Doing Astronomy at Stockholm Observatory, 1753-1931

by Prof. Johan Kärnfelt (UGOT)

Friday 14 Nov 2025, 10:30 → 11:30 Europe/Stockholm

FC61 (AlbaNova Main Building)

Until 1973, the Department of Astronomy at Stockholm University was one of several departments operating under the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The university’s present-day professors of astronomy were once Academy Astronomers—many of whom lived and worked at the Stockholm Observatory. Established in 1753 on the northern outskirts of Stockholm, the Observatory played a central role in Swedish astronomy for nearly two centuries. However, the city’s rapid expansion eventually necessitated a relocation to Saltsjöbaden in 1931 (while formally retaining the historic name “Stockholm Observatory”). This talk will trace the history of the first observatory and explore what it meant to practice astronomy in earlier periods, highlighting how the scientific and instrumental contexts of astronomy have evolved over time.