Sonnenturm Uecht

Sonnenturm Uecht is a professionally operated private observatory in Niedermuhlern, within Switzerland’s Gantrisch Nature Park. It is dedicated to long-term monitoring of solar activity and the observation of stars, meteors and the surrounding sky. Its facilities include multiple telescopes for studying the Sun in white light, calcium light and H-alpha, as well as spectrographs that track changes in solar activity.

At night, the observatory’s instruments support photometric and spectroscopic observations of Sun-like stars, variable stars and flare stars, including measurements of exoplanet transits. All-sky cameras and radio telescopes are used to observe meteor showers and fireballs. Webcams, a professional weather station, a cloud sensor and a sky-quality meter provide live views and environmental data.

Much of the equipment can be operated remotely or automatically. Sonnenturm Uecht also offers on-site tours and live demonstrations of solar activity for individuals and small groups of up to about eight people, by request. It can additionally provide external supervision for Swiss secondary-school research projects by mutual agreement