Astronomical Station Vidojevica

On Mt. Vidojevica, above Prokuplje in southern Serbia, the Astronomical Station Vidojevica occupies one of the country's few remaining patches of genuinely dark night sky, at 1,150 metres elevation.

About the observatory

Vidojevica is operated by the Belgrade Observatory, itself founded in 1887, through its dedicated AS Vidojevica team. Construction of the modern station began in 2005 and has continued since, eventually producing five facilities: a living building with capacity for 10 people, four observation pavilions, and a meeting hall.

Telescopes & research

The station's flagship instrument is the 1.4-metre Milanković telescope, installed in 2016 and fully robotic, the largest telescope in Serbia. It's joined by the 60cm Nedeljković telescope, installed in 2011 and named after Milan Nedeljković (1857-1950), the first director of the Belgrade Observatory, plus a 40cm Meade telescope and a 60cm Cassegrain telescope. The site is also equipped with wireless internet, an automatic meteorological station, an all-sky camera, and a seeing monitor.

Location & getting there

The station sits at 1,150 metres on Mt. Vidojevica, near Prokuplje in southern Serbia, prized precisely because it remains one of the few places in the country largely free of light pollution.

Visiting

As a working research station with overnight accommodation for staff and researchers, general public access is best confirmed with the Belgrade Observatory before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

Serbia's largest telescope, under some of the country's darkest skies, is a striking place to seek out a named star by its coordinates. Find your star's right ascension and declination in the star catalogue before enquiring about a visit.