Gotha Observatory (Seeberg Observatory, Sternwarte Gotha or Seeberg-Sternwarte) was a German astronomical observatory located on Seeberg hill near Gotha, Thuringia, Germany.[1] Initially the observatory was dedicated to astrometry, geodetic and meteorological observation and tracking the time.
 Seeberg Observatory | |
| Alternative names | Gotha Observatory |
|---|---|
| Observatory code | 279  |
| Location | Gotha, Germany |
| Coordinates | 50°56′0″N 10°45′0″E / 50.93333°N 10.75000°E |
| Established | After 1787 |
| Closed | 1934 |
  Location of Gotha Observatory | |
 Related media on Commons | |
The minor planet 1346 Gotha was named after the city of Gotha in recognition of the observatory.[2]
History
Planning for the observatory began in 1787 by the court astronomer Baron Franz Xaver von Zach, with the financing of Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. It was based upon the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford, England. The building was divided into five parts, with the central section holding a revolving dome. There were two wings to provide quarters for the staff.[3]
During Peter Andreas Hansen's term, the observatory was dismantled and moved to a less exposed location in Gotha.[3] The observatory was closed in 1934.[4]
Instruments
Around 1800, the observatory became an international center for astronomy, being the most modern astronomical institute primarily for its instruments.[5] The instruments came from London, England, the standard place to acquire them in the 18th century.[5][6] These included an eighteen-inch quadrant, a two-foot transit instrument, three Hadley sextants, an achromatic heliometer, a two-foot achromatic refractor, a Gregorian reflector and many clocks.[5]
By the start of the nineteenth century improved instrumentation was acquired from Munich, the standard place to acquire them in the 19th century:[4] consisting of a theodolite (Reichenbach, Utzschneider & Liebherr), a different heliometer (Fraunhofer), new mounting, and three-foot meridian circle (Ertel, Utzschneider & Fraunhofer). No spectroscopy or photography was performed at the observatory and the only astrophysical equipment of the observatory was a Zöllner photometer.[5]
Directors
The observatory directors were as follows:[7]
- Franz Xaver von Zach, 1787–1802
- Bernhard von Lindenau, 1802 - ?
- Johann Franz Encke, 1822–1825[8]
- Peter Andreas Hansen 1825 - 1876[8]
- Karl Nikolaus Adalbert Krueger 1876 for four years[9]
- Hugo von Seeliger, 1881[10]
