Byurakan Observatory

Byurakan was founded in 1946 by Viktor Ambartsumian on the southern slope of Aragats at about 1,500 metres, and it did serious work: the Markarian survey of galaxies with active nuclei came from here, and the site was one of the Soviet Union's main astrophysical centres. It is still a working institute. Visits are arranged in advance and typically include the 2.6-metre telescope dome, the Schmidt telescope used for the survey, and, on clear nights, observing.

History

Viktor Hambardzumyan founded the observatory in 1946, with buildings designed by Samvel Safarian, and it became one of the main astronomy centres of the Soviet Union, discovering stellar associations in 1947, more than 1,000 flare stars, dozens of supernovae, hundreds of Herbig-Haro objects and hundreds of galaxies. Its first conference, on stellar associations, met in November 1951, a major meeting on unstable stars followed on 19 September 1956, and it has hosted two major conferences on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence; Hambardzumyan directed it until 1988 (Wikipedia, Byurakan Observatory).

The main sights

• The 2.6-metre telescope - the observatory's main instrument, in its dome.
• The Schmidt telescope - the wide-field instrument the Markarian survey was made with.
• The site - 1946 buildings on the mountain slope, designed as a working campus.
• Night observing - sessions arranged for groups when the sky is clear.

When to go

May to October for the road and the weather. Night sessions depend entirely on cloud and are cancelled often. Booking well ahead is necessary; this is not a walk-in attraction.

What to expect

It is a research institute, not a visitor centre, and the tour depends on staff availability. Equipment is old and some of it is no longer in use. Winter access to the site can be difficult.

Nearby

Amberd fortress is higher on the same road, and the Alphabet Monument is nearby.

Key facts