Conference of the Society of German Planetariums in Halle

Every year the operators of German planetariums meet for a multi-day conference. In 2025, the conference was hosted by Planetarium Halle, which owns and operates an observatory built by Baader Planetarium.

After a flood damage the old space flight planetarium in Halle was shut down in 2013. It took 10 years until a planetarium at a new location in Halle opened its doors again. A neglected Gasometer was lovingly renovated to preserve the historic building fabric and adapted for its new use. “Old meets new” is the motto here, and the implementation is perfect in both architecture and technology.

The best Zeiss laser projectors are used in the planetarium, delivering a uniquely high-contrast image. Modern exhibitions and lecture rooms provide astronomical education outside of the planetarium shows. There is a rooftop terrace where – under clear conditions – amateur astronomers from the local astronomy club set up their telescopes and give visitors a live view of the stars.

The “crown jewel” on elevated position is the observatory. The futuristic Baader Planetarium 4.5m Allsky Dome houses state-of-the-art equipment. A 10Micron AZ5000 mount carries a 60 cm RC telescope from the German manufacturer Alluna. Thanks to an IMP-changer ( IMP85 – Instrument Multi Port (#2451300 , € 7950,- ) ) with switchable cameras, this enormous instrument can be used for photography, as well as for visual observation of Deep-Sky objects, planets, and the Moon. On top of the large telescope is a smaller one in piggyback configuration: a 92 mm Baader Apo 95/850 CaF" Travel Companion with a Solar Spectrum H-alpha Solar Filter for observing our daytime star.

All devices can stream live images directly into the planetarium show. However, with this high-end technology, not only can beautiful live images be shown, but it also enables intensive work up to and including cooperation on research projects, for example with institutes, universities, and schools.

Planetarium Halle (Saale) Discover this observatory installation with more pictures and information on our World map - We were delighted to be awarded the contract to build the observatory in the Halle Planetarium (former gasometer). By completely redesigning the building (see the construction phase image gallery), we were able to work closely with the local project team… » Discover Observatory

As the manufacturer of the observatory, we were invited to present ourselves with our software partner Sciencentric with a booth at the event. With the software “Webservatory,” Sciencentric made the instruments of the observatory remotely accessible. The slim software architecture works without the programs and drivers provided by the manufacturers, which enormously simplifies training and operation. From a single interface, you can use the mount, dome, cameras, and everything else. These possibilities were explained during an afternoon presentation and, due to clear skies, could also be demonstrated live with views of the Sun, Moon and some galaxies (ohne Komma), which convinced some planetarium operators to consider adding an observatory of their own.

Certainly not every city can afford a large observatory in addition to a planetarium, but a much more affordable solution was also demonstrated and was very well received. Our colleague Herwig Diessner, who is responsible for distributing the Celestron brand in Germany, had set up his Origin Remote Telescope – Celestron Origin – Intelligent Home Observatory – on the roof and was able to produce galaxy photos via live stacking right before the astonished visitors’ eyes. Alongside the interesting conference program and the beautiful city of Halle, we certainly offered something for every visitor.

We were very pleased to showcase our work at the planetarium and talk to many friendly people, who all share one thing in common: An interest in Space and in teaching astronomical knowledge, which is done exceptionally well in Halle!