The Jeseníky Petřkovská Observatory is celebrating 60 years, and it will undergo modernization this summer

Jeseník - The Petřkovský Observatory in the former convent of the Ursulines in Jeseník is set to undergo extensive modernization during the summer. The interior will be transformed according to the design by the architectural studio MAUR architekti, and experts will also replace the observation equipment, with renovations of the dome anticipated. Due to the renovations, the observatory will be closed during July and August, the spokesperson for the Jeseník town hall, Markéta Kaniová, informed ČTK today. The aim of the modernization is to transform the observatory, which has a sixty-year history, into a modern center for the exploration of the universe, intended for children, students, and adults.

"One of the main changes will be a significant upgrade of the main telescope. The current giant but outdated device will be replaced with a top-quality large diameter refractor that will allow detailed observations of planets and the Moon, and it will also be fully prepared to expand capabilities in the field of astrophotography," stated educator, astrologer, and science popularizer Martin Petrásek.

The modernization will also affect other instruments. A fully automated large binocular will be added, which is a telescope for observing with both eyes. Experts will also install the largest commercially available telescope for electronically-assisted astronomy. This will allow for the observation of even very faint deep space objects, despite light pollution in the city center.

According to the astrologer, visitors who come to the observatory during the day will also benefit. "There will be a special telescope available for observing the Sun not only in visible light but also in specific wavelengths of hydrogen lines. This device will allow the observation of not only sunspots but also prominences, filaments, the chromosphere, and other dynamic phenomena on the surface and in the atmosphere of the Sun," added Petrásek.

The costs amount to nearly 650,000 crowns excluding VAT. In support of the Jeseník Observatory, which is one of the smallest in the Czech Republic, a charity auction is also being held by the project Czech Path to Space until July 3; it is supported by astronaut Aleš Svoboda.

The observatory was founded in 1965 by physics teacher Vladimír Petřkovský. Today it is managed by the DUHA Leisure Centre in Jeseník. Astronomical clubs are regularly held here, and evening observations are organized for the public.