Astronomy in the city of Bonn began with Karl Dietrich von Münchow (1778-1836) and flourished under Friedrich Wilhelm August Argelander (1799-1875) (link in German only). The construction of the Bonn Observatory ("Sternwarte") in 1844 on Poppelsdorfer Allee marked the first significant development in the city's astronomical history, leading to a period of great advancement in the field. 

The capabilities of the Bonn Observatory, owned by the University of Bonn, were further expaneded by making the use of photographic advancements and, crucially, the purchase of a "Doppelrefraktor" (double refractor astrograph) through Karl Friedrich Küstner (1856-1936) in 1899.

After World War II, Friedrich Eberhard Becker (1900-1985) expanded Bonn's astronomy by establishing a branch of the Bonn observatory in Daun (Eifel), the "Observatorium Hoher List" (Hoher List Observatory), and by founding the "Radiosternwarte mit Außenstation Stockert" (Radio Observatory with the Stockert Outstation) in 1962, as well as the foundation of the "Instituts für Astrophysik und extraterrestrische Forschung" (Institute for Astrophysics and Extraterrestrial Research) in 1964. He also laid the groundwork for the founding of the "Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie" (Max-Plank-Institute for Radio Astronomy) in 1966, and the construction of the 100m telescope in Effelsberg in between 1967 and 1971. In 1973, Bonn astronomers moved into a shared institute building in "Auf dem Hügel" (road) in Bonn Endenich.

In 2006, the three branches, namely the Bonn Observatory, Institute for Radioastronomy and the Institute for Astrophysics and Extraterrestrial Research, merged to create the Argelander-Institute for Astronomy (AIfA). Today, the AIfA is home to ten research groups, representing the work of the University of Bonn astronomers.

Selected biographies of significant Bonn astronomers (German only):

Eduard Schönfeld (1828-1891) (Video)
Karl Friedrich Küstner (1856-1936) (Video)