The return of the Great Refractor in 2005 and its re-inauguration in 2006

The Great Refractor, which was moved to Jena in May 2003 and restored by the Company -4H-Jena Engineering, has returned to Potsdam.

Great double tube in industrial hall

The ‘casing’ of the double refractor, at -4h-Jena Engineering

Credit: AIP/Emil Popow
Front view of the telescope, with various tubes and dials, in a large industrial hall

The Great Refractor at -4h-Jena Engineering

Credit: AIP/Emil Popow

On Friday, 17 June 2005, from 10.00 am, the telescope and its mount – still dismantled into several parts – were hoisted back into the dome on the Telegrafenberg and prepared there for reassembly. The event was celebrated alongside other events as part of the ‘Potsdam/Berlin Science Summer’, which took place on Telegrafenberg that day.

During the summer months, the instrument will be assembled and provisionally adjusted. At the same time, work is underway to repair the movable platform for the observer, known as the ‘observation chair’. The entire instrument is scheduled for final completion in spring 2006.

The project is funded by the private Pietschker-Neese Foundation, administered in trust by the German Foundation for Monument Protection, by grants from the German Foundation for Monument Protection’s fund, and by funds received by the association from sponsors.

Part of a telescope floats through the gap in the dome, hold by crane

The eyepiece end of the refractor is lifted into the dome, 17 June 2005

Credit: AIP/Rainer Arlt
Construction worker place a big lens at the end of a tube

Fitting the 80 cm lens

Credit: M. Gußmann
Telescope in dome

The mounted Great Refractor, 23rd May 2005

Credit: AIP/Rainer Arlt
 

Re-inauguration on 31 May 2006

On 31 May 2006, following nearly 40 years of decline, the Great Refractor was re-inaugurated at a ceremonial event. This event was preceded by a three-year, comprehensive restoration of the instrument in the workshops of 4H-Jena-engineering. There, after being dismantled down to its smallest components, the telescope was restored to full working order. The bulk of the funding was provided by the private Pietschker-Neese Foundation, administered in trust by the German Foundation for Monument Protection, which, in accordance with the founder’s wishes, had set the restoration of the Great Refractor as its primary objective.

Since its restoration, the Great Refractor has been accessible to the general public through guided tours and regular observation evenings. The annual events held as part of the Long Night of Science and Open Monument Day are particularly popular, attracting several hundred visitors. Occasionally, the impressive dome room is also opened for cultural events of a non-astronomical nature, such as receptions during conferences, amateur theatre performances, concerts and book launches. A presentation of the historic telescope, as requested by the organisers, is always a fixed part of the programme.

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