Gotha Observatory (Seeberg Observatory, Sternwarte GothaorSeeberg-Sternwarte) was a German astronomical observatory located on Seeberg hill near Gotha, Thuringia, Germany.[1] Initially the observatory was dedicated to astrometry, geodetic and meteorological observation and tracking the time.
The minor planet 1346 Gotha was named after the city of Gotha in recognition of the observatory.[2]
During Peter Andreas Hansen's term, the observatory was dismantled and moved to a less exposed location in Gotha.[3] The observatory was closed in 1934.[4]
Instruments
[edit]Meridian Circle, at Gotha Observatory till 1936
Around 1800, the observatory became an international center for astronomy, being the most modern astronomical institute primarily for its instruments.[5] The instruments came from London, England, the standard place to acquire them in the 18th century.[5][6] These included an eighteen-inch quadrant, a two-foot transit instrument, three Hadleysextants, an achromaticheliometer, a two-foot achromatic refractor, a Gregorian reflector and many clocks.[5]
^Howse, D. (November 1986). "The Greenwich List of Observatories - a World List of Astronomical Observatories Instruments and Clocks - 1670-1850". Journal for the History of Astronomy. 17 (51): i-89. Bibcode:1986JHA....17A...1H. doi:10.1177/002182868601700401. S2CID118045782. – see page A29.
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