The Ole Rømer Observatory is located in the suburb of Højbjerg, south of Aarhus (Denmark), and is part of the Science Museums at Aarhus University. The observatory was built in 1911 for the German private astronomer Friedrich Krüger. From this tradition, we are particularly pleased to have been able to supply and install the new telescope for the observatory in a spectacular action.
The observatory is dedicated to public outreach and wanted to acquire the best (and largest) telescope for this purpose. In a selection process, the Planewave CDK 700 telescope system emerged as the clear winner. The decision was made for both price reasons and the relatively short delivery time. Furthermore, some observatory staff had already had very good experiences with Planewave telescopes. After all, these devices are now used all over the world, including in various "remote observatories" that can be controlled via the Internet.
Ole-Rømer Observatory – PlaneWave CDK 700 
Discover this telescope installation with additional images/reviews also on our world map - We are very pleased with the telescope and I would like to send a big thanks to you and the team. Your team has been absolutely great to have with us in Aarhus. They have been super professional and very… » Discover this observatory
However, the CDK 700 telescope system has proven itself not only for astronomical photography and research but also for guided tours and live observations in public observatories worldwide. It offers a large aperture, allowing all night sky objects to be visually observed in very rich and impressive detail at high magnifications. In addition, there is a Nasmyth focus outlet on both fork arms, between which one can switch at the push of a button. This makes it possible to quickly and easily switch from a visual port with an eyepiece for visual observation to the other port with, for example, a professional astro camera, without having to rebuild anything on the telescope. A huge advantage for a public observatory!
However, every public observatory telescope has one drawback: only one visitor can look through the telescope at a time, the others have to wait. Fortunately, the most modern technology offers a way out so that the visitors waiting in line do not have to get bored. As in other observatories, our team mounted a Celestron RASA 8" telescope on the CDK 700. Attached to the RASA 8 astrograph is a highly sensitive QHY 268C camera, which, thanks to the fast aperture ratio of the telescope of f/2, transmits a live image even of deep-sky objects that are centered in the CDK, onto a screen in the observatory. This increases the anticipation for those about to take their turn at the telescope, to then directly behold the light of distant galaxies.
The installation by our experienced team was trouble-free thanks to our extensive experience with the CDK 700, intensive exchange in advance, and perfect preparation by the observatory staff. The telescope was hoisted in two parts with a crane through the gap of the dome, which also called the Danish TV to the scene. After it was screwed together and electronically connected, it only took a few hours at night to adjust the mirrors to each other, perform an alignment, and hand over the telescope ready for use. It is primarily the well-thought-out construction and the user-friendly Planewave software that make it possible to get such a complex high-end telescope system operational so quickly.
Maybe after reading this blog post, you too will want to look through a CDK 700? Travel to Aarhus! The landscape is breathtaking, the city beautiful, and the observatory staff are very committed to the tours. Not without reason, Aarhus, and especially the observatory, was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the "Greatest Places 2023"!
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