Tartu Observatory

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Tartu Observatory

Main Building of the Tartu Observatory.
Organization Tartu Observatory
Location Tõravere village, Estonia
Coordinates
Established 1810, 1964 (relocation)
Website
Tartu Obsrvatory website
Telescopes
AZT-12 1.5 m Cassegrain telescope
Zeiss 600 0.6 m reflecting telescope

The Tartu Observatory is the largest astronomical observatory in Estonia. It is located on Tõravere hill, about 20 km south-west of Tartu in Nõo Parish, Tartu County. It is known internationally for it's connection to Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve and the Struve Geodetic Arc, of which it is the first point.[1][2]

Contents

[edit] History

The old observatory building in Tartu. 58°22′43.64″N, 26°43′12.61″E
The old observatory building in Tartu. 58°22′43.64″N, 26°43′12.61″E

Tartu Observatory was founded at the University of Tartu after it was reopened in 1802. The observatory building was completed in 1810 on the Toome hill in Tartu. The instruments were installed in 1814 by Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve who subsequently started observations. In 1824, a 9" Fraunhofer refractor arrived, largest achromatic telescope in the world at the time. When Struve began assembling the Struve Geodetic Arc in 1816, the observatory became it's first point.

In 1946 Tartu Observatory was separated from the University of Tartu and subjected to the Estonian Academy of Sciences. Search for the new observational base started in 1950. In 1957, a patch of land on Tõravere hill was assigned for the purpose and in 1958 construction began. By 1963, the new observatory building was completed, part of the astronomers from the old Tartu Observatory moved in and the 50 cm reflector telescope got first light. In 1964, an international conference was held and Tartu Observatory was given the name of F.G.W. Struve. In 1974 the 1.5 metre telescope become operational. The name of the observatory was reverted back to Tartu observatory in 1995. In 1998, a 0.6 metre reflector was installed, the last major instrument update for today. The old Tartu Observatory building now mainly serves as a museum and is a part of a public science education centre.

Several notable scientists have been associated with the Tartu Observatory: Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve, Johann Heinrich von Mädler, Thomas Clausen, Ernst Julius Öpik, Jaan Einasto.

[edit] Equipment

Tartu observatory has two main telescopes. The 1.5 metre Cassegrain reflector, which is the largest optical telescope in Northern Europe, is used for spectroscopic observations. The second telescope is a 0.6 metre reflector for photometric observations. There is also a pitch for a collection of meteorological instruments on the observatory grounds.

[edit] Notes on the text

  1. ^ Struve Geodetic Arc - Introduction
  2. ^ http://www.aai.ee/~viik/Struve_report_Moldova.pdf

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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