In Slovakia an astronomical award medal was established bearing the name of Konkoly. Miklós Konkoly Thege was a wealthy Hungarian nobleman who established a private observatory at Ógyalla. He was not simply a rich landowner but an educated scientist as well.
The Konkoly Thege family was Hungarian nobility with a considerable landed estate. His parents were Elek and Klára (née Földvári) Konkoly Thege. Miklós studied at the universities of Pest (1857–1860) and Berlin (1860–1862), earning a doctor of law degree. While in Berlin, he studied astronomy with Johann Encke, J. H. Dove, and H. G. Magnus. Encke was the intellectual leader of a whole generation of astronomers, for example J. H. Mädler, J. G. Galle, G. Spörer, B. Gould. Konkoly’s contemporaries who studied under Encke were C. Rümker, A. Krüger, W. Förster, B. Hoffman and F. Tietjen. Well respected as an early participant in the evolution of astrophysics, Miklós Konkoly Thege founded an institute for the study of astronomy and astrophysics in Hungary using his own resources. He is rightly thought of as the founder of astronomy in Hungary, although such noteworthy astronomers as Franz Xaver von Zach and Maximilian Hell were Hungarian natives practicing astronomy abroad.
In Slovakia an astronomical award medal was established bearing the name of Konkoly. On the obverse of the bronze medal the left facing portrait of Konkoly is visible. Legend around is: "CENA Dr MIKULÁSA KONKOLY-THEGE · SÚH · ", i. e. Dr. Miklós Konkoly Thege award. SÚH is for Slovenská Ústredná Hvezdáreň v Hurbanove, that is SlovaK Central Observatory Hurbanovo.
On the reverse legend in four line is placed: "ZA ZÁSLUHY O ROZVOJ ASTRONÓMIE NA SLOVENSKU", i. e. for contributions to the development of astronomy in Slovakia.