The Astronomical Observatory of Belogradchik or Belogradchik Observatory is an astronomical

Astronomy

Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...

 observatory

Observatory

An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...

 owned and operated by Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy is autonomous and has a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members...

. It is located near the town of Belogradchik

Belogradchik

Belogradchik is a town in Vidin Province, Northwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of the homonymous Belogradchik Municipality. The town, whose name literally means "small white town," is situated in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains just east of the Serbian border and about 50 km...

 in northwestern Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

.

History

Built in 1961 by a group of astronomy enthusiasts led by high school physics teacher Hristo Kostov, Belogradchik Observatory became the first school observatory in Bulgaria. From 1964 to 1971 it was used as an auxiliary observation base. In 1974, Bugarian Academy of Sciences took over operation.

Equipment

The observatory started out with a single 15 cm Cassegrain

Cassegrain reflector

The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and radio antennas....

 telescope, then added on an 60 cm Cassegrain telescope in 1965. In 1994 another telescope was added, a 14 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain model.