Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory

Panoramic view of the Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory
Alternative names	Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory
Named after	Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
Organization	National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan
Location	Pirqulu
Coordinates	40°46′55″N 48°35′48″E / 40.78194°N 48.59667°E / 40.78194; 48.59667Coordinates: 40°46′55″N 48°35′48″E / 40.78194°N 48.59667°E / 40.78194; 48.59667
Altitude	1,500, 1,435 m (4,921, 4,708 ft)
Observing time	200 nights per year
Established	November 17, 1959 (1959-11-17)
Website	Shao.az
Telescopes
2 m reflector 70 cm photoelectric telescope Cassegrain reflector 60 cm telescope Cassegrain reflector 35 cm catadioptric
Location of Nasir al-Din al-Tusi Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory
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Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory (Azerbaijani: Nəsirəddin Tusi adına Şamaxı Astrofizika Rəsədxanası) is an observatory in the Greater Caucasus Mountains in Azerbaijan. It is named after the medieval Persian astronomer Nasreddin Tusi. It is located 22 km northwest of the city of Şamaxı, on the eastern slope of Pirqulu, at an elevation of 1500 m. It has 150–200 clear, cloudless nights per year.

History[]

The Azerbaijani scientist Yusif Mammadaliyev played a significant role in the creation of the observatory. In 1991, the name of Nasraddin Tusi, a mathematician, physicist and astronomer of the Middle Ages, was adopted for the observatory. A settlement for employees was created below the observatory and was named after Mammadaliyev (Pirgulu). The first director of the observatory was academician Hajibey Sultanov (1960–1981). During Sultanov's era, astrophysical observations were carried out intensively.

In September 2008, the observatory underwent major repairs.^[2][3][4]

Telescopes[]

The observatory measured the light polarization of Comet d'Arrest during the Soviet period.^[5] Observations with the main instrument – a 2-meter reflecting telescope produced in Germany – started in 1966; at that time it was the first large telescope of the South Caucasus.

In addition, the following instruments are employed in the observatory:

• For spectral investigations of the solar atmosphere, a horizontal solar telescope with a main mirror diameter of 50 cm
• A chromospheric and photospheric AFR-2 telescope with dimensions of 20/13 cm, used for solar service
• The AZT-8 reflector with a mirror diameter of 70 cm
• The Carl Zeiss reflector, with a mirror diameter of 60 cm
• A meniscus telescope of Maksutov's system, equipped with an objective prism, with an aperture diameter of 35 cm
• A 90-cm AZT-15 Schmidt telescope installed in the observatory in 2013^[2]

Two-meter telescope and its devices[]

This telescope was installed by the German company Carl Zeiss JENA at the following location:

40°46′51″N 48°35′50″E / 40.78083°N 48.59722°E / 40.78083; 48.59722. The primary parabolic mirror has a diameter of 2080 mm and a focal length of 9000 mm. It combines three different optical systems:

• Primary focus Focal length of the primary focus is 9360 mm with a focal ratio of F/4.5 and a plate scale of 23 "/mm. For photometric observations, the primary focus cassette has useful field 21′×21′ when using a field corrector. There is a spectrograph for primary focus with two diffraction gratings and three cameras, which are used to study faint celestial bodies.
• Cassegrain focus The equivalent focal length of the Cassegrain focus is 29500 mm, it's focal ratio is F/14.5, and plate scale is 7 "/mm. For this focus, several devices can be used:
  • 2x2 prism spectrographs having dispersions of 90 and 180 Å/mm, equipped with a CCD camera with a size of 1024×1536 pixels to obtain spectra of faint stars in gratings (UAGS) having dispersions of 29, 44, 86, and 196 Å/mm.
  • Cassegrain Echelle spectrograph with 2 cameras (F=150 mm, F=250 mm) with resolving powers of 1500 and 2500 and CCD cameras with 530×580 pixels (liquid nitrogen cooling).
  • CCD camera with 3056×3056 pixels. This camera has a set of photometric filters.
• Coude focus The Coude focus has the equivalent focal length of 72000 mm with a focal ratio of F/36 and plate scale 3 "/mm. Devices in Coude focus are:
  • An echelle spectrograph with spectral resolution of 30000.
  • A universal Coude echelle spectrograph with super high spectral resolution has three cameras (F=350 mm, F=700 mm, F=1400 mm), two Echelle gratings (γ =63.5°, γ = 80°). The first Echelle grating of (63.5°) provides spectral resolutions of R=95000 and R=190000, while the second Echelle grating (80°) gives spectral resolution of R=260000 and R=530000 on a detector with 4000×4000 pixels.

Detectors

• CCD camera with 530×580 pixels (pixel size 18×24 μm, liquid nitrogen cooling)
• CCD camera with 4000×4000 pixels (pixel size 15 μm, liquid nitrogen cooling)
• CCD camera with 3056×3056 pixels (pixel size 12 μm, thermoelectric cooling)
• CCD camera with 1024×1536 pixels (pixel size 9 μm, thermoelectric cooling)

Zeiss-600 telescope[]

This was installed by the German company Carl Zeiss JENA in 1982. The diameter of the primary parabolic mirror is 600 mm and the focal length is 2400 mm; the focal length of the Cassegrain configuration is 755 mm. The plate scale in the Cassegrain focus is 28 "/mm. For a long time, observations were conducted with a photoelectric photometer. A CCD camera with thermoelectric cooling from the company FLI is used as a detector, that camera has 4000x4000 pixels.

AZT-8 telescope[]

This telescope was installed in 1970. It requires modernization.

AST-452 meniscus telescope[]

This telescope was installed in 1964. It requires modernization.

Azimuth Coelostat Plant ASQ-5 (Horizontal solar telescope)[]

This telescope was installed in 1963. İt requires modernization.

AFR-3 Chromosphere photospheric telescope[]

This telescope was installed in 1957. It requires modernization.

Other devices[]

• B-240 vacuum unit It was obtained in 1986 from Germany to (re-)aluminise the surface of astronomical mirrors.
• Liquefaction nitrogen device
• VLF – Very low frequency radio receiver
• SuperSİD

Library[]

The Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory Scientific Library was created at the same time as the observatory. It consists of two major halls. The reading room was organized in the first hall. There is an exhibition of new books, periodicals, magazines, and encyclopedias. In the second large hall, literature in Russian and other foreign languages is systematically placed. It has more than 14,000 books, more than 2500 magazines (21 in Russian, 23 in English, 8 local magazines), 5 newspapers ("Azerbaijan", "People", "Republic", "Science" and "Search"), ancient and rare editions, manuscripts, field dictionaries and encyclopedias, reference journals and other special scientific and technical literature. The library carries out the international exchange of books in more than 25 countries (more than 45 foreign institutions and organizations), exhibitions, etc., and is closely involved in organizing events. The library plays an important role in the field of astrophysics and astronomy, as well as in publishing publications and electronic editions.^[6]

Directors of the observatory[]

Name	Nationality	Period	Notes
Hajibey Sultanov	Soviet Union	1951–1980	[7]
Ogtay Huseynov	Soviet Union	1980–19??	[8]
Alik Abbasov	Soviet Union	19??–????	[8]
Zohrab Ismayilov	Soviet Union	19??–????	[8]
Kamran Huseynov	Soviet Union	19??–????	[8]
Schmidt Ahmadov	Azerbaijan	????–1997	[8]
Ayyub Guliyev	Azerbaijan	1997–2015	[9]
	Azerbaijan	2015–

Foreign cooperation[]

Cooperation between Baku State University and Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory began on April 6, 2017, with the establishment of an Astrophysics chair of Baku State University at Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory and an agreement was signed establishing a branch of the Astrophysics Department of BSU in the observatory. The document was signed by the rector of Baku State University, academician Abel Maharramov, and the director of the observatory, Namig Jalilov. According to the relevant contract, in October 2018, the Branch of the Astrophysics Department of Physics Faculty of BSU has opened its branch in the observatory.

Many employees had been elected members of the International Astronomical Union, the European Astronomical Society, and the Eurasian Astronomical Union. The Observatory is also a member of the International Astronautics Union.

The staff of the observatory works together with foreign astronomers on a number of issues. During the existence of the observatory, its staff published more than 2,500 articles in foreign and local journals.The solar physics and solar-earth problems have involved close cooperation with researchers in Russia, Germany, Israel, Bulgaria, and Georgia and different astronomical organizations of other countries. Star physics research is being carried out with Russian Observatory staff (Russian EA KhAR, Moscow State University of Schnberg State Astronomical Institute, St. Petersburg DU, etc.). The mobile station of Stanford University operates in the observatory.

Students and practitioners from many foreign countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran and Turkey come to the Observatory to learn how to use the telescope. Many of the results obtained in the observatory have been cited by world academics.

Famous workers of the observatory[]

• Nadir Ibrahimov

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory.

• Shao.az (in Azerbaijani and English)