Astronomical Calculation Institute

Not every stop on our observatory map is a place to look through a telescope - the Astronomical Calculation Institute in Heidelberg, Germany, is one of astronomy's oldest working institutions, with a history stretching back over three centuries.

About the Astronomical Calculation Institute

Known in German as the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (ARI), the institute is a research centre focused on the calculation side of astronomy: positional astronomy, star catalogues and orbital data, rather than direct telescope observing. Since 2005 it has been part of the Center for Astronomy at Heidelberg University (Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, ZAH).

History

The institute's roots go back to 1700, when it was founded in Berlin-Dahlem under a Prussian patent that gave it a monopoly on publishing calendars and star catalogues - a privilege that funded the Berlin Academy's astronomical work for generations. After the Second World War the institute was relocated closer to the US Army Garrison in Heidelberg, and from 1957 it settled into its present home in Heidelberg-Neuenheim.

Location & getting there

The ARI is based in Heidelberg, in southwestern Germany, a university city on the Neckar river well known for its historic old town and castle.

Visiting the Astronomical Calculation Institute

As a research and computation institute rather than a public observatory, the ARI does not offer telescope viewing sessions. Its main audience is researchers and students at Heidelberg University's Center for Astronomy. Anyone interested in public astronomy events in Heidelberg should check the Center for Astronomy's website for talks, open days or affiliated venues.

See your named star from here

Institutions like the ARI have spent centuries refining exactly the kind of positional data - right ascension and declination - that comes with every star named through our register. Name a star of your own, or see what's already in our star catalogue.