Traveling around the Crimea is a fascinating event that leaves no one indifferent. Many tourists, arriving on the peninsula, rush to the beaches, completely forgetting that in the Crimea there are also many other interesting places, the attention to which is riveted not so much, but from this they do not become less significant. One of such points, the route to which you should lay in advance, is the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (urban scientific). We’ll talk about it in more detail in the article.
brief information
Crimean Astrophysical Observatory is located twenty-five kilometers from the city of Simferopol. The foundation date of the scientific station is June 30, 1945. Initially, it was a Simeiz branch of the Pulkovo Observatory, which today has already become a branch of KrAO.
Historical reference
Crimean Astrophysical Observatory was established at the beginning of the 20th century on a mountain called Cat. This observation post was then considered private and was the property of a wealthy amateur star explorer Nikolai Maltzov. In 1912, the observatory was donated to a similar Pulkovo institution, due to which it began to transform into an already full-fledged research center, which began to perform photometry of stars and small planets.
In 1926, the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory acquired a meter-long English reflector, which at that time was the largest on the European continent. However, the hostilities that reached the scientific center during World War II practically wiped it off the face of the earth. But already in the summer of 1945, the leadership of the Soviet state issued a decree on the restoration of the observatory and in parallel the creation of a new scientific station, which was supposed to be located in the central part of Crimea, where geography was more adapted for the installation of large telescopes.
Start of observation
The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory KrAO was primarily equipped with forty-eight inch reflector and 16-inch astro refractor, which were received from Germany by reparation. Installations were made by the German company Carl Zeiss. Regular observations on an ongoing basis over space began in the 1950s. Unfortunately, the 48-inch reflector today is practically incapable of performing its basic functions, since its dome is very rusty, and it is not possible to repair its worn-out mechanical parts due to poor financing.
Features
The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, the photo of which is given below, is mostly located on the slope of the Sel-Bukhra mountain from its southern side. The research station is located at an altitude of 550-600 meters above sea level. Most of the staff constantly lives in the village of Scientific, which, in turn, is very close to the observatory. The village was created by Dobronravin in 1957.
The presence of forests on the mountains from the south and west allows you to block extraneous light and stabilize the surrounding atmosphere. In addition, forests completely absorb existing dust and significantly reduce turbulence and wind flows, which ensures an excellent astronomical climate.
At its core, the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory is a full-fledged scientific town with a well-developed infrastructure, various workshops, laboratories, hotel complexes and a very beautiful picturesque park. In addition to all this, the surrounding nature is very beautiful and leaves a very pleasant impression for visitors.
Ongoing work
About 300 people work in this Crimean scientific center. Of these, 80 people are exclusively scientists. The main activities of the observatory are:
- Studying the physics of stars.
- Detailed analysis of the physics of the sun.
- The study of radio astronomy.
- Extragalactic and gamma astronomy.
- Carrying out astrophysical experiments.
- The implementation of optical production.
All these vectors of the research staff’s work allow studying the activity of stars and their magnetism, the structure and atmosphere of stars, and the study of asteroids and satellites. In addition, attention is paid to sunspots and flares of this star, the solar-terrestrial relationships and many other factors and aspects are analyzed.
How to get there
So, where is the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory? Its address is: Crimea, Bakhchisar district, urban village. Scientific. Getting to this research astrological center is quite simple. If you go by car, then a map will come to the rescue, on which you need to find the specified village and any road that leads to it. Directly on the spot it will not be difficult to navigate, since the observatory is still not a needle and it can be seen from afar. If you plan to travel by public transport, it is best to leave from Simferopol by trolley bus or bus from the railway station or from the Zapadnaya automobile station.
Travel Tips
The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a place that, of course, should be visited in clear weather. Visitors need to go in the evening, since the astronomers' working day begins at night. In August, excursions begin at 19.30 local time.
It is important to know that if the moon is full in the sky, then it is better to postpone the trip. This is due to the fact that this celestial body will completely illuminate the rest of the celestial space and nothing will be visible.
From practical tips, you can give the following: you definitely need to take a flashlight with you, because the station area is lit very poorly, and the most interesting thing in the observatory can be seen at night.
Also on the territory of the observatory there is a unique museum, which is completely devoted to astronomical and space research. Tourists can watch the work of huge-sized mechanisms located directly in the towers of telescopes.
As for the local beauties, from the domed surface of the youngest telescope in the AZT-11 observatory in good weather you can see the surrounding mountains and even the highest peak of the Crimea - Roman-kosh, whose height is 1545 meters. And on the horizon you can easily see the lighthouse of the city of Sevastopol.
The most interesting thing is that tourists can view the night sky, or rather the bodies located on it, with just one telescope, which is small in size. All the rest of his "brothers" have long been connected to modern computer systems and operate exclusively in digital form.
After the excursion in the main building, everyone can easily purchase for themselves and their loved ones a variety of popular science publications, books, magnets and other interesting souvenirs, as well as photographs and CDs with images of various universal beauties, ranging from very dangerous comets and asteroids and ending with giant clusters of galaxies located on the outskirts of our vast and still not fully studied Universe.
And one more important point: it should be remembered that the observatory is located precisely on the village. Scientific, and not on Ai-Petri, as many for some reason mistakenly believe. Remember that on this high enough and difficult to climb mountain, a military radar installation is permanently deployed, which is a completely sensitive facility, and access to outsiders is strictly prohibited.
Instead of a conclusion
The research base has its own printed edition, which also exists in electronic form. Its full name is Izvestia Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (T 79 - designation of one of its volumes). Today there is an accessible archive of the publication, starting in January 1974. The circulation of the magazine, unfortunately, is not as large as we would like, but thanks to the Internet, anyone can get acquainted with its contents on the corresponding site.