Introducing MCSE (Hungarian Astronomical Association)

The Hungarian Astronomical Association is an open body welcoming among their ranks anybody interested in astronomy and related disciplines. By supplying publications, organising sessions and providing guidance and advice we ensure constant flow of help to our members as well as non-members. The aim is to broaden their knowledge of astronomy, observational and telescope building skills and last but not least, providing opportunities to contact and meet other enthusiasts.
The members in turn for their membership fee receive our Meteor Astronomy Yearbook and the monthly magazine of the same name. Apart from the above, members are entitled to discounts on other publications and activities organised by the association.

Looking back

The association was founded by Dr. György Kulin in 1946 whose life, hard work and strong personality influenced and formed the way the association has been approaching its work ever since, i.e. with great enthusiasm, spirit and openness.
The organisation worked independently until 1949 when the communist regime pronounced it illegitimate (together with other organisations) and consequently it ceased to exist.
In the autumn of 1988 before the fall of the communist party, it became obvious that a new law regulating associations will be introduced by the government, giving legitimate grounds to newly born organisations, unions, etc. The upcoming changes induced the idea of (re)founding the once existing independent association which could support the edition of the Meteor magazine. Intentions behind re-establishing the MCSE (Hungarian Astronomical Association) were to support three major groups of domestic
astronomical life: the amateurs, educators and professionals.
On the day when Nicolaus Copernicus was born, but 516 years later on 19 February 1989, about 120 people gathered and took part in forming the new MCSE, the successor and intellectual inheritor of the association established back in 1946. This was an important milestone in Hungarian astronomy and many members of the first MCSE were also present, among them Dr. György Kulin himself.
The really successful telescope demonstrations set off in 1993 - these are easily achievable programs where hundreds and thousands of enthusiasts can be mobilised using an appropriate way of promotion and/or good ideas. These general telescope demonstrations were later adopted by many other organisations all around Hungary thus bringing stars closer to public. We have established good relationship with many partner organisations, interest groups and public observatories, not to mention contacts with astro-groups outside Hungary, which are especially fruitful in certain observing areas, such as variable stars, meteors, comets, occultations, etc.

Our specialised-groups

To support and advise people interested in different areas of astronomy we established specialised-groups (sections).
The information exchange, observations and their results are being divided into appropriate interest groups and published on pages of the monthly magazine Meteor in allocated columns and in lesser extent on our webpages as well.
At the moment the following specialised-groups (sections) are active:
  • Planetary
  • CCD technology section
  • History of Astronomy section
  • Occultational section
  • Lunar
  • Double star section
  • Meteor section
  • Deep-sky object section
  • Solar
  • Computer section
  • Cometary
  • Variable star section

Our local organisations elsewhere in the country

Our association extended its work to many cities across Hungary where members can and will receive support and non-members are able to subscribe or receive advice.
The local activities play major role in connecting people with similar interests, sharing experience and knowledge, organising local programs and observations.

These groups can be found in the following locations:   
  • Balatonfüzfõ
  • Baja
  • Bóly
  • Dunaújváros
  • Esztergom
  • Gyõr
  • Hajdúböszörmény
  • Kaposvár
  • Kiskun Csoport
  • Kunszentmárton
  • Miskolc
  • Paks
  • Pécs
  • Sopron
  • Szeged
  • Zalaegerszeg

Astrocamps and observing weekends

Our summer camps are held at locations with dark skies. They provide a great opportunity in acquiring foundations in practical and theoretical astronomy. The youth camps are organised for high school students interested in astronomy. The yearly observing and telescope building meeting is aimed at amateur astronomers and provides development opportunities in areas such as observations, equipment building and further upgrading.  

Club evenings, presentation series, observing opportunities in capital of Hungary, Budapest

The association's headquarter is in Polaris Observatory, Budapest (III. ker., Laborc u. 2/C.). This is also the place where we organise night observations three times a week - on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from dusk till 10pm (school groups are welcome at other times too prior to previous agreement).
Regular presentations are held each Tuesday at 6pm. In parallel with the evening demonstration on Tuesday runs our Budapest evening club meeting. Our section for youth operates during school term on Thursdays from 6pm.
   

Publications

Major role in maintaining contacts and bringing news to the audience falls on our monthly magazine, the Meteor and partly on the Meteor Astronomical Yearbook. They are posted to the members of MCSE each month free of charge (the yearbook can be also purchased in major bookstores, however the monthly magazine is not distributed this way).

Our co-workers and proponents (supporters)

The functioning of the association, preparation of publications, local and specialised-groups activities and maintenance of the institutions is done by our members’ voluntary help working in their spare time without any financial reward. The same principle applies to the maintenance of our webpage.

http://www.mcse.hu  

Shortly after the Internet became widely used we were among the first to appear on the net. Our site is one of the most visited sources of astronomical information in Hungary. By time many of our local and specialised-groups opened their own webpages with new services like the online astronomy portal (http://hirek.csillagaszat.hu) which became one of the most famous sites bringing astro-news in Hungarian language.