Lund Observatory
Encyclopedia
Lund Observatory is the official English name for the astronomy
department at Lund University
. As of January 2010 Lund Observatory is part of The department of astronomy and theoretical physics at Lund University. It is located in Lund
, Sweden
.
The institution was founded in 1749, but was preceded by an observatory built by astronomy professor Anders Spole (the grandfather of Anders Celsius
) in 1672, which was destroyed at the Battle of Lund
in 1676. The now old observatory from 1867 is located in a cultural-heritage protected observatory park just outside the medieval city boundaries. The current Lund Observatory location is in a new building on the northern campus of Lund University
, inaugurated in 2001. The history of astronomy in Lund through five centuries is told in the book Lundaögon mot stjärnorna
A famous picture: Towards the middle of the last century astronomer professor Knut Lundmark
, of the Lund Observatory in Sweden, supervised the two engineers Martin Kesküla and Tatjana Kesküla who painstakingly mapped the positions of about 7000 individual stars to create an unprecedented drawing of the Milky Way. The map took two years to complete, measures 2 m (6.6 ft) by 1 m (3.3 ft), and is known as the Lund Panorama of the Milky Way.
Today Lund Observatory enjoys a vibrant research activity focusing on observational as well as theoretical astrophysics. Areas
covered include Galactic archeology, exoplanet research, laboratory astrophysics, high energy astrophysics, and astrometry (Hipparcos
and Gaia).
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
department at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
. As of January 2010 Lund Observatory is part of The department of astronomy and theoretical physics at Lund University. It is located in Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
The institution was founded in 1749, but was preceded by an observatory built by astronomy professor Anders Spole (the grandfather of Anders Celsius
Anders Celsius
Anders Celsius was a Swedish astronomer. He was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, but traveled from 1732 to 1735 visiting notable observatories in Germany, Italy and France. He founded the Uppsala Astronomical Observatory in 1741, and in 1742 he proposed the Celsius...
) in 1672, which was destroyed at the Battle of Lund
Battle of Lund
The Battle of Lund was fought on December 4, 1676 in an area north of the city of Lund in Scania in southern Sweden, between the invading Danish army and the army of Charles XI of Sweden. It was part of the Scanian War...
in 1676. The now old observatory from 1867 is located in a cultural-heritage protected observatory park just outside the medieval city boundaries. The current Lund Observatory location is in a new building on the northern campus of Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
, inaugurated in 2001. The history of astronomy in Lund through five centuries is told in the book Lundaögon mot stjärnorna
A famous picture: Towards the middle of the last century astronomer professor Knut Lundmark
Knut Lundmark
Knut Emil Lundmark was a Swedish astronomer, professor of astronomy and head of the observatory at Lund University 1929–1955....
, of the Lund Observatory in Sweden, supervised the two engineers Martin Kesküla and Tatjana Kesküla who painstakingly mapped the positions of about 7000 individual stars to create an unprecedented drawing of the Milky Way. The map took two years to complete, measures 2 m (6.6 ft) by 1 m (3.3 ft), and is known as the Lund Panorama of the Milky Way.
Today Lund Observatory enjoys a vibrant research activity focusing on observational as well as theoretical astrophysics. Areas
covered include Galactic archeology, exoplanet research, laboratory astrophysics, high energy astrophysics, and astrometry (Hipparcos
Hipparcos
Hipparcos was a scientific mission of the European Space Agency , launched in 1989 and operated between 1989 and 1993. It was the first space experiment devoted to precision astrometry, the accurate measurement of the positions of celestial objects on the sky...
and Gaia).