Bükki Star

Bükki Star, officially the Bükk Astronomical Observatory (Bükki Csillagda), sits at 635 metres altitude near the village of Répáshuta in Hungary's Bükk region.

About Bükki Star

Opened on 8 March 2022 and run by the Bükk National Park Directorate, the site combines an observatory with a visitor centre, inside an International Dark Sky Association silver-rated starry sky park, a designation the area has held since June 2017.

Telescopes & research

The main instrument is a 61 cm Dall-Kirkham astrograph, the largest telescope in Hungary. Alongside it, the centre houses a meteorite exhibition said to be unrivalled in the country, including specimens from the Moon and Mars, and a planetarium with a 3D cinema, an aluminium dome screen, four laser projectors and 50 tilted seats.

Location & getting there

The observatory is set on high ground in the Bükk hills near Répáshuta, Hungary, chosen for genuinely dark skies; under good conditions visitors can see roughly 2,000 to 3,000 stars, compared with only a few dozen visible from a large city.

Visiting Bükki Star

The centre is open Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 16:00, and on Saturday nights it runs observation programmes with astronomers plus mobile telescopes set up on the terrace. It can be reached on +36 36 412 791 for current details.

See your named star from here

Under one of Hungary's darkest officially recognised skies, a named star's coordinates are put to proper use. Name a star or check the catalogue for its exact position before your visit.