- Modra Observatory
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Modra Observatory Code 118 Location Modra, Slovakia CoordinatesAltitude 531.10 m Established 1988 Website
http://www.daa.fmph.uniba.skTelescopes0.60 m reflector with CCD camera 0.20 m solar refractor with H-alpha filter 0.25 m educational Newton telescope with CCD camera 0.28 m public outreach Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope 0.28 m transiting exoplanets follow-up Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with CCD camera 
Modra observatory
The Astronomical Observatory of Modra (Slovak: Astronomické observatórium Modra), also known as Modra Observatory or the Astronomical and Geophysical observatory in Modra, is an astronomical observatory located in Modra, Slovakia. It is owned and operated by the Comenius University in Bratislava. The scientific research at the observatory is led by the Department of Astronomy, Physics of the Earth and Meteorology, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics.
The asteroid 11118 Modra discovered in this observatory is named in the honour of the town.[1]
Contents
About
The Astronomical and Geophysical observatory of Comenius University is located near the town of Modra and in the mountain range of Little Carpathians. The 3.5-hectare area contains several buildings and scientific instruments surrounded by beech forest. It lies on the middle trias quartzitic bedrock. It is accessible via a tourist trail or by the private paved road from Zochova chata. The main administrative building with the dome on the top contains the 0.60-metre Zeiss telescope with CCD camera and the 0.20-metre solar telescope with H-alpha filter. Within walking distance there are several buildings and pavilions with scientific devices, such as the magnetic pavilion (measurement of the Earth magnetic field), the seismic cell with the seismograph, the solar telescope dome, the dome with the Schumann resonances registration device and the meteor pavilion of photographic and video meteor detection. The upper building with the 5-metre dome has a small telescope for educational purposes and registration devices for GPS and forward scatter meteor radar of the Bologna-Lecce-Modra network (transceiver-receiver-receiver). The lower building, standing next to the pond, has a small convention center and housing facility for guests. Since 1988, continuous weather and meteorological observations are done. and the data provide a unique and homogenous climate record of the site. Further planned development of the observatory involves the building of an open-air amphitheatre.
Education and research
As a part of the Comenius University, the observatory provides research opportunity for students, and the staff offers guidance for the Master and PhD theses. The research is mainly aimed at the interplanetary matter. More than 160 asteroids were discovered from the observatory including two Near Earth Objects 2005 GB34 and 2008 UW5. The observation time is mostly assigned for the photometry of asteroids and comets and astrometry. The first observation of a transiting extrasolar planet in Slovakia was performed at the observatory. The solar physics researchers perform solar prominence and chromosphere features observations in the H-alpha line.
The observatory is also a member of the European bolide network and itself develops its own TV meteor grid. Besides photographic all-sky cameras, fish-eye all-sky semi-automated meteor detection devices are located at Modra observatory and near Tesárske Mlyňany. In addition to meteor detection, real time all-sky camera is able to detect also other phenomena, such as atmospheric sprites and elves (TLE).
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Main operation and administrative building of Modra observatory
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Winter time at the Modra observatory
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Lower building of the Modra observatory complex
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Leonid meteor shower detected at Modra observatory, bolides on single photographic plate
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Sprites detected above horizon at Modra observatory
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Active solar area as seen from Modra observatory
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Comet 17P/Holmes from Modra observatory
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Comet C/2004 Q2 Machholz from Modra observatory
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Aurora borealis from Modra observatory
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Climate record at the observatory site
References
External links
Categories:- Astronomical observatories in Slovakia
- Science and technology in Slovakia
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