Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences (AISAS)

NEWS

2024/02/22: finally, the LSO summer intership program is over. We plan to repeat it in the next years but it might be that a reconstruction of the cable car to Lomnicky Stit and/or reconstruction of the Lomnicky Stit Observatory will prevent organizing the program in particular years.

2024/02/21: Presentations, used for lectures of the program, are at the disposal for the participated students.
2024/08/19: a short, fresh, nice video on the LSO summer internship was prepared by Yasmin and Patryk
2024/07/29: the improved detail information for the cable car ticket 1 purchase in Tatranska Lomnica - Travel detail information
2024/07/28: some pictures of students at the LSO added
2024/07/10: more detailed plan of the internship program is added
2024/07/09: more details about the hiking & climbing to/from/around the LSO was added
2024/06/19: list of the selected students and their information about selection
2024/06/18: detail of transportation by cable cars to the LSO added
2024/04/30: announcement of the program and the web page

GENERAL INFORMATION

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The internship will consist of lectures on Lomnicky Stit Observatory itself, on the LSO observing instruments and their principles (coronagraph, Lyot filter, CoMP-S instrument), on coronagraphic observations of the Sun (pointing system), on the LSO data reduction: CoMP-S data, and lectures on research of solar activity. Some hands-on exercises on the coronagraphic spectroscopic observations of prominences and analysis of the spectroscopic data of prominences will be part of the internship as well. The more detail plan of the intership can be found at the internship time plan page.

FEE & ACCOMMODATION & FOOD

Fee: the internship is free of charge for the selected students.
Accommodation: free of charge (2 double rooms, shared bathroom and kitchen).
Food: cost of food, purchase of food, its delivery to the observatory and cooking is at the expense and duty of the students (at the Lomnicky Stit mountain, there is only a cafe in the building of the cable car company, not a restaurant. So no food can be ordered there). Moreover, no food delivery services can provide you with food at the LSO.

OBSERVATORY DETAILS

The observatory is located at the Lomnicky stit mountain summit in the High Tatras at the altitude of 2633 m asl (3D scan of Lomnicky stit summit area). It can be reached only by the commercial cable cars operating from Tatranska Lomnica to the Lomnicky stit. The observatory building is quite small with really small rooms and a general feeling there might be not very comfortable for some people. You can check the indoors of the LSO in advance by viewing the LSO virtual guided tour (PDF file). Besides the students, there will be another 1 to 3 persons more at the LSO.

Students will be accommodated in a double sleeping room (two separate beds) with a fully equipped bed (bed sheets, quilt, pillow). The bathrooms (WC, washing basin, shower) and the kitchen (gas stove, electric oven, microwave oven, kettle, fridge, utensils, cups, cutlery) are shared. Potable water for drinking is available as well.

There is no restaurant at the Lomnicky Stit. So, the students have to purchase and transport to the LSO all the foodstuff they will need themselves. Just some basic ingredients will be available from our resources (e.g. salt, sugar). Cooking is also up to students.
A wireless internet connection will be provided for student's devices.

TRAVEL

To reach the LSO, you have to travel at first to Tatranska Lomnica (train, bus, car). Then, you have to use three subsequent cable cars from Tatranska Lomnica to Lomnicky stit summit. The total cost of the cable car ticket is ~105 euros. Unfortunately, no financial support from the AI SAS is possible for your travel expenses. Details of the cable car transportation and puchase of the tickets can be found here (TXT file).

DATES

Announcement: 01/05/2024
Deadline for application: 14/06/2024
Decision on the selected students: 19/06/2024

WARNING

Due to the high altitude and limited location of the LSO, we would like to advise students to apply only when they have no heart, lung, or low air pressure problems and with no fear of heights or closed spaces. Notice, please, that the air pressure at the mountain summit is only ~3/4 of the nominal pressure at the sea level.

The selected students should come to the LSO only if they have a perfect health status (no cold, etc.). Be aware that in case of health problems at the LSO, the rescue service possibilities are very limited and completely self-help (defibrillator is available). An external rescue might come to the LSO only in several hours during the cable car's regular operation in the daytime under appropriate weather conditions. During the night or under bad weather conditions (too strong wind) no external rescue service can come to the LSO.

APPLICATION

Application for the course is simple; email the filled application form (TXT file) and your CV to rybak at astro.sk before 15/06/2024. You will hear from us no later than 19/06/2024 only in case of admission to our internship program.

SELECTED STUDENTS

July 10-14: Meg O'Donobhan
            Vitalii Kuksenko

July 24-28: Franek Badziak
            Yasmin Nehme
            Patryk Wyleżoł
            Michał Kopyłowski
                 
August 14-18: Robert Adamski
              David Koller
              Klára Lelkes
              Katinka Hugyecz

September 18-22: Julie Cinková
                 Petr Lindovský - not participating
                 Tomáš Petr - not participating

HIKING & CLIMBING

Just for case of your interest to perform some hiking and/or climbing to/from/around the LSO: there is not offical hiking trial to the LSO. Any hiking trip or climbing you might plan to/from/around the LSO is at your full responsibility and risk.

Generally, hiking or climbing outside of the official hiking trail in the High Tatras requires, up to our knowledge:
a/ to be a member of a official alpinistic climbing club with an approved classification of climbing ability,
b/ an on-line registration of each hiking activity at the www.tanap.sk
c/ a special hiking health insurance,
d/ to purchase a personal maintain guide service.

If you not fulfill the requirements a/ and b/ you will be forced to pay a penalty for not obeying these regulations when the rangers will meet you. If you not fulfill the requirements c/ you will be forced to pay fully the eventual rescue activity of the mountain rescue service in case of an urgent need.

Actual official description of the regulations are in the official documents about this topic, see e.g. the www.tanap.sk web page available in several language variants (in Polish in sections "Dla gosci" -> "Regulamin zviedzania" -> "Turystyka pieszia" and "Alpinizm"). It is completely up to you, to read these regulations and follow them. Please, check also other web sides about this before you will decide to make any hiking or climbing activity.

The observatory staff have no right to organize, allow, approve or stop your hiking/climbing activities. All responsibility in this matter is personally yours! Finally, the staff of the cable car and observatory at the LS can not provide to the climbers any rescue support. We are not equipped for it.

PICTURES

Term 1: Meg and Vitalii in the LSO dome and outside - an adrenaline terrace

Term 2: Patryk, Franek, Michal and Yasmin in the LSO dome and outside - at the total top

Term 3: Katinka, Klara, David, Robert in the LSO dome and outside - watching the sunrise at 05:20 local time

Term 4: Julie in the LSO dome and outside - at the Lomnicky Stit adrenaline terrace before sunset

VIDEOS

Yasmin and Patrik prepared a very nice fresh video from their stay at the LSO in July in frame of the summer internship program. Available at their instagram profile linked below. Yasmin and Patryk, cordial thanks for your work! Direct link: video - MP4 format, Instagram post link below.

PRESENTATIONS

Presentations, used for lectures of the program, are at the disposal for the participated students as ZIP file.

CONTACT

Jan Rybak, LSO, AISAS, Tatranska Lomnica (Slovakia).

AUXILIARY INFORAMTION

Notes at the beginning.