an altitude of 1700 m. This was the first Alpine station in the Royal Bavarian Meteorological Station Network. The delivery of mail to and from this station was carried out in winter by the members of the Wendelsteinhaus Alpine Club and in summer by tourists. In 1962, the present weather station was built at the summit. It is staffed around the clock with full-time staff.

The observatory was founded in December 1939 by Karl-Otto Kiepenheuer as a solar observatory for the Luftwaffe. The recording of solar activity was supposed to enable the most accurate forecast possible of the optimal frequencies used for military communications. After the Second World War the observatory was funded by the US forces for the same purpose. Since 1949 the facility has belonged to the University of Munich. In the 1960s the observatory was enhanced with a coronagraph; a device that enabled research to be carried out on the atmosphere of the sun. Due to increasing air pollution and research priorities switching back to night-time astronomy, scientific observations of the sun were ceased in the 1980s. Since 1988 the facility has become purely an observatory; the dome of the coronograph is only used today for viewing purposes. Searches were conducted from the Wendelstein for extrasolar planets by evaluating occultations and research is carried out on variable stars in dwarf galaxies using an 80-cm telescope and CCD cameras. In 2012, the 80-cm telescope was replaced by an instrument with a two-metre aperture.

In addition, from 1950 to 1960 there was an observatory on the eastern summit of the Wendelstein, consisting of an observation dome and a residential house. There, the astronomer Rudolf Kühn carried out research. The facility was completely demolished in 1965, only the remains of the foundations are still visible. Where the observation dome once stood, a wind turbine was later built, but that, too, was dismantled in 2007.

Source Wikipedia

Observatory Purpose: Research Optical / Infrared Telescopes?: Yes Radio Telescopes?: No Solar Telescopes?: Yes Open to the Public?: No Is this a Club Observatory?: No Active Observatory?: Active Number of Telescopes or Antennas: 3 to 5 Site URL: [Web Link] Public Viewing Allowed?: Not listed Year Dedicated or Opened: Not Listed Altitude (meters): Not Listed

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