History of Astronomy and Observational Astronomy

Prof. Dr. Andreas Schrimpf

The research group History of Astronomy and Observational Astronomy is working in the field of time domain stellar astrophysics, especially the physics of various kinds of variable stars. We are analyzing time series of historical and modern archival data, as well as observations of our observatory.

The worldwide number of astronomical photographic plates from the 20th century is estimated to about several millions. Covering a time span of more than 100 years, these data are most suitable for studying long-term behavior and transient phenomena of stars. Thus, data from photographic plates are a valuable extension to modern CCD survey data archives.

Our research in the history of astronomy focuses on the beginnings of astronomical research in Hesse, including the development of star catalogs, the discovery of asteroids, and the emergence of studies on variable stars.

The Marburg research group is a member of the "Councel of German Observatories (RDS)".