Cracow-Fort Skala observatory

The Cracow-Fort Skała Observatory, also known as the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Observatory, is an astronomy institute of Jagiellonian University sited in a former 19th-century fort roughly 10 kilometres west of Kraków, Poland.

About Cracow-Fort Skała Observatory

The observatory belongs to the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science at Jagiellonian University, one of Europe's oldest universities. It occupies Fort Skała, a semi-permanent fortification originally built in 1878 and reinforced with armour in 1884.

History

The fort was converted into an astronomical observatory and put into use in 1964, to mark the 600th anniversary of Jagiellonian University's founding. The site now includes five domes used for satellite and telescope observations.

Telescopes & research

Roughly 40 scientists are actively based at the observatory, working across fields including cometary physics, the photometry and modelling of variable stars, solar radio emission, extragalactic radio sources and active galactic nuclei, the interstellar and intergalactic medium, galactic physics, cosmic magnetic fields, and the large-scale structure of the universe.

Location & getting there

Fort Skała sits about 10 kilometres west of central Kraków, Poland, giving it somewhat darker skies than the city centre while remaining an easy trip from town.

Visiting Cracow-Fort Skała Observatory

As a university research institute, the observatory's public visiting arrangements are best confirmed directly with Jagiellonian University before travelling, since access may differ from a typical public-outreach observatory.

See your named star from here

A research site like Fort Skała has the equipment to locate almost any point in the sky, including the exact coordinates on your star naming certificate. Look up your star in the star catalogue to get its designation first.