Trip to Eastern Europe and Asia

Trip to Eastern Europe and Asia - 2002

The order of countries on this page follows the chronological order in which
they were visited during my trip through Eastern Europe and Asia.

Poland

Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory (photo) was founded in 1825 and rebuilt in 1948-50 after
destruction during II World War. The Ostrowik Station uses a 60-cm Zeiss Cassegrain telescope.

Nicholas Copernicus Monument (1830) in front of the Polish Academy of Sciences (1820-23).

Lithuania

The earliest known manuscript with lectures on astronomy at the Vilnius University dates back to 1629. The erection of its first astronomical observatory was started in 1753. Amongst many important contributions to astronomy, observations made at the Astronomical Observatory of the Vilnius University (photo) were used by J. de Lalande for the calculation of Mercury's orbit and the first world's photographic solar patrol began to function in 1865. Nowadays optical instruments include 63-cm and 48-cm reflecting telescopes (f/4.8), a 16-cm astrograph (f/9.4) and a 13-cm VPU refractor (f/15).

Russia

The Sternberg Astronomical Institute (photo) is part of Moscow State University, the oldest university in Russia, founded in 1775. SAI is a huge center of research with hundreds of scientists, most of which have Ph.D. degrees, grouped in several departments: Supernovae, GCVS (General Catalogue of Variable Stars), Department of the Galaxy and Variable Stars, Stellar Astrophysics, Solar Structure, Astrometry, Gravitational Measurements, Relativistic Astrophysics, Astronomy, Radioastronomy, Infrared Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Lunar and Planetary Research. Just as an example, the Department of Lunar and Planetary Research was in charge of processing and preparing the first map of the lunar far side, based on the first ever images of the far side of the Moon received from Luna-3 in 1959, among many other important contributions to science. The Sternberg Astronomical Institute also has access to several state-of-the-art telescopes installed on mountaintop observatories in Uzbekistan (1.5-m, 1.0-m and 60-cm reflectors), Ukraine (1.25-m and 60-cm reflectors, 40-cm astrograph) and Kazakhstan (3.4-m Cherenkov, 1.0-m and 48-cm reflectors). AstroNet, the Internet network of SAI, is the biggest astronomical site in Russia and provides the astronomical community with access to data archives and observations.

Monument to Sputnik, across Rizhskaya Metro St.

On 4 October 1957 the USSR successfully launched Earth's first artificial satellite beginning the Space Era. On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to orbit Earth. In honor of these events a 99-meter obelisk Conquest of Cosmos (photo below) was erected in 1964 depicting a taking-off rocket leaving behind a train of smoke and fire. It is made out of steel framework tiled with polished sheets of titanium. In front of the obelisk there is a granite monument to the father of practical cosmonautics K. E. Tsiolkovsky.

The huge Conquest of Cosmos monument on Alleya Kosmonavtov.

Sculptures at the base of Conquest of Cosmos...

...are extraordinarily beautiful on both sides of the monument.

The following five photos were taken inside the amazing Memorialnyy Muzey Kosmonavtiki.

I was very touched by seeing how well conserved are the actual capsules, space uniforms, rover and many other things that were only seen on newspapers and on TV during the beginning of the Space Race. Even the real dog Belka is there. The USSR... the nation that first launched a satellite, the first nation to send a human to space, the flight of the first woman-cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first extra-vehicular activity of Alexei Leonov in space, cosmonauts performing space flights longer than one year and the unforgettable Mir...

I also was surprised to learn that the widow of one of the three cosmonauts killed on 29 June 1971 during the Soyuz-11 reentry is part of the Museum staff. Soyuz-11 was the first flight to a space station, Salyut 1, two years before the American Skylab. I still remember how sad that day was for the whole world; I was only 15 and even wrote a letter to Radio Moscow...

The original Vostok 1 capsule and spacesuit used by Yuri Gagarin on his first flight to space.

The original Soyuz-37 capsule, which carried the first non-Warsaw Pact
cosmonaut Pham Tuan of Vietnam in 1980.

Belka (Squirrel) was the first dog to be safely recovered after spending a day in orbit on 19 August 1960.
She seems to be still alive in the Museum, surrounded by replicas of Sputnik 5 and its rocket launcher.

Lunokhod 1 was the first successful Soviet remote-controlled moon rover to land on the Moon on 17 November 1970. It weighed about 900 kg and was carried to the Moon by Luna 17. Lunokhod 1 explored Mare Imbrium for almost one full year, having traveled 11 km relaying TV pictures and scientific data. Lunokhod 2, an improved version of Lunokhod 1, landed on the Moon on 16 January 1973 and traveled 37 km in only 8 weeks. Lunokhod 3 (photo) never made it to the Moon and to our luck could be admired in the museum. The three Lunokhod rovers were part of the Soviet's manned lunar program and would serve in the construction of the first lunar bases.

Statue in honor of Yuri Gagarin.

Ukraine

The Main Astronomical Observatory (MAO) of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is the country's major center for astronomical research. MAO was founded in 1944 and its staff includes nearly 200 scientists, of which 11 D.Sc. and 53 Ph.D. MAO provided the ground-based astronomical support for the PHOBOS mission to Mars and received the State Prize of USSR for the development of scientific equipment for the VEGA space mission to Comet Halley, among many other important projects the observatory has been involved in.

Dr. Olexii Perekhod, Dr. Olexa Andrienko and Dr. Sergei Osipov
of the Dept. of Solar Physics with the 45-cm double horizontal solar telescope (f/39).

Dr. Anatoliy Yatsenko (right) at the 40-cm Zeiss DWAA (double wide-angle astrograph, f/5).
Here he measured proper motion, position and B/V magnitudes from 1981 to 1999 for more than two million stars.

MAO's 40-cm Tepfer double astrograph (f/13.8).

The telescope of the Satellite Laser Ranging Station, the 19-cm Wanschaff vertical circle (f/13.2)
and the 14-cm refractor are some of the other instruments installed at the Golosiiv site.

MAO Station on Terskol Peak (in the Caucasus Mountains) is at 3,100 m above sea level. Optical and IR telescopes
include the 2.0-meter Ritchey-Chrétien telescope (photo), two 60-cm Zeiss reflectors, a 50-cm and a 20-cm solar telescope.

Armenia

One of the major observatories of the former Soviet Union, the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) was founded by Dr. Viktor Hambartsumian, who was president of the IAU from 1961 to 1964. We were told by our host Dr. Kamo Gigoyan that about 1,500 Markarian galaxies (Seyfert galaxies and starburst systems) were discovered here with the 1.0-meter Schmidt telescope (f/2.1) between 1965 and 1980 with the objective-prism survey begun by B. Markarian. Among other pioneer discoveries at BAO are the first stellar association and activity in the AGN M82. The 2.64-meter telescope (f/3.6) saw first light in 1976 and since 1996 is equipped with a 2048x2048 CCD.

Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory's 2.64-meter telescope dome.

The covered primary mirror of the 2.64-meter telescope.

The 1.0-m telescope and two 50-cm telescopes.

Azerbaijan

The ancient village of Shemakha was the capital of the Shirvan shahs from the 6th century until the capital was moved to Baku. The town was one of the basic points in the region the Silk Route was going through. Shemakha has been devastated by numerous earthquakes over the centuries. Nevertheless, many historic monuments are preserved until today. The town (population 19,000) is well known for its fine wines and carpets, and as the cradle of many great Azeri scientists, poets, philosophers and thinkers. Shemakha Astrophysical Observatory is the biggest observatory in the country and is equipped with a 2.0-meter Zeiss telescope (f/3.6). It was built in the early 1960's and known as Tusi Astronomical Observatory, named after the 13th century Azeri astronomer. The observatory is located at 1,400 m above sea level, 13 km from Shemakha.

Shemakha Astrophysical Observatory's 2.0-meter telescope dome.

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