Abstract Title: ​*
SIGNIFICANCE AND ROLE OF METEOROLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS
                      AT THE BELGRADE ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY

                      Authors: ​*
Natalija Janc, Vojislava Protić-Benišek, Milivoj B. Gavrilov
Preferred format: ​*

POSTER presentation

Abstract Text: ​*
            SIGNIFICANCE AND ROLE OF METEOROLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS
                      AT THE BELGRADE ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY
                                     1​                          2​                     3
                      Natalija Janc​ , Vojislava Protić-Benišek​ , Milivoj B. Gavrilov​
                                         1​
                                            Baltimore, MD 21212, USA;
                                2​
                                   Astronomical Observatory, Belgrade, Serbia;
                       3​
                          University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Novi Sad, Serbia
                   Corresponding author: Natalija Janc, email: natalijanc@earthlink.net
ABSTRACT
By the decision of the Ministry of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Kingdom of Serbia, at the
beginning of 1887, the Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory of the Great School was founded,
on the initiative and with the great dedication of its professor Milan G. Nedeljković (1857–1950). As the
founder and its longtime manager, he is equally responsible for the development and modern progress of
both sciences, within the framework of contemporary European thought.
The Observatory in 1891 acquires its own building in West Vračar. The separation of the Astronomical
Observatory from the Meteorological Department occurred in 1924, and by then the two institutions
operated at the same location. During this period, the data of the Meteorological Observatory and its
numerous field stations could be used for astronomical measurements.
The Astronomical Observatory at VelikiVračar (today's Zvezdara) was built in 1932. In addition to
numerous astronomical instruments, a meteorological station was set up in its circle, which was officially
started on July 16, 1934. In the Republic Hydrometeorological Institute of Serbia, a separate data card is
kept for each meteorological station. The meteorological station of the Astronomical Observatory had
number 181, the coordinates N 44 ̊ 48 ' E 20 ̊ 32' and the altitude h = 253 m (geodetic mark at the
northern entrance of the Observatory).
The work of astronomers was highly dependent on meteorological conditions, mostly on precipitation and
cloudiness. The new Astronomical Observatory was, like most of its European counterparts, primarily an
astrometric institution. As part of its activity, it covered all areas of classical astronomy, where
meteorological data were necessary for regular observational work, especially as parameters in the
reduction of observational data and deriving of the final results.
The meteorological data were important for the work on the Catalogues of precise stellar positions by the
instruments of fundamental astronomy which as unique in the world were installed at the Observatory in
the 1960s. Problems related to the study of the phenomenon of atmospheric refraction were especially the
subject of scientific research of several leading astronomers of the Belgrade Observatory.
The paper highlights details related to specific astronomical observations and their results.