Rozhen Observatory (, ''НАО-Рожен''; , ''NAO-Rozhen''), also known as the Bulgarian National Astronomical Observatory, is an

astronomical observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

, located in the Smolyan Province, 90 kilometers south of the city of

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. The nearest town,

Chepelare Chepelare ( ) is the principal town in Chepelare Municipality, part of Smolyan Province in Southern Bulgaria. It is situated in the central part of the Rhodopes, on the banks of Chepelare River. Chepelare is a popular winter resort with one o ...

, is 15 kilometers away. The observatory is owned and operated by the Institute of Astronomy of the

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; , ''Bŭlgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated БАН) is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy, with headquarters in Sofia, is autonomous and consists of a S ...

(BAS). It was officially opened on 13 March 1981, almost 20 years after Bogomil Kovachev – a professor of astronomy at BAS, known as its founder – had started working towards that goal. The Observatory is one of the largest in Southeastern Europe and has an active team of about 50 astronomers. It is the principal center for astronomical research in Bulgaria. The minor planet 6267 Rozhen, was discovered at, and named after the observatory. With its total cost of over $10 million at the time, it still remains to day the largest one-time investment in scientific infrastructure that Bulgaria ever made. ;Telescopes * 200 cm Ritchey-Chretien telescope (supplied with Coude focus) * 150 cm Ritchey-Chrétien-Nasmyth telescope * 60 cm Cassegrain telescope * 50/70 cm Schmidt camera * 15 cm

Solar telescope A solar telescope or a solar observatory is a special-purpose telescope used to observe the Sun. Solar telescopes usually detect light with wavelengths in, or not far outside, the visible spectrum. Obsolete names for Sun telescopes include helio ...

WASP-3c & TTV

Transit Timing Variation Transit-timing variation is a method for detecting exoplanets by observing variations in the timing of a transit method, transit. This provides an extremely sensitive method capable of detecting additional planets in the system with masses potent ...

(TTV), a variation on the transit method, was used to discover an exoplanet WASP-3c by Rozhen Observatory,

Jena Observatory Astrophysikalisches Institut und Universitäts-Sternwarte Jena (AIU Jena, Astrophysical Institute and University Observatory Jena, or simply Jena Observatory) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Friedrich Schiller University of ...

, and Toruń Centre for Astronomy.http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-DS-Planet-Hunting-Finding-Earth-like-Planets-071910.aspx "Planet Hunting: Finding Earth-like Planets"

References

External links

Official site

Bulgarian National Astronomical Observatory

Home Institute site

{{Portal bar, Bulgaria, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Astronomical observatories in Bulgaria Buildings and structures in Smolyan Province

WASP-3c & TTV

See also

References

External links