Zagreb Observatory
Encyclopedia
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
: Zvjezdarnica) is the astronomical
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
located in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, the Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n capital, and founded in 1903. It is managed by the Zagreb Astronomical Society; its main purpose is educational.
Equipment and location
The main telescope under the dome is a 175/1400 mm TMB APO refracting telescope installed in September 2007. The old Zeiss 130/1950 mm telescope has been mounted in parallel and will, after the acquisition of the needed equipment, be use to photograph the Sun in the Hα line. The third telescope, a Coronado PST Hα 40/400 mm, is installed next to the main telescope and is used for visual observation of the Sun in the Hα line. There are also several smaller portable telescopes (Celestron 200/2000mm, Konus refractor 80/900mm etc.) and binoculars. The photo lab makes black and white photographs.The Observatory stands in the city center, a couple of streets away from the main city square. It is located in a tower called Popov Toranj (Priest's Tower), erected during the Tatar
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
scare in the 13th century and formerly owned by the Archbishop of Zagreb.
It comprises the last floor of the building complex in Opatička 22, with the telescope dome on a terrace. The Observatory premises include a lecture room for an audience of 50, a room for astrophotography
Astrophotography
Astrophotography is a specialized type of photography that entails recording images of astronomical objects and large areas of the night sky. The first photographs of an astronomical object were taken in the 1840s, but it was not until the late 19th century that advances in technology allowed for...
, 5 offices, a library and a small common space.
History
The Observatory was founded by the Croatian Society for Natural Sciences. The premises in Popov Toranj were provided by the city government, which gave the funds for the reconstruction and the installation of an astronomic dome and a telescope. The grand opening took place on December 5, 1903. The first manager of the Observatory was Oton KučeraOton Kucera
Oton Kučera was a Croatian astronomer. He played a crucial role by popularizing science and technology in Croatia...
, a major promoter of science in Croatia.
The international renown of the first observatory in the region was enhanced by August Kopff
August Kopff
August Kopff was a German astronomer who discovered several comets and asteroids. He worked in Heidelberg, then joined the Humboldt University of Berlin where he became the Director of the Institute for Astronomical Calculation.He discovered some comets, including periodic comet 22P/Kopff and the...
, an astronomer from Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. When he discovered the planetoid No. 589
589 Croatia
589 Croatia is a minor planet orbiting the Sun, discovered by Dr. August Kopff from Königstuhl-Heidelberg Observatory, with the use of the photographic method. In the moment of the discovery, the asteroid was 12,5mv and was in the constellation of Virgo...
in 1906, he named it "Croatia" in the honor of the new observatory.
Along with scientific work, the Observatory has always been used for popular science
Popular science
Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
, which flourished in the mid-20th century, when the Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
editions of the Observatory spread its name around the world. The observatory was closed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In the 1960s, a new electrical telescope was bought. The Observatory and the Croatian Astronomic Society made their greatest cultural contribution to Zagreb when they procured the planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
in 1963. It was donated to the Technical Museum, where it is still used.
In the mid-1980s, the Observatory building complex was thoroughly renovated. In 1992, a new dome was installed, the equipment and activities were modernized. Today, the Observatory is a gathering point of the lovers of astronomy and natural sciences. It traditionally holds lectures, stargazing sessions, astronomic education and other activities for the citizens. Its scientific work regarding the physics of the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
is done together with the Hvar
Hvar
- Climate :The climate of Hvar is characterized by mild winters and warm summers. The yearly average air temperature is , 686 mm of precipitation fall on the town of Hvar on average every year and the town has a total of 2800 sunshine hours per year. For comparison Hvar has an average of 7.7...
Observatory.