IDENTIFICATION CARD OF THE ASTRONOMICAL CENTRE RIJEKA


Location: Sveti Križ Hill (45° 19’ 29’’ latitude N and 14° 28’ 59’’ longitude E), 3 km from the city centre Area: 545 m2 of closed space and 325 m2 of open space
Made possible by: 5 architects, 160 workers and 12 technical engineers

Investors: Rijeka sport Ltd., The City of Rijeka
Features:
- the largest project of technological culture in Croatia
- the only European astronomy centre located within city bus routes
- the nearest similar centre is as far as in Milan and Vienna


 

From idea to realisation:
The building of the contemporary Astronomical Centre Rijeka on the ridge of the Sveti Križ hill was built in 1941 as a military fortress for army in WWII.
Located in a park with Submediterranean vegetation.
As a result of the initiative and effort of the members of the Academic Association of Astronomy Rijeka and the support of the City of Rijeka, a telescope and a rotating dome were installed in 2001, an act which marked the beginning of the first astronomy observatory in Rijeka.
Astronomical Centre Rijeka is formed by interpolation of the new planetarium into the existing observatory fortress. Such a solution bears a symbolic meaning too. The observatory with the telescope is set within the dome (a real image of the universe) and separated from planetarium set in the geometric shape of a polyhedron (a simulated image of the universe). Both observatory and planetarium are facilities indispensable for better understanding of the astronomy and the world that surrounds us in its infinite distances.


Planning your visit:

Ticket reservations and advance sales:
- Rijeka Astronomical Centre information office Rijeka, Sveti Križ 33, Rijeka, Telephone 051/455 700 (15 min before the start of the presentation)
- Tourist Information Centre, Korzo 33a Rijeka, Telephone051/335 882
- www.kulturaplus.com
- automatic ticket machine on the Korzo
Group bookings should be pre-arranged between 5 and 6 p.m. by phone 051 455 700.
Planetarium tickets cost 20 kn for adults and 10 kn for children, students and pensioners.
Opening hours for the public: Presentations are held from Tuesday until Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m.


THE PLANETARIUM

Planetarium is a New Latin word for a device that depicted the positions and the motion of the planets around the Sun. Today this word is used for theatres with a brightly coloured dome onto which a complete image of the night sky is projected by digital projectors. The main purpose of the planetarium is to educate and make astronomy and related fields more popular, but it can also be used as a lecture hall and a venue for various events. Built in 2009, the planetarium hall in Rijeka is equipped with the cutting edge digital technology making it possible to experience a simulated, as well as an accurate image of the universe. Digital system of five projectors can display 118 000 stars, the Sun, the Moon, planets, the Milky Way and other objects in the heavens, various images and films. The projectors enable the observation of the night sky at any point in time and from any point on Earth.

Planetarium specifications:
Theatre: 50 seats (air-conditioned)
Dome: diameter 8 m
Projectors: In Space System (RSA Cosmos)


THE OBSERVATORY

In 1974, Academic Association of Astronomy was founded in Rijeka, aiming at developing astronomy and related fields and making them more accessible to the young population and general public. Ever since the early days of the Association, there has been a call for an observatory that would meet the needs of serious astronomical work and become a place of interest and education for a wider public. A more significant step forward in realising a long-lived dream was made in the late 1980s, but it wasn’t until 2001 that the dream finally came true. That was the year the Rijeka Observatory was built.
The observatory is a scientific institution equipped with astronomical instruments and devices for observing and studying the celestial objects and astronomical events.
The observatory contains the astronomical telescope MEAD LX 200, CCD camera, computers and other portable astronomical equipment which allows both professional and educational activities to be carried out. The Rijeka Observatory enables watching the Sun, the Moon, planets of the solar system, closer changeable stars, smaller bodies (e.g. comets, asteroids), as well as galaxies and nebulae.

Telescope specifications:
Telescope: MEADE LX 200
Clear aperture: 16 " (406,4 mm)
Maximum Practical Visual Power: 800X