15th Bulgarian-Serbian Astronomical Conference (XV BSAC)

About the Bulgarian-Serbian Astronomical Conference

The Bulgarian-Serbian Astronomical Conference is a regional scientific meeting built around research presentations and sustained cooperation between astronomy communities in Bulgaria and Serbia. XV BSAC is the fifteenth conference in the series. The 2026 edition is hosted in Bulgaria at Varna Creativity House, a conference venue north-east of central Varna and close to the Black Sea coast. The official site lists both a scientific organising committee and a local organising committee, reflecting the division between programme development and on-site delivery.

The format centres on scheduled lectures and poster sessions rather than a commercial exhibition. That makes the meeting useful for discussing current observations, models and instruments in enough detail for specialist feedback. The committee membership spans the Institute of Astronomy with National Astronomical Observatory at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Astronomical Observatory in Belgrade, universities in Sofia, Belgrade, Skopje and Shumen, and other research organisations. This institutional mix gives XV BSAC a wider Balkan research context while retaining its longstanding Bulgarian-Serbian identity.

Event history and organisers

XV BSAC continues a bilateral conference series that alternates its centre of gravity between the Bulgarian and Serbian astronomy communities. The previous, fourteenth meeting was held in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia, in September 2024, while the thirteenth conference took place in Velingrad, Bulgaria, in October 2022. Earlier editions include the tenth Serbian-Bulgarian conference in Belgrade in 2016 and the eleventh Bulgarian-Serbian meeting in Belogradchik in 2018. Proceedings from past conferences preserve contributions and show that the series covers a broad range of astronomical research rather than a single sub-discipline. For 2026, the Institute of Astronomy with National Astronomical Observatory at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences publishes the conference site and venue information. Its scientific committee also includes members of the Astronomical Observatory in Belgrade and several universities, so the safest description is a jointly shaped regional research meeting hosted through the Bulgarian institute, not an event owned by an unrelated space organisation.

Topics and themes

XV BSAC uses lectures and poster sessions to connect observational, theoretical and applied astronomy across the participating institutions. The published timetable should be treated as the definitive guide to individual contributions.

• Astronomy and astrophysics: research talks create room to compare observations, physical interpretations and modelling approaches across different astronomical objects and scales.
• Solar and stellar research: the committee’s institutional expertise supports exchange on stellar behaviour, solar activity and the observational methods used to study them.
• Galaxies and high-energy phenomena: participants can place specialist results in a regional forum that links university groups, observatories and academy institutes.
• Planetary and space science: work connected with Solar System bodies and space-based observation sits naturally alongside the conference’s wider astronomical programme.
• Methods, data and instrumentation: lectures and posters allow researchers to discuss analysis techniques, observing facilities and technical constraints behind scientific results.

Who should attend?

XV BSAC is primarily for professional astronomers, astrophysicists, observatory staff and university researchers from Bulgaria, Serbia and the wider region. Doctoral candidates and early-career scientists can use the lecture and poster format to present work, receive subject-specific questions and meet potential collaborators outside their home institution. Planetary scientists, solar researchers, data specialists and instrument teams may also find relevant contributions within the broad astronomy programme. It is less suited to visitors seeking a public science festival or a supplier exhibition: the published structure is that of a focused academic conference. Anyone considering attendance should review the participant list and programme to judge whether the represented research areas match their work, then confirm the current participation process with the organisers.

Practical information

Varna Creativity House is about 12 kilometres north-east of central Varna and roughly 500 metres from the beach. The official site provides coordinates, accommodation notes and links for local transport planning.

Confirm the final lecture and poster schedule, room arrangements and accommodation directly with the organisers. International travellers should allow for the transfer from Varna Airport or the city’s rail and bus terminals.