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experimenta Science Center

In March 2019, Germany's largest Science Center opened in Heilbronn. After extensive construction, the new Experimenta building on the Neckar River was made accessible to the public, offering a diverse and exciting daily program, including for visitors of the Federal Garden Show (April 17 - October 6, 2019, www.buga2019.de).

The crowning feature of the building is the observatory, complementing the Science Dome with its planetarium and enabling live views of the cosmos.

On September 20, 2018, the dome was installed on the building. The goal of creating a state-of-the-art science center was also upheld in the construction of the observatory. We are pleased to have been entrusted with building the dome and equipping the observatory.

The installation of telescopes for solar observation, spectroscopy, and deep-sky imaging followed in January 2019 (images below).

The new 6.5m AllSky Dome in Heilbronn does not face extreme weather conditions like many of our globally installed domes but is subject to constant usage: the two telescopes inside the dome are pointed at the sun daily, weather permitting. Evening stargazing tours are also regularly conducted in collaboration with Heilbronn's second observatory, the historic Robert Mayer Observatory (www.sternwarte.org), which dates back to 1914 and is one of Germany's oldest public observatories. Both facilities work together to promote enthusiasm for astronomy.

A major advantage of the AllSky Dome is its ability to fully open. Visitors can stand under the open sky, and the instruments can quickly acclimate to ambient temperatures, maximizing their performance. Individual segments can also be closed separately and fully automated to protect against rain or to enable fully automated operation for educational purposes. The dome is maintenance-free and was delivered turnkey – quality made in Germany.

The telescopes – a 25cm TEC refractor and a 20" Planewave Instruments reflector – will be installed in the coming weeks on a parallel azimuthal AZ 4000 HPS mount from the Italian manufacturer 10Micron. Additionally, four smaller observation stations will be set up for student internships at Experimenta.

This makes Heilbronn a unique location for public astronomy outreach in Germany. A similar observatory was recently built in Austria for the “Haus der Natur,” featuring an AllSky Dome complemented by a classic 6.15m slit dome.

To the left, you can see a video by Experimenta showing the dome installation, including an interview with Science Center director Dr. Kai Noeske.
The Heilbronner Stimme newspaper also reported on the construction of the Experimenta dome.

Another report, "Science Center with a Heavenly View," was published on www.wissenschaft.de.