Byurakan Observatory
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| Organization | Armenian Academy of Sciences |
|---|---|
| Location | Mount Aragats, Armenia |
| Coordinates | 40°20′0″N 44°16′0″E / 40.33333°N 44.26667°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 the village of Byurakan 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
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