Tatra Astro Summit 2025

2025 September 22-26 * Stará Lesná, Slovakia

Location

The TATRA ASTRO SUMMIT 2025 will take place in the High Tatras, specifically in Stará Lesná, not far from the major tourist center Tatranská Lomnica. The Tatra moutains are the highest part of the Carpathian mountain range, with the highest peak Gerlachovský štít (altitude 2655 meters above the sea level). With the total area of 785 sq. kilometer (length of about 50 km, width of 20 km), the Tatra mountains belong to the most compact mountain ranges with an alpine character. They form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. The protection of the unique fauna and flora is ensured by the Tatra Mountain National Park (TANAP), which was established on January 1st, 1949, and it is the oldest Slovak national park.



In the image below, you can see the Skalnaté pleso observatory (left panel; altitude: 1751 m) and one of the coronographs on the Lomnicky Peak (right panel; altitude: 2634 m).

observatory coronograph

Venue

The meeting will take on the premises of the Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Stará Lesná, which is located in the direct vicinity of the Tatra mountain range with an exquisite view towards the Lomnický peak (2634 meters above the sea level), the second highest peak of the mountain range. The institute was established in 1943, during the Second World War, when the Skalnaté pleso Observatory was finished. Its construction was achieved mainly thanks to the efforts of a Czech astronomer and climatologist Antonín Bečvář, who became the first director of the Astronomical Institute. He also discovered a couple of comets, led the observations of the Ursid meteoric shower, and constructed the world-famous detailed celestial map Atlas Coeli Skalnaté pleso (1948) and three other maps. In 1953 the Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences was established. In 1962 the Lomnický peak observatory was finished, which was equipped with the 20cm coronograph. The second coronograph was added in 1970.


The main building of the Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences where the TATRA ASTRO SUMMIT 2025 (conference part) is going to take place.

building

Travel

The venue at the Astronomical Institute in the High Tatras can easily be reached via the D1 highway by car or by train from Bratislava or Košice with one change in Poprad to Tatranská Lomnica. For connections, please search the portal of Slovak railways. In case of travelling from Brno or Prague, you can search the train connections via the Czech railways portal. For the train connections across Poland to the Tatra mountain region, please consult the Polish railway website for the train connections to Zakopane. From Zakopane local bus or taxi connections to Tatranská Lomnica should be available.

Accommodation

You can search for convenient hotels in Stará Lesná and Tatranská Lomnica at booking.com or at airbnb. Comfortable nearby options are the Kontakt Wellness hotel, Hotel Lesná, and many others located in the close vicinity of the Astronomical Institute.

Free-time activities

There is plenty to do in the High Tatras. From long-day hiking in glacier-carved U-shaped valleys to sharp rocky peaks at the top, nobody gets bored. For tips and suggestions, you may consult the official tourist website. We will prepare hiking trails of a different difficulty. In case of a bad weather, we will organize trips to the nearby museums, castles, and caves.

Free time

Program

September 22nd - Monday

Hiking day, freetime activities

September 23rd - Tuesday

Hiking day, freetime activities
19:00 Welcome cocktail & refreshment at Grandhotel Prague in memory of Rainer Weiss (1932-2025; Nobel Prize 2017)
Program
19:00-19:15 Registration
19:15-19:30 Michal Zajaček, Scope of the Tatra Astro Summit: purpose and goals + Contribution of Rainer Weiss to multimessenger astrophysics
19:30-19:45 Petr Kurfürst, Architecture gems of the Tatra Mountain region
19:45-23:00 Discussions and free program

September 24th - Wednesday

The main conference day at the Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
Program updated soon
20:00 ASTRO SUMMIT dinner (place to be announced)

September 25th - Thursday

During this day we will visit relevant astronomical sites with instruments in Stará Lesná, Skalnaté Pleso, and Lomnický peak.

September 26th - Friday

Individual discussions, collaboration on projects.

Participants

  1. Michal Zajaček, Masaryk University
  2. Monika Pikhartová, Masaryk University
  3. Petr Kurfürst, Masaryk University
  4. Tomáš Plšek, Masaryk University
  5. Luboš Neslušan, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  6. Jakub Juryšek, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
  7. Henry Best, Masaryk University
  8. Congyao Zhang, Masaryk University
  9. Ján Budaj, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  10. Izzy Garland, Masaryk University
  11. Martin Kološ, Institute of Physics, Silesian University in Opava
  12. Natalia Shagatova, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  13. Norbert Werner, Masaryk University
  14. Vladimír Karas , Astronomical Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences
  15. Dan Hu, Masaryk University
  16. Asen Christov, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
  17. Aneta Wiśniewska, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  18. Július Koza, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  19. Maksim Gabdeev, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
  20. Matúš Labaj, Masaryk University
  21. Zoltán Garai, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  22. Taj Jankovič, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
  23. Filip Münz, Masaryk University
  24. Augustin Skopal, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  25. Emil Kundra, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  26. Patrik Čechvala, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
  27. Jiří Blažek, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
  28. Jakub Řípa, Masaryk University
  29. Marianna Dafčíková, Masaryk University
  30. Tomáš Ondro, Mendel University in Brno
  31. Petr Trávníček , Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
  32. Lýdia Štofanová, Masaryk University
  33. Marek Skarka , Astronomical Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences
  34. Kamila Matušů , Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
  35. Jozef Lipták , Astronomical Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences
  36. Ján Rybák, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences
  37. Jakub Cehula, Charles University
  38. Peter Gömöry, Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Scientific and Local Organizing Committees

The meeting program and management are coordinated by the Organizing Committee:
  • Michal Zajaček (Masaryk University)
  • Patrik Čechvala (Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences)
  • Natalia Shagatova (Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences)

The local organisation is supported by the team at the Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences led by Natalia Shagatova.

Registration



Registration was closed on August 31st, 2025. For additional inquiries, please contact the organizers (Michal Zajaček).

Location

Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences

Tatranská Lomnica, 059 60 Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia

</> with ♥ by Michal & Jean-Paul