Observatories that I have visited:
Uppsala old observatory, Sweden

Content:

1. Double refractor
2. Triple refractor
3. Other side observatories
4. Astronomy park
5. To be continued

1: Double refractor

We got a beautiful day and decided to take the car to Uppsala and visit the old observatory. This was one of the old observatories from the article "Sweden's old observatories" that I translated not long ago: Sweden's old observatories.

Main building, the observatory:

The observatory was built 1844 - 53. They had to move out on the countryside when they were forced to leave the building at center of Uppsala. Today this is not the countryside, you can call this the center of Uppsala.

The former observatory in Uppsala center that this 'new' observatory replaced.

Nowadays top of the building was built later, 1891 when it replaced the old tower. It has an hatch that can open for the telescope and the roof can be rotated with its hatch.

Main entrance which is directed to the East.

If this was the countryside 1840 it's not the situation today. In background, Uppsala Cathedral with its two towers.

When they built this observatory they took part of the design from the observatory in Berlin.

There are stars in the ornament at the tower.

I got the information from my friend Christoffer who lives in Uppsala, the original double refractor is still there.

Very big building for a small telescope, but old refractors design were very bulky compare to its optical size.

An idea sketch of the new observatory, the one I write about here, 175 years ago.

From my friend Christoffer I got this photo of the 38 cm double refractor. He has worked at the old observatory as a guide and have some information about the telescope:
"This double refractor mount's is manufactured by Repsold and the optics by Steinheil of Munich."

All telescopes from rear. A viewfinder and two other refractors for photography. No digital cameras at that time, they used analog film, glass plates of about the size 140x140 mm and a lot of tricks to get it sensitive enough. Kerstin, an astronomer at Stockholm Observatory told me once about the procedure how to take care of the film, read here: Saltsjöbaden's Astrograph.

More info about Repsold and Steineil:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Johann Georg Repsold
  (Johann Georg Repsold, Wikipedia)
• http://camera-wiki.org/ wiki/ Steinheil
  (Steinheil, Wikipedia)

An early work in the observatory. Notice the ladder the observer sitting on. We have the darkest sky in Sweden during the winter, then it's from 0 to -35 degrees Celsius, who want to sit here then ?

Additional information by Lars:

More about Uppsala's observatory:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Uppsala Astronomical Observatory
  (Uppsala Astronomical Observatory, Wikipedia)
• http://uaa.nu/ tisdagsvisningar/ (only Swedish)
  (Guided tours, UAA)

At the map you can see that the astronomy park and the old observatory is placed at the edge of old town of Uppsala.