Wendelstein Observatory
Historical Abstract

1804
First provisional observatory set up by U. Schiegg for the first land survey.

1936/40
VHF test station of the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt and of the airforce test facility Rechlin.

1938/39
First german radar equipment of the airforce test regiment Köthen.

1940
Official start of solar observations on H. Plendl's and K.O. Kiepenheuers initiative for the study of the influence of the solar activity onto the radio communication.

1941
Start of the messurement of prominences and the corona as well as of sunspots.

1942
Start of the observations of the solar chromosphere with the spectro-heliographic instrument at the new coelostat.

1945
The observations continue without any interrupt under amarican control despite a general ban of science.

1947
Start of the flare survey.

1949
Takeover by the bavarian government,
affiliation to the Universitäts-Sternwarte München,
constitution of the commission Observatorium Wendelstein of the bavarian academy of science.

1957/58
Integration into the global observational network of the "International Geophysical Year" under the leadership of R. Müller.

1950-60
Additional astrophysical observations at times at the eastern summit observatory.

1962/63
Construction of the elevator to the observarory in the interior of the mountain (109 m height).

mid 1970
Increasing air polution caused by the increasing air traffic prevents further observations of the solar corona and worses all other observations.

1987/88
Construction of the new 80 cm telescope building.

1988/89
Installation of the new 80 cm Cassegrain telescope.

since 1989
Regular night time observations of variable stars, planetary nebula, solar system objects, ...

References:

WOLFSCHMIDT,G.: "Sonnenpysik im Zweiten Weltkrieg: Wissenschaft oder Kriegsforschung?". In: C.Meinel, op. cit. 1994, S. 152

BÄRNBANTNER,O.: "Kleine Chronik des Sonnenobservatoriums Wendelstein". priv. comm.

HÄFNER, R.:"175 Jahre Sternwarte Bogenhausen"

Letzte Änderung: 22. Mai 2018 durch U. Hopp (hopp .at. usm.lmu.de), webmaster: (webmaster .at. usm.lmu.de)
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