Observatories that I have visited:
the Astrograph at
Stockholm's "new" Observatory, Sweden

Content:

1. Introduction
2. The excursion to Saltsjöbaden
3. Historical background
4. What is an astrograph?
5. Optical performance
6. Finder telescope
7. Tracking and motor operation
8. Object tracking, finder telescope
9. The elevator
10. The Dome
11. Glass plates (film)
12. What research was done with this astrograph?
13. Who has worked on this astrograph?
14. How it ended?

1: Introduction

This is an article I wrote many years ago, 2007, now I have translated it to English. Lot of information I got from the retired astronomer Kerstin Lodén who had worked with this astrograph, sorry to say she had passed away after this article was completed. In that time the observatory belongs to Stockholm University and I did my astrophysics studies here.

My interest is obviously astronomy but besides that including: Technology, history, old buildings, photography, travel to mention a few. At Saltsjöbadens observatory there is an old observatory building that I've never been inside, namely the astrograph.

Observatory Saltjöbaden's astrograph building.

I talked to Nippe who was the chairman of the amateur astronomy club STAR about the astrograph, he would let me in this building. Here I got the chance to make a visit inside this building and get a view of how the astronomers did their photography work before the digital technology took over.

With this article I meet all my aforementioned interests, well let to be precisely travel becomes a little bit scanty.