Dr.-Remeis-Sternwarte

Perched above the historic city of Bamberg, Germany, the Dr.-Remeis-Sternwarte (formally the Dr. Karl Remeis-Sternwarte) is a working astronomical institute with more than a century of research behind it.

About Dr.-Remeis-Sternwarte

The observatory is the Astronomical Institute of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Founded in 1889 as a private institution, it was formally integrated into the university in 1962 and has operated as a university research site ever since.

History

Since its founding in the late 19th century, the Sternwarte has built up a long-running photographic plate archive that today supports historical and time-domain astronomy alongside its modern research programme.

Telescopes & research

The site houses several telescopes, including instruments of 25 cm, 40 cm (CHT) and 50 cm (EHT) aperture. Researchers here work across multiwavelength astronomy — studying the interstellar medium, supernova remnants and superbubbles — as well as stellar astronomy focused on hot subluminous stars, and X-ray astronomy covering accreting neutron stars, active galactic nuclei and black hole binaries. The institute is also involved in preparations for future X-ray missions, including ATHENA, ARCUS and eROSITA.

Location & getting there

The Sternwarte is located in Bamberg, in Germany's Bavaria region, within easy reach of the city centre.

Visiting Dr.-Remeis-Sternwarte

As a university research institute, opening times and public access vary; visitors should check the official website or call ahead (+49 951 952220) before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

A research site with real telescopes trained on the night sky is a fitting place to think about your own patch of it. Once you have named a star with star-register, its coordinates are yours to explore — browse the sky at the catalogue or start the process at /#packages.