About

Pavol Rapavý – the head of the astronomical observatory in Rimavská Sobota and of the Secretariat of the Slovak Union of Astronomers – asteroid (26963) Palorapavý, a night sky observer and a promoter of night environment protection and a popularizer of astronomy.
An organizer, a co-organizer and a participant in astronomical expeditions (solar eclipses, meteor showers, dark-sky): Chukotka ´90, Mongolia ´98, Hungary ´99, Spain ´99, Turkey ´06, Australia ´12, La Palma ´18) and in more domestic observations.
For more than 20 years the author of the observation column in the astronomical magazine Kozmos, of more articles in professional and popularization journals, an editor of several astronomical publications, a frequent performer in the media.
An organizer of international photographic competition “Let’s shine on the way...not on the stars” (since 2006) and of exhibitions.

Past Activities

An organizer or co-organizer of the establishment of dark-sky parks in Slovakia:
• Poloniny Dark-Sky Park (2010 – first in Slovakia)
• Beskydy Dark-Sky Park (2013) – second on the territories of two states (Slovakia – Czech republic)
• Ve?ká Fatra Dark-Sky Park (2015)
• East Carpathian Dark-Sky Tripark (2016) – the largest in Europe, formed by the merger Poloniny Dark-Sky Park (Slovakia), Bieszczady Starry-Sky Park (Poland), Bieszczady Starry-Sky Park (Ukraine).
Light pollution projects: Light pollution (2010), Unique 49th parallel (2011), the educational trail “Under the dark sky” (2012), Memorial of the Victims of Light Pollution (2012), Dark-Sky Parks in the world (2012), Astropark (2015), Knyahinya meteorite (2016).
Lecturer in a conference on right lighting and the environment, the Festival of Light and Darkness, Envirofilm, the Festival of Physics (since 2009), the Week of Science and Technology and more.