Volkssternwarte Michelbach

High in the hills of Lower Austria, Volkssternwarte Michelbach is a purpose-built public observatory run by the amateur astronomy association Verein ANTARES. Its dome has drawn stargazers since the late 1990s.

About Volkssternwarte Michelbach

The observatory was built in 1998 by Verein ANTARES, an association of amateur astronomers founded in 1996. Its 4.5-metre dome houses a solar telescope, and the site includes three separate observation platforms plus an event room for larger groups.

Telescopes & research

Alongside its dome-housed solar telescope, Michelbach's open observation platforms let visiting groups set up and use multiple instruments at once, making it well suited to both solar viewing during the day and deep-sky observing after dark.

Location & getting there

Volkssternwarte Michelbach sits in Lower Austria, Austria, at an elevation of around 570 metres, offering darker skies than the region's lower-lying towns.

Visiting Volkssternwarte Michelbach

Verein ANTARES runs public guided evening tours from April to October, alongside general and special tours and dedicated programmes for children and school groups. Check the association's website for the current tour calendar before visiting.

See your named star from here

Michelbach's dome and open platforms mean volunteer astronomers can point a telescope at exact sky coordinates, including those of a star named through star-register.eu. Name a star for a loved one, or browse the catalogue of named stars.