BYURAKAN ASTROPHYSICAL
OBSERVATORY
The
modern astronomy in Armenia begins with the foundation of the Byurakan Astrophysical
Observatory (BAO) in 1946 by the outstanding scientist of the XX century Viktor Ambartsumian. BAO is at
present the main centre for astrophysical research in Armenia.
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Scientific instruments and Databases ·
Recent results (2000-2016)
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Main administrative building of the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory
and towers of two old telescopes (40cm and 50cm reflectors) |
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Most recent and complete information
about BAO is available in the book:
Mickaelian A.M.
2008, The Byurakan Observatory, Edit
Print, Yerevan, 48p.
The first studies at BAO related with the instability phenomena taking
place in the Universe, and this trend became the main characteristic of the
science activity in Byurakan. Discovery of stellar associations (1947),
hypothesis about activity of galactic nuclei by V.A.Ambartsumian (1958),
discovery and study of many Seyfert galaxies and QSOs, discovery of more than
1000 flare stars, dozens of Supernovae, hundreds of Herbig-Haro objects and
cometary nebulae, valuable works in the field of radiative transfer theory, are
the main scientific achievements of the Byurakan astronomers. The First and
Second Byurakan surveys (FBS, 1965-1980, and SBS, 1978-1991) conducted due to
tireless efforts of another famous Armenian astronomer, Beniamin Markarian
(1913-1985) brought to the well-known Markarian galaxies and SBS objects,
studied by many extragalactic astronomers.
Surveys and search for new objects are the traditional field for the
Armenian astronomers: Markarian, Arakelian and Kazarian galaxies, Shahbazian
groups are known to all astronomers. This tradition is being continued:
searches for blue stellar objects and late-type stars; Herbig-Haro objects, Ha
stars and stellar jets; optical identifications of IR, radio and X-ray sources,
are among the main subjects of BAO's present activities. Other fields of
investigations are: observational cosmology, theory of compact cosmic objects,
and astrophysical applications of mathematical physics.
Main achievements of the Armenian astronomy are connected with V.A.
Ambartsumian, our greatest scientist. He was the IAU Vice-President in 1948-55
and President in 1961-64, twice elected the ICSU President (1968-72), was
honorary member of 28 academies and societies. Ambartsumian was the President
of the Armenian Academy of Sciences during 1947-1993 and the Director of BAO
during 1946-1988. Those times the Byurakan Observatory was one of the main
astronomical centres in the world.
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union and beginning of the
economic crisis, the Armenian astronomers among all other scientists appeared
in an extremely hard situation. Many of them left Armenia for a long period,
others went away from the science at all. However, most of them still work in
astronomy. At present, BAO has some 70 researchers, including 11 Doctors of
Science and 38 Candidates of Science (Ph.D.). There are 3 scientific divisions
and 21 small research groups at BAO.
The main scientific instruments at BAO are: 2.6m telescope (equipped
with ByuFOSC and SCORPIO focal reducers, and VAGR multi-pupil spectrograph), 1m
and 0.5m Schmidt telescopes, a few other telescopes of 40-60 cm size, and the
PDS microdensitometer. BAO has a big archive of photographic plates, including
the Byurakan Surveys, 2650 plates, containing information on some 20,000,000
low-dispersion spectra of objects of the whole Northern sky and a part of the
Southern sky at high galactic latitudes (|b|>15), over an area of 17,000
deg2.
The Byurakan astronomers collaborate with scientists of France, Germany,
Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, USA, Mexico, Japan, China, India, and other
countries. Though the funding of science in Armenia is at very low level (the
mean salary is equivalent to USD 20), however the Byurakan astronomers work
actively due to the international collaboration and grants, and a number of
valuable contributions in science. A significant progress started with the
establishment of the French-Armenian collaboration in 1994: the 2.6m telescope
was put to re-operation with modern equipment, Armenian astronomers visit the
French astronomical centres for short-period research work, BAO's library
receives again journals and books.
BAO is known for a number of important meetings held in Byurakan: IAU
Symposia No. 29 held in 1966 (The Non-Stable Phenomena in Galaxies), No. 121:
Observational Evidences of Activity in Galaxies (1986), No. 137: Flare Stars in
Star Clusters, Associations and Solar Vicinity (1989), and No. 194: Activity in
Galaxies and Related Phenomena (1998); IAU Colloquium No. 184: AGN Surveys
(2001); the First International Symposium on Communications with
Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CETI) in 1971; ESO-Byurakan School in 1987, and
many others.