Modra Observatory

Modra Observatory is a research facility set within beech forests at 531 meters elevation, equipped with an eight-meter dome housing a sixty-centimeter Zeiss telescope. The site covers 3,5 hectares and includes a CCD camera for detailed astronomical observations.

The observatory was established in 1988 and operates under Comenius University in Bratislava. It functions through the Department of Astronomy, Physics of the Earth, and Meteorology, serving as a research hub since its founding.

The facility actively participates in education by supporting Master and PhD research projects while maintaining continuous meteorological observations for regional climate records.

Visitors can reach the site via an asphalt road from the tourist area or by hiking trails. Public visits are available on Sundays between 14:30 and 16:30.

The facility has discovered 175 numbered and 34 unnumbered asteroids, and recorded Slovakia's first observation of a transiting extrasolar planet. These discoveries place it among important contributors to international astronomy research.

Location: Modra

Official opening: 1988

Elevation above the sea: 531.1 m

Operator: Univerzita Komenského

Opening Hours: Sunday 14:30-16:30

Phone: +421336475261

Website: http://daa.fmph.uniba.sk

GPS coordinates: 48.37327,17.27402

Latest update: December 14, 2025 12:26