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Astronomical units of measurement

This article explains the specification of distances, angles and magnitudes in an astrometric context. Distances The unit kilometer, which is commonly used in everyday life, is generally only used for short distances, e.g. for planetary diameters or...

The starry sky in December 2023

On December 22 at 4:27 a.m., the sun is at the lowest point in its apparent orbit around our home planet for the northern hemisphere. This is also known as the winter solstice. Around midday, the sun reaches...

The starry sky in November 2023

The decreasing length of the day allows us to open the observatory from 7 p.m. on Fridays, weather permitting, from November until the end of February. Special events this month include the occultation of Venus...

The starry sky in October 2023

After the equinox on 23.09., the length of the nights predominates again. The observatory opens at 8 p.m., weather permitting. As every year, on the last Sunday of the month, this October the...

The starry sky in September 2023

The nights are now long enough. From now on, the observatory will again be offering public observation evenings on Friday evenings from 9 pm, provided the night sky is cloudless. A ticker on the main page will provide information about the night sky from Friday noon at the latest.

The starry sky in August 2023

Every year in August, countless shooting stars, the Perseids, can be observed. They get their name from their apparent origin in the direction of the constellation Perseus, which slowly rises above the eastern horizon during the month....

The starry sky in July 2023

The summer starry sky has arrived. After nightfall, the so-called summer triangle dominates, consisting of the bright stars Vega in Lyra, Deneb in the Swan and the slightly lower star Atair (also known as...

The starry sky in June 2023

The nights around June 21, when the sun only sets for a short time, i.e. it is still at least twilight or even daylight, are called the White Nights....