www.baader-observatories.com
We were delighted to be awarded the contract to build the observatory in the Halle Planetarium (former gasometer). By completely redesigning the building (see the construction phase image gallery), we were able to work closely with the local project team to create an ideal environment in which the observatory would find its rightful place.
As part of the first installation in November 2022, the dome, a Baader AllSky 4.5m, was lifted onto the new planetarium roof, aligned and anchored. At the same time, the flange for the later integrated telescope and mount was installed. Once the dome was fully assembled, a comprehensive functional test was carried out to put the dome through its paces on site, and it passed with flying colours.
During the second assembly in February 2023, the instruments were installed, consisting of an Alluna RC24" telescope, a 10Micron AZ5000 direct drive fork mount and a solar telescope.
Attached to the main instrument, the Alluna RC24, is our Baader , which allows three different applications to be covered simultaneously. In this case it is a with filter wheel for deep sky astrophotography, a Canon ME20F for live observation of the night sky in colour. The third port of the IMP is for visual observation.
For solar observation the Baader APO 95/580 is used with a corresponding focal length extension. This also has a , a special solar filter for observing H-alpha sunlight. The resulting images are captured by a camera from The Imaging Source and can be presented as a livestream in the planetarium.
The perfect interaction of observatory and telescope was made possible by a close collaboration with the software development company Sciencentric AG. Together we were able to develop a powerful software solution that optimises the use and control of state-of-the-art astronomical instruments.
The realisation of this project has been an extremely satisfying and successful experience for us in an impressive environment. Everything is now in place in Halle (Saale) to enable public observing and astronomical education with state-of-the-art instruments for decades to come.
We wish the director and all visitors to the Halle Planetarium much joy and success for the future.
