It is both a business and scientific conference in the Baltic region, in which scientists from Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Egypt, India and Greece will participate with their presentations. The conference will address current issues in astrophysics, space research related issues in information and data processing, including those related to the observations of natural and artificial objects in near-Earth space. Some of the presentations will focus on the modernisation and improvement of astronomical and radio astronomical instruments.

Due to existing epidemiological restrictions, BAASP 2021 will be held online using the Zoom platform. The conference programme includes 38 reports, 32 of which are presentations and 6 — online posters. As of today (14 September), 85 participants have already registered. Interestingly, thanks to the opportunity to participate remotely, a significant number of participants from countries as far afield as Japan and India, both scientists and students, will participate in this conference.

Participants will have the unique opportunity to participate in a virtual tour of the VIRAC radio telescopes and even climb the highest point of the RT-32 radio telescope — the platform of the prime focus of the antenna — at a height of more than 50 m, as well as see the underground tunnels left by the Red Army on the observatory site and, even going back in time, track how radio telescopes have changed (approximately) over the last ten years of modernisation.

Scientific papers based on the conference presentations will be published in the scientific journals “Latvian Journal of Physics and Technical Sciences” and “Astronomical and Astrophysical Transactions” (AApTr).

More about BAASP 2021 can be found here.

The total costs of the project “Support for Preparation of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences International Cooperation Projects in Research and Innovations (ATVASE)” (project No. 1.1.1.5/18/I/009) are EUR 266,721.77, planned amount of the European Union Regional Development Fund is 85.00% of the eligible expenses, and the amount of state funding is 15% of the eligible expenses.