Observatory of Strasbourg

The Observatory of Strasbourg sits in the Neustadt district of Strasbourg, France, where it has watched the sky since the late 19th century. Built between 1875 and 1881 and officially inaugurated by the Astronomische Gesellschaft, it remains an active research site rather than a museum piece.

About the Observatory of Strasbourg

The observatory's centrepiece is a 50cm Repsold refractor that first saw light in 1880 — at the time, the largest telescope in the German Empire, since Strasbourg was under German administration when the observatory was founded. The instrument still ranks as the third largest refractor in France today.

History

Construction began in 1875 and the observatory opened formally in 1881, a project of the Astronomische Gesellschaft. It has operated continuously since, later becoming a joint laboratory of the CNRS and the University of Strasbourg (Unistra).

Telescopes & research

Alongside the historic Repsold refractor, the observatory runs two coupled 36cm telescopes used for imaging and spectroscopy. Its astronomers work on stellar physics, compact objects and black holes, the interstellar medium, nearby galaxies, galactic evolution and cosmology. The site also hosts the Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg, home to the SIMBAD, VizieR and Aladin databases used by astronomers worldwide, and it has run the Strasbourg Planetarium since 1986.

Location & getting there

The observatory stands at 142 metres elevation in central Strasbourg, in the eastern French region of Alsace — an easy, walkable part of the city rather than a remote mountaintop site. The Neustadt district around it is itself a UNESCO-listed 19th-century quarter.

Visiting the Observatory of Strasbourg

The observatory holds public observation sessions in addition to its research work. Check the official Unistra observatory site or a local listing before travelling, since session dates depend on the season and weather.

See your named star from here

Because any point in the sky can be located by its coordinates, an astronomer at the Observatory of Strasbourg's public sessions can be asked to point a telescope toward the right ascension and declination of a star named through Star Register. Name a star of your own, or browse previously named stars in the catalogue.