Astronomy in Serbia is developed in accordance with the country's economic capabilities, or even slightly above them.[1] Astronomical Observatory Belgrade (on Zvezdara), founded in 1887, is one of the oldest scientific institutions in Serbia.[1] Serbia is a member of the International Astronomical Union since 1935.[1]
Astronomical Observatory Belgrade remains the only professional observatory in Serbia.[1] The observatory has eight professional telescopes, and is currently[when?] completing a new station on the mountain Vidojevica near Prokuplje.[1] There are also several smaller public and university observatories: the Public Observatory in Belgrade, Novi Sad Astronomical Observatory[2] and Belerofont Observatory in Kragujevac.[3] There are two planetariums: in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
Astronomy is taught in primary and secondary schools, but only as a part of other courses.[1] Of great importance in teaching of astronomy is the Petnica Science Center.[1] Five universities in Serbia offer the studies of astronomy: universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Niš and Priština.[1] From these, at the University of Belgrade have so far graduated 242 astronomers, and 6 astronomers at the Novi Sad; 4 more astronomers who have graduated abroad are working in Serbia.[1]
Several journals devoted to astronomy are published: Astronomija,[4] (discontinued since 2009), Vasiona and others.[1] Also, since 1936, a scientific journal, Serbian Astronomical Journal is published.[1][5]
In Serbia there are 17[1] associations of amateur astronomers, the oldest[1][6] of which is Astronomical Society Ruđer Bošković.
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