Rozhen Observatory

Rozhen Observatory (Bulgarian: Национална астрономическа обсерватория - Рожен, НАО-Рожен; English: National Astronomical Observatory - Rozhen, NAO-Rozhen), also known as the Bulgarian National Astronomical Observatory, is an astronomical observatory, located in the Smolyan Province, 90 kilometers south of the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The nearest town, Chepelare, is 15 kilometers away. The observatory is owned and operated by the Institute of Astronomy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (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.[1][2] The Observatory is the largest in Southeastern Europe[3] 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.[4]

Rozhen Observatory
Large Telescope Dome of the Rozhen Observatory
OrganizationBulgarian Academy of Sciences
Observatory code 071 
LocationSmolyan Province, Bulgaria
Coordinates41°41′33″N 24°44′17″E
Altitude1759 m
WebsiteNAO-Rozhen
Telescopes
Ritchey-Chretien-Coude telescope200 cm
Cassegrain telescope60 cm Cassegrain reflector
Schmidt telescope50/70 cm
Solar Coronagraph telescope15 cm
Location of Rozhen Observatory
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

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.[3]

Telescopes
  • 200 cm Ritchey-Chretien telescope (supplied with Coude focus)[5]
  • 60 cm Cassegrain telescope
  • 50/70 cm Schmidt camera
  • 15 cm Solar telescope
Bogomil Kovachev, founder of the Rozhen Observatory, with a group of visiting Bulgarian scholars in the summer of 1987

WASP-3c & TTV

Transit Timing Variation (TTV), a variation on the transit method, was used to discover an exoplanet WASP-3c by Rozhen Observatory, Jena Observatory, and Toruń Centre for Astronomy.[6]

References
  1. http://www.vidin-online.com/grazhdani/prof-d-r-bogomil-kovachev : accessed 14 September 2015 (in Bulgarian)
  2. http://wop.fpni.eu/digital_pdf/wop/3_2012.pdf image 53 of 66 : accessed 14 September 2015 (in Bulgarian)
  3. http://nao-rozhen.org/history/fr_en.html : accessed 24 July 2020
  4. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(6267) Rozhen". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (6267) Rozhen. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 522. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_5763. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  5. http://www.nao-rozhen.org/telescopes/fr_en.htm
  6. http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-DS-Planet-Hunting-Finding-Earth-like-Planets-071910.aspx Archived 28 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine "Planet Hunting: Finding Earth-like Planets"
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