Hvar Observatory almost destroyed in a forest fire

Written by Jaša Čalogović Wednesday, 12 September 2018 12:31

A forest fire broke out at a distance of 500 meters from the Hvar Observatory on Tuesday, September 11, 2018, at about 4:30 pm. Since the very strong wind was blowing in the direction of the Observatory, the fire spreaded quickly to the telescope domes and Napoleon fortress. The dome of Austrian-Croatian telescope was saved from fire that approached less than few meters from the building thanks to the great efforts of 40 firefighters from Hvar, Stari Grad and Jelsa. The fire was localized around 6 pm with the help of 3 firefighting planes. Luckily, the bigger damages were avoided and the fire didn’t damage any object of the Observatory Hvar, but in total about 5 ha of low vegetation were burnt down. Pictures and video of the fire near Observatory are available below.

Read more: Hvar Observatory almost destroyed in a forest fire

Total Moon eclipse at Hvar Observatory

Written by Jaša Čalogović Sunday, 29 July 2018 12:05

On 27th July 2018 the total Moon eclipse was also visible from Hvar Observatory. This time the eclipse was one of the longest (almost 2 hours) and very dark since the Moon was passing directly through the middle of the Earth’s shadow. It started at 20:30 h with a maximum at 22:22 h and ended at 23:13 h. About 30 local people and children from Hvar gathered at Hvar Observatory and enjoyed the show on the sky. Mars was also visible near the Moon and it was very bright due to the closest position to the Earth (opposition) in last 15 years. Beside the Moon and Mars on the evening sky were also visible Jupiter and Saturn. All visitors had a chance to look all these objects trough the portable 10-inch telescope.

First results from ALMA published in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Written by Jaša Čalogović Thursday, 31 May 2018 11:45

On 23rd May, Astronomy & Astrophysics published Brajša et al. paper “First analysis of solar structures in 1.21 mm full-disc ALMA image of the Sun” on the cover page where the first results using the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) for solar observations were presented. The aim of the paper was to identify different structures and their intensities in the solar atmosphere in full-disc solar ALMA images. ALMA is currently the largest radio telescope in the world and it is composed of 66 high-precision antennas, which operate on wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm.

Lecture about meteorology in Hvar elementary school

Written by Jaša Čalogović Thursday, 26 April 2018 13:41

On 24th April, dr. sc. Jaša Čalogović gave a lecture about the meteorology (“Meteorologija – kako prognozirati kakvo će vrijeme biti u Hvaru?”) in the Hvar elementary school. After the lecture the pupils were divided in several groups and a small quiz related to meteorology was organized. Beside the questions, pupils became the synoptic map of the Europe with aim to make alone the weather forecast for Hvar. The symbolic prizes (sweets and chocolate) were given to the best teams that obtained the highest number of points in quiz.

ISSI workshop in Bern

Written by Jaša Čalogović Monday, 16 April 2018 23:45

From April 8 to 13, 2018 Bojan Vršnak attended the International Team Meeting of the team Manuel Luna: "Large-Amplitude Oscillations as a Probe of Quiescent and Erupting Solar Prominences", held at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland. Bojan Vršnak tasks were related to the oscillations of prominence-carrying magnetic flux ropes, implications for the stability and loss of equilibrium. He also gave a talk on physical background of prominence oscillations entitled "Coronal and Prominence Diagnostics based on Prominence Oscillations".

Public lecture about solar eruptive activity

Written by Jaša Čalogović Sunday, 25 March 2018 00:00

On March 22, 2018, Bojan Vršnak gave a public lecture on the physical background of eruptive processes on the Sun. The lecture held at the public library "Bogdan Ogrizović" was organized by Croatian Natural Society (Hrvatsko prirodoslovno društvo, HPD). In the lecture entitled "Solar Eruptive Activity" (Sunčeva eruptivna aktivnost), he presented basic mechanisms that cause various forms of solar eruptions, their space-weather consequences and effects in geospace. Pictures from lecture are available here. 

Winter fairytale at Hvar Observatory

Written by Jaša Čalogović Thursday, 01 March 2018 00:00

Snow at Hvar and other islands in Dalmatia is quite rare and it happens just for a short time usually once in few years. Cold weather in Europe at the end of February followed with north and cold wind Bora was the reason for snow on Hvar and other nearby islands. It is quite strange to experience Hvar in such white winter atmosphere and we publish several pictures from 27 February to illustrate that.

Picture Gallery

Space weather lecture at Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts

Written by Jaša Čalogović Friday, 02 February 2018 00:00

On January 24, 2018, Bojan Vršnak gave a public lecture on the space weather, organized by Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts and Croatian Science Foundation, on the occasion of receiving the international award Kristian Birkeland Medal for Space Weather and Space Climate. In the lecture entitled "Influence of Solar Activity on the Earth", he presented the history and basic objectives of space-weather, as well as the related research activity at the Hvar Observatory.

Dr. Bojan Vršnak received the eminent international prize for outstanding scientific research in the field of space weather

Written by Jaša Čalogović Tuesday, 28 November 2017 00:00

On Monday, November 27, 2017, during the 14th European Space Weather Week, held in the Belgian town Oostende, Dr. Bojan Vršnak was awarded with the eminent international award "Kristian Birkeland Medal" for outstanding scientific contributions to the space weather and space climate. This award is given every year since 2013 to the best scientists by the European Space Agency, the Belgian Solar-Terrestrial Center of Excellence and the Space Weather Working Team, in collaboration with the scientific magazine Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate.

Read more: Dr. Bojan Vršnak received the eminent international prize for outstanding scientific research in the field of space weather

XVth Hvar Astrophysical Colloquium

Written by Jaša Čalogović Sunday, 01 October 2017 00:00

XVth Hvar Astrophysical Colloquium "45 years of Hvar Observatory and 20 years of ACT: The role of 1-m class telescopes now and in the future" will be organized from 17 to 20 October 2017 in Hotel Amfora, Hvar, Croatia. The meeting is held under the auspices of the Croatian Astronomical Society and sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Education, Republic of Croatia. The scientific sessions will include following topics: scientific results of the 1-m ACT in past 20 years, possibilities for upgrade and future observing plans, current and future collaborations.

Scientific programme