Astrophysical Collection

The collection of the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, founded in 1964 as Chair of Theoretical Astrophysics, includes the first cast-iron quadrant acquired by Cassini in 1752 for the observatory of Hohentübingen Castle. Other instruments in the collection include a portable passage instrument and a parallactic-mounted telescope, acquired a hundred years later, which made it possible to take much more precise measurements. Instruments built at the institute, beginning in the mid-1960s, bear witness to more recent scientific activities. These unique instruments, including an Aries space mirror, were developed, built, and used for space-based telescopes. They could be used to observe radiation from cosmic objects that cannot be measured from the ground. The only space telescope that has left Earth twice and returned safely is the highlight of the collection.

To the collection in the eMuseum (selection)