One of the smaller telescopes is a wide-angle Schmidt telescope with a large field of view. It is used for observations of galaxies, asteroids, comets and exploding stars. It has been rigged with a modern CCD camera as a result of a joint Bulgarian-Macedonian project. It was used for the first systematic observations at the Rozhen NAO more than 20 years ago, which involved positional observations of asteroids. There is also a project dealing with the search for new asteroids. The first new asteroid observed at the Rozhen NAO in 1983 was named after John Atanasov, the inventor of the modern computer. The observatory used this telescope as a part of an international project to warn the public about a potential clash of dangerous asteroids or comets with the Earth. The staff also works on projects related to dwarf galaxies, which are difficult to observe and are visible through the Milky Way. Dozens of exploding stars in open star clusters have been found.
