Štefánik Observatory

Earthlings currently preparing themselves for the end of the world can hold off a little longer, says Jakub Rozehnal, head of Prague's Štefánik Observatory.

Despite the somewhat alarming popular belief that December 2012 will bring with it the end of the world as we know it, we've still got a few billion years up our sleeves, Rozehnal says.

"In 5 billion years, we will be burned by the sun, and it will destroy Mercury, Venus and probably also the Earth. Our Earth will end but not as quickly as people imagine; it won't end in December," he says.

But the theory has gained so much momentum the Štefánik Observatory's team is planning their next exhibition around the "end of the world theme," or rather disputing it.

"The new exhibition will be dedicated to the problem of 2012, the so-called year of the end of the world," Rozehnal says.

While Rozehnal admits there are potentially hazardous features that pose risks to the earth, like large falling asteroids, or supernova bursts, the exhibition will aim to separate science from fiction.

Built in 1928, the planetarium is located on Petřín Hill at the top of the historic Hunger Wall. While the observatory conducts scientific research, its main purpose is for use as a public facility.

"Our primary goal is not scientific research but rather to popularize astronomy and physics among the public," Rozehnal says.

During the early 1600s, Prague was the center of European science, with one of the key figures of the 17th century's scientific revolution, Johannes Kepler, working alongside Tycho Brahe at his observatory in Prague. While Brahe is famous for making the most accurate astronomical observations of his time, Kepler is most renowned for his work on the laws of planetary motion, which provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation.

Around 40,000 people visit the observatory every year. Information on the displays is presented in both Czech and English. While it's most popular from April to October, the museum remains open six days a week, all year, and seven days a week during school holidays. Visits are highly dependent on weather patterns, Rozehnal says. Also, because of the observatory's geographic location, in the middle of town, the sky at night is orange as opposed to being dark but it serves as sufficient for public observation, he added.

Displayed throughout the planetarium are crystals and rocks, ancient navigational devices, ancient sun dials, moon dials and world globes, along with the largest meteorite in the Czech Republic, a one-ton iron meteorite that fell to Earth in 1906 and was discovered in Scandinavia 10 years ago.

The observatory's oldest telescope, built in 1905 for a very wealthy Austrian backyard astronomer, has been housed there since 1932.

"Although it's old, it's the best telescope we have here," Rozehnal says. "The picture through this telescope is so sharp, we use it mainly for observing bright objects in the sky: the sun by day and the moon and the planets by night."

In the observatory's western dome, a smaller telescope is used for higher magnification, which is around 80 times higher than is possible with the naked eye. A nearby tower, about 250 meters from the western dome, appears at about 3 meters' distance when peering through the lens. In astronomy, telescopes are measured by the diameter of their lenses, as opposed to their length and weight, according to Rozehnal. "We use this telescope to observe fine objects like nebulas, galaxies and the nearby tower on the hill," he says.

Behind the scenes, the observatory has another telescope, fondly referred to as "Mark," which is used purely for scientific observation. The team is currently observing transiting exoplanets, which are planets outside of the solar system.

Visitors to the observatory can visit all areas and tour exhibitions with guides who are mostly natural-sciences students undertaking studies in physics and astronomy.

"They will show you how to use the telescopes and explain what you're seeing and why you see it," Rozehnal says.

Laura Burgoine can be reached at
lburgoine@praguepost.com