The First Astronomical Observatory in Bulgaria will be Entirely Renovated

By the end of summer, the renovation of the buildings of the Astronomical Observatory of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Borisova Gradina Park in Sofia will have been commenced. This is the first astronomical observatory in Bulgaria – the old building and its big dome were finished in 1897 - 30 years before the main building of Sofia University was built. There Prof. Bachvarov observed Halley's Comet in 1910. The launch of the first artificial Earth satellites was also observed from there. Today, Sofia’s residents continue to look at the stars through a 120-year-old telescope, and the interest in the starry sky, astronomy and the mysteries of the universe has not subsided. After the restoration is completed, Sofia will offer again interesting meetings with the stars through the “eyes” of modern telescopes, a CCD camera and the first telescope on a permanent mount in Bulgaria, which has been in the observatory since 1897.