Skalnate Pleso Observatory

The Astronomical Observatory at Skalnate Pleso is located near the Skalnate Pleso ('Rocky Lake') at the altitude of 1 786 above sea level. It was established in 1943 when the first observations were performed. There are two telescopes at the observatory at present. There is a 61cm (f/4.2) automated Newtonian telescope in the small dome (Jiří Drbohlav, Czech Republic) equipped with a sensitive CCD camera and a set of wideband filters for photometric observations of minor planets and comets. The big dome of the observatory shelters 1.3m (f/8.36) Nasmyth-Cassegrain telescope (Astelco GmbH, Germany). This is a fully automated instrument with an active optics system on a fast slewing alt-azimuth fork mount. There are several instruments available in the Nasmyth foci (high-dispersion échelle spectrograph, large-frame visual CCD cameras and an near-infrared CCD camera). The telescope is under tests at present but it will soon used for observations of the Solar-system bodies (comets, asteroids) and stellar objects (variable stars, exoplanet host stars). There is a modern vacuum coating device, which enables to deposit thin reflecting layers on the mirrors serving for both telescopes. The following figures illustrate the Skalnaté Pleso observatory and its instruments.

1.3m Cassegrain-Nasmyth telescope	61cm Newtonian reflecting telescope
Vacuum facility for coating mirrors (aluminium, silver, protective layers)	Bench-mounted high-dispersion échelle spectrograph

Coordinates: Longitude: 20° 14' 02" East, Latitude: 49° 11' 22" North, Altitude: 1 786 meters above sea level