Excursion to Assy Turgen Observatory
Assy-Turgen Observatory is the only observatory in Kazakhstan with an ideal astroclimate. The astroclimatic conditions of the observatory are well suited for planetary astronomy: high transparency, no light pollution, calm nights and calm atmosphere. The observatory has two telescopes, 1 m (small dome) and 1.5 m (high 20th tower with a dome).
Assy Turgen Observatory - tourist information
True, the fate of the largest telescope is sad. At the end of the 80s, the Astrophysical Institute of the Kazakh SSR received a telescope with a mirror diameter of 1.5 meters, manufactured by the famous German company Karl Zeiss. They built a 20-meter tower with a dome for him. But then the collapse of the USSR and for decades this large telescope has been idle. There is no money for its maintenance! A small 1-meter telescope works, it was installed earlier, in 1976. Experts say that the image quality of the stars is extraordinary. The main area of research: observation of the details of the visible surface of the giant planets of the solar system. The plateau serves as an excellent observation platform: from here magnificent views of the fantastically beautiful landscape
History of Assy Turgen observatory
The observatory was built by the Astrophysical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR; Konstantin Matveevich Salamakhin proposed a place for the construction of the observatory. The construction was started in 1975, due to the large exposure to the observatory on the Kamensky plateau. Constant observations began in 1981 on the meter "Zeiss". In the late 1980s, the installation of a 1.5-meter reflector AZT-20 was supposed. The dome and the observatory building were installed, but the funding instrument itself was no longer enough - the collapse of the USSR prevented it. By 1991, two telescope towers and a hotel block were erected, and a meter telescope was launched. Since the early 1990s, the construction of a 1.5-meter telescope has been frozen. In 2014, it was decided to complete the AZT-20 telescope by the Astrophysical Institute. V. G. Fesenkova (AFIF).
How to visit Assy Turgen observatory
At the end of 2015, a main mirror was installed and a telescope guidance system was put into operation. The AZT-20 was equipped with an Apogee UV42 ultraviolet camera, which made it possible to realize the advantages of an alpine observatory. The telescope saw the first light in October 2016, and on July 27, 2017 it was put into test operation. In the near future, it is planned to modify the optical system of the telescope and equip it with an enlightened quartz-fluorite focus reducer, which will increase the field of view by more than 4 times.
Assy Turgen observatory
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