Friday, January 10 2020 17:45

ArmInfo. The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory named after Victor Hambartsumyan in 2019 earned an additional 17.5 million drams due to tourism, which became  a good help to the budget of the scientific center, which totals only  210 million drams. The director of the Byurakan Astrophysical  Observatory Areg Mikaelyan said this at a meeting with reporters.

The scientist noted that the observatory can bring more money from  visitors if increased attention is paid to this the issue, including  from the government agencies responsible for tourism. He expressed  his conviction that fundamental science and tourism should become the  main advantages and driving forces of the country in the  international arena.

Mikaelyan emphasized that the most important achievement of recent  years is that Byurakan Observatory is recognized as the national  value of Armenia. The observatory is recognized as a regional center  of astronomy, including by Turkey, Georgia, Iran and many countries  of the world. This list does not include only Azerbaijan, where any  communication and cooperation with Armenian scientists is prohibited.

Speaking about scientific achievements, the scientist said that  thanks to a joint program developed by the Byurakan Observatory and  the Research Institute of Informatics of the Academy of Sciences of  Armenia, as well as a number of scientific institutions from Germany,  a computer system for analyzing astronomical and astrophysical data  was launched in Armenia. In addition, active work will be carried out  to prepare for events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the  observatory, within the framework of which a voluminous publication  is planned in which the most important results of the work of  scientists of the observatory will be summarized.

International cooperation allows the observatory to modernize its  instrumental scientific base. Long-term cooperation with the  astrophysical centers of St. Petersburg allowed the Byurakan  Observatory to receive three additional telescopes on the balance of  St. Petersburg State University last year.

From the point of view of international cooperation, the observatory  will hold several conferences in 2020 and will host the Council of  the reputable European scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics,  representing scientists from 28 countries of the world. In total, the  observatory cooperates with 43 countries and concludes various  agreements in the framework of joint astrophysical research. To date,  the staff of the observatory are working on 7 major international  scientific programs.

The head of the scientific center complained that astrophysics is no  longer attracting young people, and they are becoming less and less  in the field of basic sciences, although the observatory is doing  everything to update scientific personnel - it provides them with  premises for work and sends them several times a year to foreign  missions.

Mikaelyan, however, expressed hope that the financing of science as a  whole in Armenia will increase, and this will allow at least a  gradual increase in the salaries of scientists based on their work  experience and the relevance of scientific research.

To recall, the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory was founded in 1946  at the initiative of the famous Armenian scientist, one of the  founders of theoretical astrophysics, academician Victor  Hambartsumyan. The observatory is located at an altitude of 1405 m,  on the slope of Mount Aragats, which makes it unique.

The astrophysicists have 10 telescopes. The largest of them is  ZTA-2.6 with a reflex mirror diameter of 2.65 m., As well as the  Schmidt telescope with a 1-meter diaphragm - one of the largest  telescopes of this type in the world. The observatory gained world  fame due to the important discoveries of a scientific group led by  Hambartsumyan. The most important of these was the discovery of  stellar associations - groups of young stars where new stars form.