Welcome to the webpage of the
Konkoly Thege Miklós Astronomical Institute of the
HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences
The Astronomical Institute (Konkoly Observatory in English) is the leading astronomical research institute in Hungary, and one of the most important astro hubs in the whole Eastern-Central-European region. We have more than 60 researchers, 20% of whom are non-Hungarians. The activities of our nine research groups cover most of the research areas in astronomy and astrophysics, from stellar physics to Solar System research and stellar and planetary formation, from exoplanets to nuclear and extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology. The Astronomical Institute has two satellites (cubesats) on low-Earth orbits, and we participate in several European space programs, as well. Researchers of the Institute won 2 ERC- and 7 Lendület (Momentum) grants. We are proud of the Konkoly Nobel Program and the Konkoly Research Assistant Program that supports university students. We have an extensive talent management program, in which we train and teach bright students in secondary schools, as well as organize the all-year training and competitions in the International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics series.
Our Observatory was founded as a private observatory by Miklós Konkoly-Thege in Ógyalla (Hurbanovo) and was later donated to the Hungarian State in 1899. The Astronomical Institute along with the Geographical Institute and the Institute for Geological and Geochemical Research constitute the Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences (CSFK). CSFK is an MTA Centre of Excellence certified research center and is part of the Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) from 1 September, 2019. The Piszkéstető Mountain Station hosts the largest telescopes in Hungary, and is operated by our Institute. The 'National Observatory' was awarded by the TOP50 research Infrastructure in Hungary seal. The Astronomical Institute collaborates with the most important universities in Hungary, and runs the Svábhegyi Observatory, a unique interactive astronomical visitor center at Normafa.
The main research areas of the Astronomical Institute
Stellar structure and evolution
One of the main research fields in Konkoly Observatory is studying stellar structure and evolution. The Observatory has been a world-leading centre in pulsating variable star research for many decades, especially in studying Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars. By using oscillations of stars, we can explore the inner structure of stars, a field called asteroseismology. Stars showing pulsations are ideal to measure cosmic distances and to study the Galactic structure and evolution, as well.