Byurakan Observatory

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Byurakan Observatory
Organization Armenian Academy of Sciences
Location Mount Aragats, Armenia
Coordinates 40°20′0″N, 44°16′0″E
Altitude 1,500 m (5,000 ft)
Webpage www.bao.am/
Telescopes
telescope 2.6 m Cassegrain reflector
telescope 1 m Schmidt reflector
telescope 50 cm Schmidt reflector

The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, or Byurakan Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Armenian Academy of Sciences. It is located on the slope of Mount Aragats in Armenia.

[edit] History

Founded in 1946 by Viktor Ambartsumian, it was one of the main astronomy centers of the USSR. The observatory has discovered special star clusters - stellar associations (1947), more than 1,000 flare stars, dozens of Supernovae, hundreds of Herbig-Haro objects and cometary nebulae, hundreds of galaxies. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the observatory fell into hard times. It has been the site of two major conferences on SETI, and is recognised as the regional center for astronomical research.



[edit] Equipment

Byurakan Observatory's main telescope is a 2.6 m cassegrain reflector, along with a 1 and .5 m Schmidt reflector as well as other smaller telescopes.

[edit] External links