Modra Observatory

Modra Observatory

Modra observatory in 2009
Code	118
Location	Modra, Slovakia
Coordinates	48°22′24″N 17°16′26″E / 48.373273°N 17.274021°E / 48.373273; 17.274021Coordinates: 48°22′24″N 17°16′26″E / 48.373273°N 17.274021°E / 48.373273; 17.274021
Altitude	531.10 m
Established	1988
Website	www.daa.fmph.uniba.sk
Telescopes
0.60 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
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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 at this observatory is named in the honor of the town.

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's 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, consists of a small conference room and housing facility for guests. Since 1988, continuous weather and meteorological observations are done, therefore, the data provide a unique and homogenous climate record of the site. In 2012 open-air amphitheater with seating, screen, projector and sound system was built for the public outreach purposes.