The Institute of Astronomy with NAO - BAS marks its anniversary with new telescopes and major scientific projects The Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory (NAO) at the Institute of Astronomy of BAS officially opened its doors on March 13, 1981. It is located in the central part of the Rhodope Mountains, at an altitude of 1,750 meters. The site was chosen for its remoteness from populated areas, clean air, low light pollution, and the large number of clear nights throughout the year. The observatory is open to visitors from March to October, and approximately 15,000 Bulgarians and foreign nationals visit it annually. It is accessible not only by car but also via forest trails marked on the European hiking map as Route E-8. Over the decades, [...]

The FoReRo2 instrument mounted on the 2-meter telescope at NAO Rozhen Light from distant astronomical objects often travels billions of years before reaching Earth. It carries information about its source encoded in its intensity, color, and polarization. In recent years, interest in polarimetric and spectropolarimetric observations has grown significantly, leading to the development of new specialized instruments. FoReRo2 is an instrument mounted years ago on the 2-meter telescope at the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory which allows precise measurements of polarized light from stars, comets, small bodies in the Solar System, and other interesting astronomical objects. It is currently the only one in Southeast Europe that offers conditions for spectropolarimetric observations on a 2-meter class telescope. The instrument provides excellent opportunities for both scientific [...]

Prof. Kamen Kozarev is the newly elected director of the Institute of Astronomy with the National Astronomical Observatory at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. His scientific work focuses on solar and heliospheric physics, and especially on solar flares, coronal shock waves, the acceleration and transport of high-energy particles, and the application of modern data processing methods and artificial intelligence in radio astronomy and space weather. His professional career includes many years of research experience in the United States. He worked as a doctoral student and postdoctoral fellow at Boston University and the Harvard -Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, where he developed numerical models for the acceleration of charged particles in coronal and interplanetary shock waves and analyzed ultraviolet and radio observations of the Sun from space [...]