site.btaBTA, Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory Sign Cooperation Agreement

The Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Kiril Valchev and the Director of the Institute of Astronomy with the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory, Prof. Evgeni Semkov, concluded a partnership agreement between the two institutions. The document was signed at the National Astronomical Observatory on Sunday, the last day of the 2023 Rozhen Folklore Fair.

BTA will systematically present the work of the institute and its two observatories - in Rozhen and in Belogradchik, because there is a need for better popularization of Bulgarian astronomy and astrophysics, which, according to Prof. Semkov, is "not only at world level itself, but it has its world-class scientists who work in the best universities in the world", Valchev pointed out.

According to the contract, the Institute of Astronomy and the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory will systematically provide BTA's LIK section covering science and culture section copyrighted materials of scientific texts, photos and videos for publication in Bulgarian and English, which will then be available to all media in Bulgaria and around the world. BTA will be a media partner of the Institute's events, projects and initiatives and will support their promotion. The Agency will regularly disseminate information about publications of Bulgarian astronomers in prestigious scientific publications, the BTA Director General added.

More information from the institute and its observatories will hopefully help boost the otherwise declining interest in natural sciences and increase the number of Bulgarian and foreign students in this field at Bulgarian universities, Valchev said. He added that the Rozhen Observatory is already visited by more than 4,000 students a year, and a third of its visitors are children and schoolchildren.

News from the Institute may also have a purely practical application, Valchev said, for more opportunities for knowledge about the stars help people look up to the heavens, "and Bulgarians today especially need to look beyond the immediate survival of life and be guided by higher goals".

Opened in 1981, the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory "Rozhen", at an altitude of 1750 m, is the largest astronomical observatory in Southeastern Europe and the Balkan Peninsula. The latest-generation robotic telescope, also at Rozhen, was unveiled on July 1 in the presence of Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov.