The 1m Reflector

The construction of the 1m reflecting telescope at Hamburg Observatory marks the transition from classical astronomy to modern astrophysics. When it went into operation in 1911, it was the fourth biggest reflector in the world and for some time was the largest telescope in Germany, by aperture size. By 1920, the observatory director at the time, Richard Schorr, had recorded over 1,700 photographic plates and discovered or rediscovered many minor planets and comets, primarily using the 1m Reflector.

The most famous astronomer to work with the 1m Reflector was Walter Baade (until 1931). He succeeded in recording innumerable star clusters, gas nebulae and galaxies and he was first to prove the existence of isolated stars far outside the disk of Milky Way.

The reflector has a diameter of 1m and a focal length of 15m. Retaining almost completely its original state, this instrument is considered to be the most historically valuable instrument of Hamburg Observatory, with great significance for the history of science.

In 2013, the Förderverein Hamburger Sternwarte e. V. association refurbished the telescope in accordance with its original plans. Thanks to its special mounting by Zeiss the 1m Reflector is one of the most extraordinary constructions in the history of telescopes. In fact, one can easily move the instrument by hand, despite it weighing 26 tonnes. Nowadays, it is not used for research but is instead used during public observation nights.

The building extension hosts the visitors centre of the Hamburg Observatory and the café „Raum & Zeit“ (“space & time”).

 

Fig. 1: Walter Baade at the 1m Reflector (about 1930)

Fig. 2.:  The 1m Reflector today.

 

Galaxies – islands of stars in the Universe

In the present-day Universe, stars exist only inside or nearby galaxies; only small amounts of tenuous gas is found in the space in between them. Our Sun is part of the galaxy Milky Way, which is clearly visible as a bright band of light under dark skies. With its approximately 100 billion stars and diameter of around 100.000 light years, the Milky Way is a relatively large galaxy.

Astronomers were only able to explore the structure of the Milky Way and its distance from other galaxies in the 20th century. The results of Walter Baade played a major role in this research. He started his research in the 1920s in Hamburg but could only complete it after 1949, with the 5m reflector on Mount Palomar in California.

 

Fig. 3: The Andromeda galaxy is the Milky Way´s neighbouring galaxy at a distance of 2.5 million light years. Picture:  D. Engels, Hamburger Schmidtspiegel