Wingst Magnetic Observatory

Wingst Magnetic Observatory is a geomagnetic research station in northern Germany, monitoring the Earth's magnetic field rather than the night sky.

About Wingst Magnetic Observatory

Sitting at 50 metres elevation, the station is operated by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) as an external station of the Adolf-Schmidt Observatory at Niemegk, and forms part of INTERMAGNET, the global network for geomagnetic data. Historical records and publications from the site date back to 1937.

Telescopes & research

Rather than telescopes, Wingst's key facility is its Absoluthaus, a dedicated building for absolute magnetic measurements, which, together with continuous recording instruments, keeps a constant watch on how Earth's magnetic field shifts over time.

Location & getting there

The observatory is located in northern Germany, at around 53.74°N, 9.07°E, in the region covered by Star Register's observatory directory.

Visiting Wingst Magnetic Observatory

As a scientific monitoring station rather than a public stargazing venue, Wingst isn't set up for casual visits; anyone with a research interest should contact GFZ directly for current access information.

See your named star from here

Wingst may track magnetic fields rather than starlight, but the same idea of precise, fixed coordinates lies behind every star named through Star Register. Browse the catalogue to see how star coordinates work, or name a star at an optical observatory near you.