ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORIES IN YUGOSLAVIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700120546-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 14, 2011
• Sequence Number: 546
• Publication Date: August 13, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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COUNTRY Yugoslavia
SUB!ECT Scientific -Astronomy, observatories
HOW
PUBLISHED Handbook
WHERE
PUBLISHED Belgrade
DATE
PUBLISHED 1952
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REPORT
CD NO.
DATE OF
NO. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
SOURCE Informativni prirucnik o Jugoalavi,ji, Book 2, Sec 4-6, 1952.
AsTaorrot~ oss>~vATOBIES Irr YUCOSLnvIa
The following information is based on an article in
Informativni rirucnik o Su oslavi i (Information Handbook on
Yugoslavia , which has been issued in sections since Late 1948
by the Yugoslav Directorate for Information
The Astrono~ Observatory in Belgrade, founded in 1887, was known as the
Provisional Observatory until 1891, when it began to function as a component
nzrt of the Central Observatory of the Upper School in Belgrade (which became
Belgrade University in 1905). In 1891, a permanent observatory building was
erected on a hill in the southern outskirts, the site of the present Meteoro-
logical Observatory. The Astronomy Observatory's work consisted chiefly of
meteorological service for its meteorological stations throughout Serbia. It
is not known when the first astronomical irutrumenta were obtained, but it is
known that in 1899 the observatory had three large instruments, a clock for
standard time, two nautical chronometers, and some small instruments.
In thin period, the observatory made observations of the sun and the stars
so as to control watches acid chronometers, a service utilized only by the s.is-
mology service. Because of insufficient competent personnel, the observatory
dial not do any scientific wort, or participate in the triangulation of Serbia.
After World War I, it was decided that the observatory wuu:d be furnished
with required instruments through reparations. Between 1923 and 1928, about
3~) million dinars' worth of instruments were delivered.
At. the beginning of 1924, by decree of the Council of the Faculty of
Philosophy, the Central Belgrade Observato'-y was divided into two independent
establishments, the hieteoror~gical Observatory and the Astronomy Observatory
of Belgrade University.
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For some years afterward, the Astronomy Observatory was housed in a email
space next to the Meteorological Observatory. A loan of 5,300;000 dinars was
obtained early in 1930, and in Msy, construction was begun on an area of 4.5
hectares on Veliki Vracar. ~1'he main bu?lding, the storehouse, the workshop,
two dwellings, the transformer station, and five separate buildings were built.
Instruments in the Gbservatory
In the clock room in the main building are six astronomical clocks, four
of which are mechanisms of great precision and are encased under a glass bell
and kept at constantly controlled air pressure. The clock room, located 9
meters below the surface, is separated on all sides from the surrounding soil
by an insulation apace of about 65 centimeters as a protection against small
dislocations in the surface stratn. Reduction in fluctuations in temperature
around the clocks was achieved in 1947 with the installation of an electric
thermoregulator, which limits variations in temperature to within one tenth of
a degree.
A small double-refracting telescope was installed in 1945. Somewhat larger
is the short-focus Zeiss aatrograph, with xhich the observatory makes most of
its photographic plates, chiefly of the minor planets. There is also a large
Zeiss refracting telescope, equipped with txo cameras and a Colzi prism for
observing the sun.
This large telescope, one of three Zeiss refractors, equipped with a lens
650 millimeters in diameter, built Por the observatories in Tokyo and Berlin-
Babelaberg, is the largest instrument 1n the Belgrade Observatory. From its
installation until today, this telescope has not yet served for any serious
scientific observations, because of heavy damage i+ s.iffered durinr_ World
War II. Today, it is beginning to be used for double and variable stare.
The astrogeodetic building contains four instruments for investigating
changes in geographic latitude and longitude.
The meridian building, used for instructional purposes, has two small
transit instruments, which were installed in 1950, and a chronograph with five
pens which registers simultaneous observations of occultations on four different
instruments.
Before the war, a large number of smell instruments were transferred from
the observatory to various establishments. A number of instruments have not
yet been assembled, including a large meridian circle, a vertical circle, a
small meridian circle, and a refracting telescope.
Work of the Observatory
Between 1926 and 1944, the work of the Belgraue Astronomy Observatory
was chnracteriLed by making calculations and the gradual introduction of
observation set?vice.
During this period, the observatory's first publications appeared, includ-
ing the Annuaire in F4?ench, an astronomical alsarusc, and the G_odisn,7ak naseR
Webs (Yearbook of Our Heavens), published in Serbian, which was intended to
popularize astronomy in Yugoslavia. The Ar.~:u~ire was published for 6 years.
Publication was suspended chiefly for financial reasons. The Godisn~ak Hass
neba appeared regularly, except for an interruption from 1942 = 1947.
Iater, the observatory staff xas expended and its work extended to Snclude
s:~all planets and comets, continuous observation of the activity of sunspots,
and meteorological service.
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Published mostly Sn French, the Bilten (Bulletin), official publication of
the observatory, appeared in 1935. At the same time, the observatory began to
publish material on astronomical theory in the Memoires. In 1934, the Nauticki
odisn ak (Nautical Yearbook) was published by the Naval Comaand for the use of
Yugoslav mariners, but its publication was suspended in 1941. Publication was
resumed is 1949, when it was taken over by the Astrological Computation Iaeti-
tute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences in Belgrade.
Since 1935, the observatozy has been a part of an organized service for
observation of stare occulted by the uwon. These observations will soon begin
to be made simultaneously, being registered by the chronograph with five pens.
The chronograph was built especially for that purpose in the observatory work-
shop.
Time service, which, until 1938, consisted of direct control of precision
clocks and control over time signals only, was transferred at the end of 1938
to control through observation of stars passing through the meridian. Before
this, the geographic longitude of the observatory was established with the help
of the Army Historical Institute, while the geographic latitude vas established
only once, and that only euperfic1a11y.
During the war, these services were either maintained or reduced, and a
photograph service of the sun was operated Yor the German Army, but almost all
activity was halted in 1944.
The new period in the development of the observatory began with its
restoration following the liberation. The old services were gradually restored
and new ones introduced. During 1947, a number of observations were carried
out to determine geographic latitude and longitude. A permanent service for
changes in geographic latitude and longitude began operating early in 1949.
The scientific prerequisites for a new triangulation of Yugoslavia have
been created by the acquisition of experience and the scientific staff re-
quired for this sort of work,
Observation of the activity of sun spots has expanded with observing
projections of the sun on a white screen and following the movements of sun
spots over the surface of the sun. The first tests in photographing the sun
directly on film have been made. The study of small planets is operating on
a somewhat reduced scale as compared to before the war,
Calculations and the lasuinR of publications have also been developed.
Since the restoration of the observatory, the following publications have been
published:
Godisn ak nose neba za 1948 - 195? odinu (Yearooak of Our Heavens for
1948 - 1952 ; E hemeride 1 malih laneta Ephemeris of 106 Sma11 Planets)
for 1947, 1948, and 19 9; Bilten, Por 19 1, 1942, 1949, and 1950, in Fren-h;
Saopetenjr. astronomska i meteoroloska (Astronomic and Meteorologic Reports),
new rofeseional publication, first appearing in 1945 (No 1-7 ); Memoires,
1io~ V, with three papers on theory; and Precizno odredjivanje geografske
sirine astronomske opservatori~e (Precision Determination of the Geographic
latitude of the Astronomy Observatory).
The staff of the observatory has made special efforts to popularize
astronomy in the postwar period. Several brochures have been published
(originals and translations), and pop~ilar articles appear constantly. The
Godianjak naseg neba has been given a more popular character, and the
Saopatenja is used for professional articles.
STAT
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FOR OFFICIAL USA OIILY
In May 1948, the Astronomy Observatory was separated from the Faculty of
Natural Sciences and !Mathematics; in 1950, the observatory was proclaimed an
institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences.
Yugos]avia has no other astronomy observatories xhich are scientific es-
tablishments, but it has a number of small observatories for instructional or
amateur purposes or for popularization of astronomy.
Zagreb has an observatory in the Technical Faculty, xhich serves for in-
structional purposes. In addition to a portable meridian circle, obtained
from the Belgrade Observatory, it has a small transit instrument and a zenith
telescope, both received from the Army Geographic Institute. In addition to
other xork, this observatory is working on the precision determination of the
geographic latitude of Maksimir and the summit of 51,~eme Mountain.
31nce 1903, the Croatian tdatural Science Society has had a small txo-
instrument observatory on Popov Tora,j in Zagreb. This observatory is used
for popularizing astronomy. In 1950, .the observatory resumed publication of
the popular yearly publication Almanah Boakovic (Boskovic Almanac).
Zagreb also has a semiprivate chu=ch observatory equipped xith one tele-
scopic instrument and other equipment.
The building of a school observatory in L~ubl~ana, which will be fur-
nished xith a number of instruments from the Astronomy Observatory in Bel-
grade is planned.
The Army Geographic Institute of prewar Yugoslavia had an observatory
xith fixed and portable instruments, used for determining Laplace points in
triangulation, but as a result of the war, nothing remains of it except the
dome under which the instruments xere mounted.
STAT
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