Walter and Waltraud under the Milky Way
The terms Hakos Guest Farm and Astronomy are inseparable since the opening of the guest farm in 1998. Walter Straube, founder of the guest farm, has been hosting astro-guests since the 1970’s on his neighbouring farm Hohenheim. The high altitude and clear view (23° 14′ south, 16° 22′ east, 1832m above sea level) classifies this area on an international scale as one of the 10 best locations for astronomy. For this reason, amateur astronomers visit Hakos every year, especially during the clear, dry winter months. During this time the nights may be very cold but the days are filled with sunshine and blue skies.
Our average Seeing is between 1.5 and 2 arc-seconds and at times we have values below 1 arc-second.
Hakos boasts three observatories, the Vehrenberg Observatory, the Henning Observatory and the Rock Observatory. Furthermore, we have observing platforms as well as freestanding telescopes and other instruments that are rented to guests.
We wish to thank the following companies, associations and regular visitors for the provision and use of their equipment: MPIA / Gamsberg, Intercon Spacetec, Urania/Antwerp, Dr. Thomas Schröfl, Christoph Niederhametner, Wolfgang Weiser, Dr. Thorsten Neckel, Werner Möhler, Reinhard Claus, Roland Herdfelder and Paul Trinkler.
The International Amateur Observatory (IAS) has one of its observatories on Hakos. Members have access to various telescopes, including an 80 cm mirror telescope.
Night snack:
We offer our astro-guests tea, coffee and a snack to warm up and help them make it through the night.