Visual Observatory at Telescope hosting site in Piconcillo, Andalusia, Spain
38˚10‘30.79“N, 05°27‘25.39“W
A new observing place connected with the new project. The visual observatory is at the same time the control room for managing the entire hosting facility. The telescope is the same model as Yogajtódo in Kolonica. 16″ Skywatcher GoTo Dobson. Aperture 400 mm, focal length 1800 mm, resulting in an F/4.5 focal ratio. Collapsible tube design. Here, a different name for the new telescope was chosen: “ARDILLA.” In Spanish, this means “squirrel.” Those familiar with the local realities know exactly why such a name was chosen.
| Skywatcher 16”, Newton GoTo | Main | Finder |
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 405 / 1860 | 50 / 300 |
| Eyepiece Explore scientific focal length/ FOV | 2″ 24 mm/ 82° | – |
| Eyepiece Explore scientific focal length/ FOV | 1.25″ 24 mm/ 68° | – |
| Eyepiece Explore scientific focal length/ FOV | 1.25″ 6.7 mm/ 82° | – |
| Mount | Dobson | with GoTo |
| Typical observing program | Dwarf novae outbursts | Symbiotics and semiregular variables |
Tramtarian National Observatory, Kolonica, Slovakia
48°56’10.6″N, 22°16’30.6″Е
The private, garden observatory where I moved with 12″ Dobsonian Chermelin after the end of the contract at the Vihorlat Observatory.
| Chermelin 30cm Newtonian | Main | Finder | Typical observing program |
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 300 / 1500 | 50 / 300 | Cataclysmic variables – visual monitoring for outbursts |
| ZOOM Eyepiece focal length | 24 – 8 mm | – | The majority of visual estimates were done with this instrument in the observatory in Podbiel village |
| Mount | Dobson | – |
Astronomical Observatory on Kolonica Sadle, Slovakia
48°56’06.0″N, 22°16’26.0″Е
Observing site of the Vihorlat Observatory in Humenné. I have been working at this place since 2006 to 2025. More on http://www.astrokolonica.sk/
Telescopes for CCD and CMOS photometry
| VNT | Main | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 1000 / 9000 | 300 / 1500 |
| CCD, binning | FLI PL 1001E, 2×2 | WATEC 902H |
| Chip size [px], pixel size [μm] | 512 x 512, 48 x 48 | 320 x 240, 5.6 x 5.6 |
| Scale [arcsec/px] | 1.11 | 0.8 |
| FOV [arcmin] | 9.47 x 9.47 | 4.1 x 3.0 |
| Readout noise [e-] / gain [e- per ADU] | 8.26 / 2.39 | |
| Filters | B, V, Rc, Ic, Clear | |
| Mount | Fork equatorial without GoTo | |
| Typical observing program | Intermediate polars |
| ONTC | Main |
|---|---|
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 406 / 1800 |
| CMOS, binning | MII C4-16000, 1×1 |
| Filters | B, V, Rc, Ic, Halpha, OIII, SII |
| Chip size [px], pixel size [μm] | 4096 x 4096, 9 x 9 |
| Scale [arcsec/px] | 1.02 |
| FOV [arcmin] | 70.41 x 70.41 |
| readout noise [e-] / gain [e- per ADU] | 3.9 / 0.85 |
| Mount | German equatorial, 10 Micron GM3000, no guiding needed |
| Typical observing program | Flickering and superhumps in Cataclysmic Variables; Astrophoto campaign – nova super-remnants. |
Spectroscopy
| Spectrograph NOU-T on C14 telescope | Main | Guide | Finder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 356 / 3000 with reducer | off whole | 80 / 325 |
| CCD, binning | ATIK-460ex, 2×2 | Starlight Express SXVR-H9, 1×1 | MI G1-2000 |
| Chip size [px], pixel size [μm] | 1374 x 1099, 9.08 x 9.08 | 1392 x 1040, 6.45 x 6.45 | 1628 x 1236, 4.4 x 4.4 |
| Scale [arcsec/px] | – | 0.9 | 2.79 |
| FOV [arcmin] | – | 10.3 x 7.7 | 75.7 x 57.5 |
| Resolution power | 11000 | – | |
| Mount | German equatorial | Celestron Edge HD CGE Pro 1400 | |
| Typical observing program | Novae | Symbiotics stars |
| Spectrograph UVEX on RC16 telescope | Main | Guide | Simultaneous photometry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 408 / 3200 | off slit | 280 / 1500 |
| CCD, binning | ZWO ASI 183 MM Pro, 1×1 | ZWO ASI 174 MM Mini, 2×2 | MI G2-1600, 1×1 |
| Chip size [px], pixel size [μm] | 5496 x 1000, 2.4 x 2.4 | 968×608, 11.72 x 11.72 | 1536 x 1024, 9 x 9 |
| Scale [arcsec/px] | – | 0.76 | 1.24 |
| FOV [arcmin] | – | 12.2 x 7.7 | 31.6 x 21.1 |
| Filters | B, V, Rc, Ic, Clear | ||
| Resolution power | 1500 | – | |
| Mount | Alt – acimuthal | 10 Micron AZ2000 DT | dual mount |
| Typical observing program | Novae | Symbiotics stars |
Visual observations
| Skywatcher 16”, Newton GoTo | Main | Finder |
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 405 / 1860 | 50 / 300 |
| Eyepiece Explore scientific focal length/ FOV | 24 mm/ 68° | – |
| Eyepiece Explore scientific focal length/ FOV | 6.7 mm/ 82° | – |
| Mount | Dobson | with GoTo |
| Typical observing program | Dwarf novae outbursts | |
| Binocular APM | ||
| Aperture x magnification | 100 x 30 | |
| Mount | Alt-acimuthal |
M. R. Štefánik Observatory, Hlohovec, Slovakia
48°25’10.2″N 17°47’48.7″E
I had several opportunities to work with the observatory equipment in Hlohovec, western Slovakia. Regularly, I do remote observations with the main instrument – the Csere telescope.
| Csere telescope Zeiss made | Main | Guide – Zeiss photolense |
|---|---|---|
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 600 / 2400 | 180 / 1000 |
| CCD, binning | Atik 383L+, 2×2 | Lodestar, 1×1 |
| Chip size [px], pixel size [μm] | 1677 x 1264, 10.8 x 10.8 | 762×580, 8.6 x 8.6 |
| Scale [arcsec/px] | 0.93 | 1.77 |
| FOV [arcmin] | 25.95 x 19.56 | 22.53 x 17.15 |
| Readout noise [e-] / gain [e- per ADU] | 7 / 0.41 | |
| Filters | U, B, V, Rc, Ic, Clear | – |
| German equatorial mount | Zeiss made, semi-automated | No meridian flip |
| Typical observing program | Cataclysmic variables | I operate the telescope of the Hlohovec observatory remotely |
Former private observatory in Podbiel, Orava, Slovakia
49°18’20.6″N, 19°29’05.5″E
As an amateur visual observer, I made more than 40,000 visual estimates of variable stars from that place between 1998 and 2006.
Solar dos Esmeraldos, Ponta do Sol, Madeira
32°41’20.4″N, 17°05’31.2″W
Observing site on Madeira island. The playground behind the basic school in Lombada is relatively well protected against street lights. Visual observations with a modest Zennox 76/700 telescope and a Dobson 200/1400 are performed during winter stays on the island. Educational observations for the public (local and tourists) are performed as well.
| Kamenicky 20 cm Newtonian” | Main | Finder | Typical observing program |
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 200 / 1400 | 20 / 150 | Semiregular and Symbiotics + brighter Cataclysmic variables |
| Televue eyepieces focal length | 26 and 8 mm | – | The first telescope used for regular variable star observing. First light in 1999. Transported to Madeira in 2020. |
| Mount | Dobson | – |
| Zennox Newtonian | Main | Finder | Typical observing program |
| Aperture/ Focal length [mm] | 76 / 700 | 10 / 150 | Semiregular and Symbiotics |
| Televue Eyepiece focal length/FOV | 20 mm/ 52° | – | The first telescope used in Madeira. First light in 2018. |