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Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Goettingen, Germany, Europe

Universitätssternwarte
University Observatory

Museum or Collection Type:
Science & Technology
Institutional Type:
Special Type: Observatory

Subject:
Astronomy

Address:
Historische Sammlung, Geismarlandstraße 11, 37083 Göttingen

Opening Hours:
For researcher & students by appointment only

Additional information:
Guided tours

Links:
Universitätssternwarte
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Description:
The first Observatory in Göttingen was installed in one of the southern city towers in 1750. In 1751, Tobias Mayer (1723-1762) was hired as the first notable astronomer in Göttingen. Mayer\'s Catalogue of stellar positions with the Bird Quadrant established new standards in precision and scope. His observations and maps of the moon were the best of his time. This etching dates from 1773. Another view of the old Observatory around 1800 is also available.

Further Reading:
Hartmut Grosser, Hans Heinrich Voigt, Die Universitäts-Sternwarte, in: “Ganz für das Studium angelegt”: Die Museen, Sammlungen und Gärten der Universität Göttingen, hg. von D. Hoffmann u. Kathrin Maack-Rheinländer im Auftrage des Universitätsbundes, Göttingen 2001, S. 188-193.
Historische Gegenstände an der Universitäts-Sternwarte Göttingen. Ein Katalog zum 250-jährigen Bestehen der Sternwarte von Hartmut Grosser, Göttingen 1998.