The Kryoneri Observatory in Corinth is being upgraded with the aim of turning into the largest space hub in southeastern Europe. More specifically, the Development and Investment Ministry is funding the institution with 10.8 million euros from the EU-backed Recovery Fund for the purchase of new radars, lasers, a state-of-the-art robotic telescope and other necessary equipment. In addition, the Peloponnese Regional Authority is providing funds to the tune of 4.3 million euros for building infrastructure such as an amphitheater, an exhibition space, offices, etc.  The total investment for the observatory will exceed 15 million euros.  Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox. Since March 2017, the refurbished 1.2m Kryoneri telescope near the Greek town of Kryoneri has been used for the NELIOTA project. NELIOTA (Near-Earth object Lunar Impacts and Optical TrAnsients) is devised to detect flashes of light caused by tiny pieces of rock striking the Moon's surface. In addition, it is the first such project that can also determine the temperature of the flashes. The Observatory is operated by the National Observatory of Athens. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved An employee of Greece's national postal services provider Hellenic Post (ELTA in Greek) works with a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items at the facilities of ELTA at Kryoneri, a northern suburb of Athens, Greece, Sept. 14, 2021. The ELTA in Greek has started using a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items, aiming to accelerate the process and improve service for customers.(Photo: Xinhua) Chinese-made robots operate at the facilities of Greece's national postal services provider Hellenic Post (ELTA in Greek), at Kryoneri, a northern suburb of Athens, Greece, Sept. 14, 2021. The ELTA in Greek has started using a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items, aiming to accelerate the process and improve service for customers.(Photo: Xinhua) Chinese-made robots distribute parcels at the facilities of Greece's national postal services provider Hellenic Post (ELTA in Greek), at Kryoneri, a northern suburb of Athens, Greece, Sept. 14, 2021. The ELTA in Greek has started using a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items, aiming to accelerate the process and improve service for customers.(Photo: Xinhua) Employees of Greece's national postal services provider Hellenic Post (ELTA in Greek) work with a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items at the facilities of ELTA at Kryoneri, a northern suburb of Athens, Greece, Sept. 14, 2021. The ELTA in Greek has started using a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items, aiming to accelerate the process and improve service for customers.(Photo: Xinhua) There’s an endless procession of ‘north stars’ because the Earth’s axis is not fixed in space I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice What links a 1960s rock musical with the ancient Greeks and the best way to find your way home at night (if your satnav fails) The answer involves a slow change in the sky that builds up to have a serious impact as the centuries roll on check out the sky for the familiar seven stars of the Plough part of the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear) Extend the line joining the two end stars – Merak and Dubhe – to locate a star of roughly the same brightness often known as the Pole Star or the North Star The name is a giveaway: this star always lies due north so once you’ve found the North Star you can work out which way you should be heading The Great Pyramid at Giza was built so that its sides ran precisely south to north But the ancient Egyptians didn’t use Polaris in their alignment At that time – 4500 years ago – the star that lay directly north was fainter Thuban Polaris wasn’t stationary in the sky then: as the Earth rotated In fact there’s an endless procession of “north stars”, because the Earth’s axis is not fixed in space like the axis of a spinning top that’s about to fall over It takes almost 26,000 years for our planet’s axis to complete one circle in the sky the north end of the axis points towards Polaris there has been no obvious star above the Earth’s north pole People at southern latitudes currently face just such a stellar desert: there’s no significant star marking the south pole of the sky The nearest star languishes under a mere catalogue name and brilliant Canopus – the second brightest star in the sky – will form a resplendent South Star; while simultaneously the fourth brightest star Vega will be the North Star Astronomers call this wobbling of the Earth’s axis “the precession of the equinoxes.” It was discovered by the ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus in 127 BC He was checking out where various stars lay compared to the point where the Sun’s path in the sky crosses the equator – the position where the Sun lies at the spring and autumn equinoxes The stars seemed to have shifted their positions He concluded that the stars were in the same places but instead the equinox point was slowly moving along the path that the Sun traces around the sky We now know that this is another consequence of the Earth’s wobbling axis the Sun crossed the celestial equator in the constellation Aries and astronomers still call the intersection of the Sun’s path and the equator the ‘First Point of Aries.’ But as the centuries passed this celestial crossroad moved into Pisces Its shift into the next constellation marks the “dawning of the Age of Aquarius” – immortalised by the eponymous song in the 1967 rock musical Hair Experts clash over the exact location of the boundary between Pisces and Aquarius the much anticipated Age of Aquarius may dawn at any time up to AD 3597 The much publicised “green comet” C/2022E3 (ZTF) is closest to the Earth and brightest at the beginning of February when it passes 42 million kilometres from our planet Though it’s technically just visible to the naked eye bright moonlight means you’ll actually need binoculars or a telescope to spot the celestial visitor don’t expect a verdant view: carbon atoms in the comet’s gases are shining a vivid green that shows up stunningly in photographs but the colour is too dim to register on the human retina The comet is easy to spot on the night of 5 February when it passes close by the bright star Capella; and on 11 February as it swings to the left of Mars as the comet heads back off to deep space in the direction of Orion Venus is brilliant in the south-west after sunset on 15 February to spot Neptune just to the lower right of Venus: the faintest planet is 60,000 times dimmer than the glorious Evening Star Jupiter – second only in brightness to Venus – lies higher in the sky when the crescent Moon joins these two luminous worlds and the Red Planet is now only a little brighter than the red giant star Aldebaran that marks the celestial bull’s raging eye The so called Snow Moon will arrive on Febraury 5. The name is derivesd from the heavy snow fall assoicated with the first full month of the year. “The Moon will appear full for about 3 days around this time, from early Saturday morning through early Tuesday morning,” NASA explained in a blog post on Tuesday 22 February: Moon between Venus and Jupiter 26 February: Moon near the Pleiades and Aldebaran 8.06 am: First Quarter Moon near Mars and Aldebaran Nigel Henbest’s latest book, Stargazing 2023 (Philip’s £6.99) is your monthly guide to everything that’s happening in the night sky this year. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies The moon is seen through the open canopy of the Kryoneri Observatory, before the telescope tracks a green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), in Kryoneri, Greece, February 1, 2023. comets and stars this month","description":"There’s an endless procession of ‘north stars’ Michalos was at his factory at Kryoneri since Thursday the third day of a massive fire that spread east and north from Varybobi in North Attica he was referring to the fires and hoping there would be no human casualties president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI) he was transferred to KAT hospital in Maroussi He had studied at Essex University and LSE in Britain and became president and CEO of industrial exports company SWAN SA Michalos was president of the Union Of Hellenic Chambers Of Commerce since 2012 and was twice elected President of the Athens Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI) in 2006 and 2011 while he had served as secretary general in the Finance & Economy Ministry in 2005-2006 he had served on the boards of the Public Power Company (PPC) Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) Astir Palace and the Athens International Airport and was elected vice-president and board member of the Arab-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce & Development Konstantinos Michalos was married with four children the president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has been found dead at his office at a factory in Kryoneri was found unconscious by his wife and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead Kryoneri has been gutted by a large wildfire Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox Thirty million tons of water fell on Thursday in the Kifissos River basin that starts from Kryoneri and Acharnes in east Attica and continues south to include a large part of central Attica the head of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization We are consumed with who is to blame and who is not and that is where our efforts are exhausted and new structures are needed,” Lekkas told Skai television “Such phenomena will be more frequent in the Mediterranean area in general…we will have…bigger phenomena in regions that we are not expected to have and we will have complex crises and dangers one will follow the other or they will manifest at the same time.” Hellenic Post (ELTA) is accelerating its digital transformation process with the aim of reducing service time and improving the performance indicators of the state-owned company on Friday ELTA will inaugurate the second digital sorting center in the country at the sorting center of Oraiokastro in Thessaloniki The facility includes 45 small robotic appliances of a type that will be on display in action at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) The robotic systems are capable of handling 3,000 parcels per hour and operate with artificial intelligence technology opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.