In Russia, opened the latest astronomical observatory – the Caucasian mountain observatory (CLC), which was built at Moscow State University. Its main instrument was the telescope with a mirror diameter of 2.5 meters. “Times” published the first images with this telescope, which will be the main base for the practice of young astronomers and students will allow Russian scientists to conduct basic research.
In 2006, the Russian government has allocated € 14,2 million for the purchase and installation of a new telescope MSU. In the same year, scientists and engineers have begun to erect an observatory.
The place was chosen for the construction of a mountain Shatdzhatmaz in Karachay-Cherkessia. The main criterion for site selection were the results of research astroclimate – low degree of atmospheric turbulence and a large number of clear nights.
Studies have shown that in this area cloudless issued about 180 nights a year.
Built telescope has a optical Ritchey-Chretien , the main mirror was manufactured and delivered to the French firm Reosc, the dome of the telescope made Italian, mount – the Chinese, the observation chamber – Danish contractors. The Russian side has built itself an observatory, supervised the construction of the telescope and conducted acceptance tests of the optical part of the instrument using the sensor Shack-Harman .
«telescope the most promising prospects, as its optics with the best international standards, the mirror was carried out with an almost cosmic quality. This is a typical modern telescope university level “, – said the director of the State Astronomical Institute of the PK Sternberg (SAI) MSU Anatoly Cherepashchuk.
«Analysis of the data showed that the quality of the optics is greater than 0.4″, which is close to the diffraction limit, the telescope is very good, the quality of it, no doubt, is superior to Russia’s largest optical telescopes ” – said a senior researcher at the SAI Sergei Potanin.
This angular resolution comparable to that achieved in the world’s largest observatories such as Paranal (Chile), Roque de -los-Muchachos (Canary Islands) and Mauna Kea (Hawaii).
Until recently, the largest mirrors in Russia has two telescopes: a 6-meter telescope Grand azimuthal (BTA) in the Special Astrophysical Observatory (Karachay-Cherkessia) and Mirror Telescope Schein (ZTSH) in the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory c mirror with a diameter of 2.6 m.
Currently, the telescope bought two scientific instruments – CCD photometer and infrared spectrometer. With this set of tools, he is able to perform direct imaging, photometry and infrared spectrometry of various astrophysical objects – stars, star clusters, galaxies.
In the future, the use of other instruments range of scientific problems solved telescope can be extended. It is planned to use the observatory and popular today in ground-based astronomy techniques of adaptive optics, which can compensate for jitter due to turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The new telescope has already been carried out and the first scientific study – photometry of each of the components of a binary star, the angular distance between them is only 1.4 arcsec.
«First Light” was received at the observatory in mid-November, the image quality has justified the wildest expectations of customers – astronomers SAI.
«This is a huge success for our astronomers – in our time to build a telescope. It is modern, completely automated. Regular monitoring will begin in the near future “- said the rector of the Moscow State University Academician Viktor Sadovnichy.
The priority in the observations will be undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The new observatory will be able to so-called alertness observations, when the telescope is not immediately zooms to the program provided for astronomical object or location.
Work Observatory will require a minimum of permanent staff and enables you to control the telescope remotely.
«With this telescope we intend to carry out surveillance and extragalactic astronomy, the study of physics of stars, observe the body of the Solar System, including asteroids. Students, graduate students, young employees will work hard on this instrument – to study the nuclei of galaxies, globular clusters and, most importantly, to monitor the variability of different objects, including weak “- sure Cherepashchuk.
One of the advantages telescope, he said, is the ability for a long time to monitor the brightness of objects in different spectral ranges.
On the territory of the observatory built housing for staff and house for visiting scientists and students. This will allow the Observatory on the basis of Russian and international scientific conferences.
On Saturday, an official opening ceremony of the observatory. It will be attended by the rector of the Moscow State University Viktor Sadovnichy and president of Karachay-Cherkessia Rashid Temrezov. In the run-up to the event director Anatoly SAI Cherepashchuk told guests about the new telescope. “There’s a sun watch, and we – the stars” – said astronomer, pointing to the solar station of the Pulkovo Observatory, located nearby.
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