Field trip to Hamburger Sternwarte

6 April 2018

On April 06, our chapter visited Hamburg's observatory in Bergedorf, the Hamburger Sternwarte. Guided by Professor Hauschildt and PhD student Viktoria Wichert, we learned about the observatory's long and changeful history from its beginnings in the city center over its move to Bergedorf, world war II, and its late attachment to the University in 1968, to today's science.

We were able to see the impressive library and three telescopes from different decades, each located within its own building scattered over the beautiful, park-like compound. Maybe most intriguing was the reflector telescope from 1911 with a mirror diameter of 1 meter. Mr. Hauschildt gave us insights into each telescope's history, construction and usage, loosened up by many anecdotes.

He also introduced us to the observatory's work today, especially the research of his own working group, which includes simulation of planetary atmospheres and 3D radiative transfer, and the mathematics behind it.

We would like to thank Mr. Hauschildt and Ms. Wichert for a fascinating afternoon and the opportunity to learn so much about this beautiful place and the science it produces!