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The Bochum popular - or as also known the educational - observatory was founded in 1946. The observatory is working and can be visited today.

The Bochum observatory and research institute was founded in 1946, by Heinz Kaminski German chemical engineer and space researcher. On the obverse of a silver medal issued for the 25-year anniversary of existence of the observatory the observatory's building, the 20-meter diameter parabolic radar antennae, and the radar containing Radome (Radar dome) is displayed. Above the building to the left the waning crescent moon, to the right the Big Dipper can be seen. The legend - surrounded by laurel wreaths – says: "25 JAHRE", i. e. 25 years, and "STERNWARTE BOCHUM", meaning Bochum observatory. Below small number 1000, indicating that the coin is made of pure silver. On the left placed at the entrance of the building a small sign ic, probably represents the medalist of the coin.

Bochum Observatory obverseBochum observatory hátlap

On the reverse the founding Professor Kaminski portrait facing to the right, underneath his autograph, his name above is visible. The professor, who was born in 1921 became famous in 1957 when he was the first man outside the Soviet Union who detected the Sputnik 1 radio signals by a radio antenna set up in the meadow in front of his house. In 1961 he took over the leadership of the observatory he founded. He dealt with space exploration and not astronomy. The institute that he created became involved in the international research, and in 2009 first in Europe managed to catch the radar echoes from Venus. Kaminski did not live to see this, in 2002 at the age of 80 he died.