Institute

Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center Polish Academy of Sciences is a leading astronomical institute in Poland. It was established in 1978. The main subjects of research include: stellar astrophysics, binary systems, circumstellar matter, dense matter and neutron stars, black holes, accretion processes, structure and evolution of active galaxies, cosmology, extrasolar planets.

Astronomers from the Copernicus Center are involved in a numer of major international observational projects such as: H.E.S.S., CTA (observations of ultra high energy photons (TeV) via detection of Cherenkov radiation), Herschel (satellite observations in IR domain), SALT (Southern African Large Telescope), INTEGRAL, Fermi (satellite observations of gamma rays), LIGO-VIRGO (detection of gravitational waves). Project SOLARIS, search for extrasollar planetary systems, financed in part by European Research Council (Starting Independent Researcher Grant) is carried at the Copernicus Center. The ground station for the control of the first Polish scientific satellite BRITE is located at the Copernicus Center as well.