GINOP-KHK observatory

The GINOP-KHK observatory is located at Piszkéstető Station in the Mátra Mountains, near Mátraszentimre in Heves County, Hungary.

About GINOP-KHK observatory

The facility is operated by HUN-REN CSFK, the Hungarian Research Network's Centre for Astronomical and Earth Sciences Research, and is registered with the Minor Planet Center under observatory code K88. Astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky conducts observations at the site as part of Hungary's sky-survey and asteroid-tracking efforts.

Telescopes & research

The observatory drew international attention on 12 February 2023, when it detected the small asteroid 2023 CX1 roughly seven hours before it entered Earth's atmosphere, one of only a handful of asteroids ever spotted in advance of an atmospheric impact.

Location & getting there

Piszkéstető sits in the Mátra Mountains of Heves County in northern Hungary, an elevated, forested area that has long served as a hub for Hungarian astronomical research.

Visiting GINOP-KHK observatory

As a working research station under HUN-REN CSFK, visiting arrangements are best confirmed through the institute's official channels before travelling to the site.

See your named star from here

An observatory that can catch a small asteroid streaking toward Earth hours in advance is proof of how precisely astronomers can track a set of coordinates across the sky. The same principle applies to a named star: fix its position, and it can be found from a site like Piszkéstető just as reliably. Name a star and see its coordinates in our catalogue.