Sohland Observatory

Since September 2023, our observatory is the proud owner of a Baader Planetarium observatory. Through the EU-wide LEADER fund for regional development, we were able to secure funding for a modern and future-proof telescope that can also be remotely controlled from our lecture hall or externally. We particularly focused on promoting astrophotography and improving the visualization of the starry sky for our guests, which was previously difficult to implement at our observatory. Until now, our instruments were mainly focused on ease of use and demonstrability for visitor groups.

With the 16" Alluna Astrograph, along with a modern camera and mount, we now have an absolute dream setup, allowing us to conduct observations at a high level. The sky in Upper Lusatia is very dark in many places, a luxury that many larger observatories near expanding cities can hardly afford anymore. Thus, we can use our location near the Czech-German border to observe even dim objects in great detail. Furthermore, controlling the device from the lecture hall also allows for collective observations, where features such as live-stacking of exposures can amaze visitor groups of all ages about the objects found in the apparent darkness of the night sky, especially when these objects are shown immediately after a visual observation.

We are very happy that this dream could be realized through the excellent advice and service from Baader, along with the EU funding, allowing us to delight guests in the coming years, bring them closer to the stars, and also expand the astrophotographic knowledge in our association. This telescope will also be used profitably in cooperation with schools in the region on both the Czech and German sides for observations with a wow effect—so that the next generation can also be infected with the fascination of astronomy.

We can't imagine a better way to celebrate our 60th anniversary and to future-proof our observatory.

Paul Wagner and Heribert Heller, Sternwarte Sohland