Kurz mal Kosmos: »Das Treptower Riesenfernrohr«

The Planetarium Berlin Foundation is celebrating its10th anniversary this year. On July 4, we’d like to celebrate this milestone with you under the theme“A Quick Trip to the Cosmos.” 

At the Zeiss Großplanetarium in Prenzlauer Berg and the Archenhold Observatory in Treptower Park, adiverse program of short presentations and stargazing sessions awaits you. Tickets for the Archenhold Observatory are available on-site; events at the Zeiss Grand Planetarium can also be booked online in advance.

For an overview of all events, visitplanetarium.berlin/kurz-mal-kosmos 

Guided Tour: “The Treptow Giant Telescope”

The Treptow Giant Telescope is the Archenhold Observatory’s signature attraction. Built in 1896 for the Berlin Trade Exhibition, it is the world’s longest fully movable refracting telescope, with a focal length of 21 meters and an objective lens diameter of 680 millimeters. Popularly known as the “Sky Cannon,” this colossus weighs a total of 130 metric tons and ranks among the ten most powerful refracting telescopes in the world.

During this guided tour, we’ll explain how the telescope and the observatory came to be built, and you’ll learn about the building’s eventful history. Afterward, we’ll demonstrate how this impressive telescope works using a movable model in the observatory’s exhibition.