Dalwitz Astronomical Observatory

One of 6 themed observation stations on the "De Sternkieker" astronomy trail in the Mecklenburger ParkLand Star Park. The lush green spaces and numerous manor houses in Mecklenburger ParkLand between the Baltic Sea coast and the lake district fascinate walkers, cyclists and stargazers. Here, the firmament shines with unusual clarity in the particularly dark night sky. Six themed observation stations in publicly accessible estate parks form the "De Sternkieker" astronomy trail, which invites you to hike along the Milky Way. "De Sternkieker", a little man laser-cut in steel with a telescope pointing towards the sky, points the way to the observation station at the access road and takes guests by the hand when it comes to shedding light on the darkness of many a celestial story. On a lounger for 2 people, guests can observe the night sky at each station with binoculars or a telescope. During the day, the stations invite you to observe nature in the historic parklands under old giant trees that overshadow the babbling watercourses, which lead across flowering park meadows, past some ponds with reflections of the manor houses and on to reforested orchards that offer their fruit for visitors to taste in summer and autumn. A replica of the famous Nebra Sky Disk is installed in Dalwitz Manor Park. The Nebra Sky Disk is a masterpiece of early astronomers, approx. 4000 years old and was found in 1999 on the Mittelberg, near the town of Nebra in Saxony-Anhalt. It is therefore not from Dalwitz. Astronomical and religious symbols form the oldest known depiction of the sky of this kind. The makers of this disk may have been part of the culture of Central Germany itself, which came to an end around 3250 years ago in the Battle of the Nations in the Tollensetal valley. We call this the Aunjetitz culture. Many ancient cultures realized early on that a calendar based on the position of the sun and the phases of the moon could not work. Today, we compensate for the resulting inaccuracies with leap years. The people of the Mittelberg (in present-day Saxony-Anhalt) were apparently already aware of this and were able to determine the leap months with the help of the Sky Disc. The disk could therefore be interpreted as a Bronze Age calendar. Over generations, the Sky Disc was repeatedly modified and given additional functions. In its original state, it only showed astronomical objects (the moon and Pleiades). It encoded a switching rule with the help of which the lunar and solar years could be synchronized. This was followed by the horizon arcs, which showed the positions of the sunrise and sunset points during the solstices. Their angular lengths are 82°, which is calibrated for use on the latitude of central Germany. The barque at the lower edge of the disc has no known function and could merely indicate the eastern direction and symbolize the course of the celestial bodies. It can be assumed that the knowledge on the Nebra Sky Disk comes from all over Europe and the Orient, as many details can be found in sources elsewhere. The moon that can be seen on the Sky Disc corresponds to a moon that can be seen in the sky 4.5 days after the new moon. An ancient cuneiform text from Babylonia (from the 7th to 3rd century BC) describes just such a moon: In the first month of the year; in the spring month of Nissan, one should pay attention to the crescent moon and the Pleiades, it reads. Why? Because this could provide information about the necessity of a leap year. This rule had probably already been encoded on the sky disk 1000 years earlier. In a society without writing, it was a template with which the real moon in the sky could be compared year after year to check whether it was already time for a leap year. Since the discovery of the Nebra Sky Disk, our ancestors can now be seen in a different light. They are credited with astronomical knowledge. The Aunjetitz culture does not appear to have developed its own writing. At least no evidence of this has been found to date. This separates this culture from the advanced civilizations of the time. The Nebra Sky Disk testifies that well-founded astronomical knowledge was already known throughout Europe and the Near East in the Bronze Age. It is no longer necessary to regard the Orient as the sole cradle of our astronomy. At the time when the Nebra Sky Disk was buried, Central Europe was in a state of upheaval. A culture was disappearing for no demonstrable reason. It can be assumed that the Sky Disk was buried as a kind of time capsule in order to preserve the astronomical knowledge of an entire culture for future generations. In Dalwitz, the erection of an interpreted version of this disk is a reminder of the continuing interest in astronomical events in our region. A walk in the sky in small steps "over the giant star disk" A walk in the sky is possible without much effort. All you have to do is put your head back and let your eyes wander over the firmament. In Dalwitz, the astronomical observation station offers comfortable wooden loungers for observing the sky for people who get dizzy easily. "All beginnings are difficult", says a popular saying. It can be the same with a sky walk. The star chart shows the summer starry sky with its many constellations close to the poles - the circumpolar constellations. You can also see the summer constellations, which form a fictitious triangle of their main stars. If you want to find your way around, you first have to find the Great Bear. As often only the rear part, the so-called Big Dipper, is clearly visible, it is often confused by laymen with a combination of Pegasus and Andromeda. In this case, it helps to check whether the three stars of the Big Dipper are bent downwards (towards the horizon). If they are, it is the Great Bear. Now the sky walk can begin. The drawbar stars of the Big Dipper are a good test for the eye. The middle Drawbar star is actually a double star. These are the stars Alkor and Mizar. If we now follow the curvature of the Drake, we come to the main star, Arcturus, of the constellation Bear's Keeper. We then extend our arc further to find the constellation of Virgo. Here we will notice Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. Similarly, we work out the position of the Pole Star, the cardinal points and find the constellation of Cassiopeia. There are other great routes depending on the time of year.