The First European Observatory in the Modern Era

• Prior to the beginning of the Modern Era, only sporadic observations of the planets and fixed stars took place. These observations were usually for astrological reasons.
• The age of voyages of discovery demanded a more accurate measurement of the fixed stars.
• In 1560, the Hessian Landgrave Wilhelm IV (1532-1592), also called the Wise, founded the first European observatory of the modern age in Kassel.
• The observatory consisted of two terraces on the south face of the old City palace, which burned down in 1811. Each of these carried an open balustraded observing platform.
• By 1867 the Landgrave had already remeasured and cataloged 52 stars.
• Many well known astronomers visited Kassel, including the Dane Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), who - on the recommendation of Wilhelm - in 1580 built the first single purpose observatory on Hven in Uraniborg with funds from the royal treasury.
• Using Brahe's precise observational data on Mars - Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was able to postulate the laws of planetary motion.
• Parts of the observatorys equipment is show today at the Museum für Astronomie und Technikgeschichte in Kassel.

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