Helsinki University Observatory

Helsinki University Observatory housed the Department of Astronomy at the University of Helsinki, south Finland until end of 2009. It is now an astronomy-themed visitor centre and museum.

Helsinki University Observatory
Alternative namesHelsinki Observatory Edit this at Wikidata
OrganizationUniversity of Helsinki
Observatory code569
LocationHelsinki, Finland
Coordinates60°09′42″N 024°57′18″E / 60.16167°N 24.95500°E / 60.16167; 24.95500
Altitude33.0 metres (108.3 ft)
Established1834 (1834)
Websitehttp://www.observatorio.fi/english/
Telescopes
Argelander's refractor0.176 meter refractor
Double refractor0.33 meter double refractor
unnamed0.35 Cassegrain telescope
Small Radio Telescope3 meter radio telescope
Helsinki University Observatory is located in Finland
Helsinki University Observatory
Location of Helsinki University Observatory
  Related media on Commons

History

edit

The Helsinki astronomical observatory was designed in cooperation by professor Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander and architect Carl Ludvig Engel.[1] The building was finished in 1834. Its instruments and astronomical books had escaped the great fire in Turku and were then transferred to Helsinki.[2] The observatory was among the most modern astronomical observatories of its time, and served as an example for several European observatories that were built afterwards, most notably Pulkovo Observatory.

A separate tower was built in the observatory garden for a telescope designed for astrophotography. This building was finished in 1890. It houses the double refractor: two 0.33 meter refractor telescopes mounted together. One of the telescopes is built to be fitted with an eyepiece and the other with a photographic plate.

The observatory is located in the city centre and has not been in active use since the mid-20th century. Another observatory with a 60-centimeter telescope was built in Metsähovi, Kirkkonummi in the 1970s. The Metsähovi Radio Observatory was built around the same time and is the centre for the radio astronomical research of Aalto University.

The Department of Astronomy was merged into the Department of Physics at the beginning of 2010 and the astronomers moved to the Kumpula campus. The observatory building was thoroughly renovated and re-opened as a museum and visitor centre in 2012. The building also now houses the amateur astronomy association Ursa.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Kent, Neil (2014-07-30). Helsinki: A Cultural History. Interlink Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62371-060-6.
  2. ^ Corbin, Brenda G.; Bryson, Elizabeth P.; Wolf, Marek (2003). Library and Information Services in Astronomy IV (LISA IV): Proceedings of a Conference Held at Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, July 2-5, 2002. U.S. Naval Observatory. pp. 331–332.
edit