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A Glance at the Stars

Berlin is the home of the world longest refracting telescope

February 05th, 2015
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The oldest and the largest public observatory in Germany – the Archenhold Observatory - is home to the world’s longest moveable refracting telescope. This magical place can offer you a distinct view of the immense cosmic space. It is the perfect destination for all those whose eyes continuously gaze at the night sky.

The Archenhold is a place of great eminence. It can not only offer its visitors an observation of the stars and planets with a professional telescope, called the ‘sky canon’, but it also has an impressive variety of other attractions. From astrographs, which are used for photographing the sky to the 500-milimetre reflecting telescope.

In addition, you can visit the Solar Physics exhibition, where one can observe the prismatic colors of sunlight. Not only that, but visitors can see active solar zones with the help of the ‘Jensch coelostar’. This device captures the light from the sun in real time.

When a rest is needed, visitors can benefit from the relaxed atmosphere in the Zeiss planetarium. There people can perch themselves comfortably and observe the night sky on an 8-metre dome. Shown on the dome are projections of the northern and southern hemisphere.  This gives visitors a memorable space experience.

For those who are seeking more of an education view, the observatory offers a rich and varied program for all ages. Tourists are able to sign up for guided tours on diverse topics, lectures and telescope observation sessions. A special children’s program ‘Visit to the House of Stars’ is also offered. There the smallest star enthusiasts can learn about constellations, the rotation of the Earth and meteorites.

Opening hours are from Wednesday to Sunday from 2p.m. to 4.30p.m. Public guided tours can be attend on Thursdays at 8p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at 3p.m. Observations for the public are only on Fridays.

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