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BAADER PLANETARIUM GMBH: AN OVERVIEW

The Baader Planetarium Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) is a company based in Mammendorf, near Munchen (Munich) Germany. The company was established in 1966 for the purpose of making planetarium and observatory domes for use by professional astronomical observatories, planetaria. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland the GmbH suiffix indicates this is a business structured similar to a limited liability corporation (LLC) in the United States.

Since their founding they have sold more than 15,000 of their "Space Demonstrator" instruments. This is an Orrery demonstrating the movements of the sun, moon and all nine planets in our solar system, all within a 19.7 inch (50 cm) diameter globe. The globe brings the capability to project stars of the night sky onto the interior of a Projection Cuploa (curved dome) room. With Projection Cuploa's made in diameters as small as 8.2 foot (2.5 meter) in diameter, and as large as 19.6 feet (6 meters) this planetaria instrument is suitable for portable use in schools or the home. A larger 51 inch (1.3 meter) diameter system is also made by Baader for use in schools, universities, museums. Baader has also manufactured and installed several hundred astronomical observatory domes in a variety of sizes. They also perform service on astronomical telescopes.

The Baader Planetarium company does not manufacture telescopes presently however, since the early 1990's in particular they have introduced a number of highly perfected specialized products for use in astronomy that is making them more and more appreciated by the most demanding amateur astronomer.

In 1995, after the passing of Claus Baader the founder of Baader Planetarium, the "Astronomische Gesellschaft" (the German Society of Professional Astronomers) assigned Minor Planet 5658/1950DO the name "clausbaader", in honor of his lifelong work and achievements in astronomy education.

Today Baader Planetarium not only makes their own highly acclaimed products, but they also distribute third party items through Germany, Austria and Switzerland most notably by Astro-Physics and Carl Zeiss, but also including some consumer oriented names including Celestron, SBIG

Above: Thomas Baader, the owner of Baader Planetarium GmbH.

"Claus Baader, the founder of the modern company Baader Planetarium, had designed a sophisticated orrery in the early sixties, which was patented in 1966. It was one of the first astronomical instruments of German origin to be tested in the magazine "Sky and Telescope". It was Owen Gingerich, then at the Smithsonian Institute, Harvard University, who concluded:

.."Ingeniously engineered and constructed in Germany, this unit is without doubt the most sophisticated tellurion ever made available on a mass-produced basis .....The Baader instrument's most novel contribution and most spectacular effect has been achieved by enclosing the tellurion within a semiopaque plastic shell representing the celestial sphere. The motorized solar machine is readily viewed through the near side of the plastic shell; but the near and far sides combined appear virtually opaque, thus giving the remarkable effect of a darkened hemispherical canopy of stars regardless of the direction from which the mechanism is examined."

Throughout these 35 years, countless students in all the world have had their first encounters in "heavenly mechanics" with the aid of the "Baader Planetarium".

Over the years, the fine mechanical skills required for the elaborate gear systems in various sizes of Baader Planetarium Instruments (the largest being 1.3 Meter in diameter, with all nine planets and moons in their correct, geared orbits) have lead to producing a whole family of astronomical accessories to increase the capabilities of many astronomical telescopes.

Besides this, another branch inside the company already had produced huge numbers of projection domes for the Baader school type planetarium, which, twenty five years ago, eventually led to producing astronomical domes as well.

Today, some of these domes serve as remote controlled robotic observatories under world,s most adverse climactic conditions. One of our domes is situated at 2,965 Meter ( ~ 10,000 feet) above sea level, right at the very top of the "Zugspitze"- Germany's highest mountain. Another one serves at Europe's highest observatory at 3700 Meter above sea level at the "Jungfraujoch" in Switzerland, just beside the famous "Eiger-Northface". Both locations endure wind loads of measured 300 km/h (185 miles/h).

Whatever your requirements are in this wide field of Astronomy, we try hard to make your task a little easier and we give greatest care to our products, to have them made - not as cheap, but as good and affordable as ever possible.

You surely know about our patented "Baader AstroSolar Safety Film" - it is a good example of what we are constantly trying to achieve.

Try us - and be thanked for your trust.

Thomas Baader
Baader Planetarium GmbH
Mammendorf/Munich Germany"