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Research
SLR
Short light pulses (<100 picoseconds) generated by a laser are sent through a telescope to a satellite and reflected by on-board corner cube retro-reflectors back to the telescope. The precisely measured time of flight and the well-known speed of light immediately lead to the distance of the satellite from the observing station at the time of observation. The accuracy of the range measurement is in the order of a few millimeters to about ...
GNSS
First computer programs for the analysis of GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking data were developed at the AIUB in the 1980's when GPS started to become interesting for geodetic applications. Today the GNSS group of the AIUB is developing and maintaining a large software package ...
CCD
Optical observations have been playing an essential role at the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) since its establishment in 1922. Such observations were first performed at the Muesmatt observatory, then at the Zimmerwald observatory (built 1956 by Prof. Max Schürer). The Zimmerwald observatory was extensively used for astrometric purposes. More than 100 asteroids and ...
History
Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), citizen of Basel, belongs - together with members of the Bernoulli family - to the outstanding scientists of the 18th century. Uncountable discoveries in the fields of Mathematics, Astronomy, and Physics have to be ascribed to him or have their origin in his works. Euler’s life and scientific achievements were acknowledged in the commemoration of the 200st anniversary of his death ...