Project on the theme of the largest observatories of the East. space observatories

Resort Phuket. .

According to a recent postThailandis not only a popular touristMeccabut also the location of a rather large 2.4-meterThailand National Telescope. For comparison inRussiathere are only a few telescopes comparable in size. Therefore, I decided to go through the largest telescopesSouth-East Asia.

Geographically to South-East Asia includes the following countries:

Let's start with Thailand. The main observatory of this country is located near the highest local mountain Doyinthanon.

Topographic map Thailand. .

The height of the observatory is 2457 meters above sea level. It has several telescopes: 2.4- and 0.5-meter ones. The largest telescope made in Arizona, and its main mirror in Moscow region at the factory LZOS.

2.4 meter telescope in Thailand. .

It is expected that at the end of 2014 the telescope will receive a high-resolution spectrograph. In addition, by 2015 it is planned to create a network of public observatories with 0.5-meter telescopes and spectrographs.

Now let’s move on to the largest country in the region − Indonesia. Due to the high humidity of the tropical region, it is difficult to find a good place for astronomical observations here. The largest Indonesian observatory named after Bosses located on the island Java. It was built in 1923.

At the observatory Bosses there are several small telescopes with an aperture of 0.4-0.7 meters.A similar situation forPhilippines. At the observatory pagasathere is a 0.45-meter telescope built in 1954 with a Japanese grant.

0.45 meter telescope at the observatory PAGASA. .

AT Malaysiaalso known0.5 meter telescopes.

space observatories play an important role in the development of astronomy. The greatest scientific achievements of recent decades are based on the knowledge obtained with the help of spacecraft.

A large amount of information about celestial bodies does not reach the earth. it interferes with the atmosphere we breathe. Most of the infrared and ultraviolet range, as well as x-rays and gamma rays of cosmic origin, are inaccessible to observations from the surface of our planet. To study space in these ranges, it is necessary to take the telescope out of the atmosphere. Research results obtained using space observatories revolutionized man's view of the universe.

The first space observatories did not exist in orbit for long, but the development of technology has made it possible to create new tools for exploring the universe. Modern space telescope- a unique complex that has been developed and operated jointly by scientists from many countries for several decades. Observations obtained with the help of many space telescopes are available for free use by scientists and amateur astronomers from all over the world.

infrared telescopes

Designed for conducting space observations in the infrared range of the spectrum. The disadvantage of these observatories is their heavy weight. In addition to the telescope, a cooler has to be put into orbit, which should protect the telescope's IR receiver from background radiation - infrared quanta emitted by the telescope itself. This has resulted in very few infrared telescopes operating in orbit in the history of spaceflight.

Hubble space telescope

ESO Image

On April 24, 1990, the largest near-Earth observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, weighing more than 12 tons, was launched into orbit using the American Discovery shuttle STS-31. This telescope is the result of a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency. The work of the Hubble Space Telescope is designed for a long period of time. the data obtained with its help are available on the telescope website for free use by astronomers around the world.

Ultraviolet telescopes

The ozone layer surrounding our atmosphere almost completely absorbs the ultraviolet radiation of the Sun and stars, so UV quanta can only be recorded outside it. The interest of astronomers in UV radiation is due to the fact that the most common molecule in the Universe, the hydrogen molecule, emits in this range of the spectrum. The first ultraviolet reflecting telescope with a mirror diameter of 80 cm was launched into orbit in August 1972 on the joint US-European Copernicus satellite.

X-ray telescopes

X-rays convey to us from space information about the powerful processes associated with the birth of stars. The high energy of X-ray and gamma quanta allows you to register them one by one, with an accurate indication of the time of registration. Due to the fact that X-ray detectors are relatively easy to manufacture and have a small weight, X-ray telescopes have been installed on many orbital stations and even interplanetary spacecraft. In total, more than a hundred such instruments have been in space.

Gamma-ray telescopes

Gamma radiation has a similar nature to X-ray healing. To register gamma rays, methods similar to those used for X-ray studies are used. Therefore, space telescopes often study both x-rays and gamma rays simultaneously. Gamma radiation received by these telescopes conveys to us information about the processes occurring inside atomic nuclei, as well as about the transformations of elementary particles in space.

Electromagnetic spectrum studied in astrophysics

space observatories

An observatory is a specialized scientific institution designed to observe terrestrial and astronomical phenomena. More recently, scientists have concluded that many monuments of ancient architecture had the goal of observing heavenly bodies. The first observatories were built at the dawn of the greatest civilizations. Despite the fact that the ancient peoples were separated from each other by thousands of kilometers, all structures have common patterns in the structure. Today, history and scientific research prove that our distant ancestors possessed unique knowledge in the field of astronomy. Observatories discovered around the world show that ancient civilizations made amazingly accurate astronomical observations.

Goseck Circle The Goseck Circle was discovered by accident in 1991 in Germany. It was built about 7 thousand years ago. Exploring the Goseck circle, scientists have come to the conclusion that it is unique in every way. This large-scale construction was aimed at determining the summer and winter solstices. Although the observatory was built by the farmers who inhabited this plain, everything spoke of them as capable individuals, versed in mathematics and astronomy. Some scientists claim that the structure found was not only an observatory. On its territory, magical rituals were carried out, which modern researchers cannot decipher.

Some time later, near Gosek, archaeologists found a disk that was a display of cosmological ideas about the world of that time. Experts have no doubt that the find with images of the cosmos is the result of the work of ancient astronomers who have been observing celestial bodies and other stellar objects for more than one hundred years.

El Caracol Mayan astronomers observed the heavenly bodies from stone observatories, which were in many cities. Among them, El Caracol stands out for its size. This structure was erected around 900 AD. The main purpose of the observatory was to monitor the movement of one of the planets of the solar system, Venus. As it turned out, the Mayan people considered Venus sacred. Scientists managed to find out that the Mayans accurately determined the cycle of the planet - 584 days. Marks discovered by scientists in "El-Karakol" testify to the extensive knowledge of ancient astronomers

Makotrzha Square This building was discovered by archaeologists in Czechoslovakia in 1961. Its age is approximately 5.5 thousand years. Scientists cannot explain how the inhabitants of that time were familiar with the theorem, which hundreds of centuries later was called the Pythagorean Theorem. Astronomers of antiquity used in their calculations a single measure of length, which today is called the megalithic yard. Calendars were also compiled and complex calculations were made of the movements of space objects.

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Special Astrophysical Observatory

The Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is a research institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The main instruments of the Observatory are the optical telescope BTA (Large Azimuthal Telescope) with a main mirror diameter of 6 meters and the RATAN-600 radio telescope (Radio Telescope of the Academy of Sciences) with a ring multi-element antenna with a diameter of 600 meters. The employees of the Observatory provide astronomical observations on telescopes in accordance with the decision of the program committee and conduct their own research in various fields of astrophysics and astronomical methods.

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Large South African Telescope SALT

In the 1970s South Africa's main observatories were merged into the South African Astronomical Observatory. The headquarters is located in Cape Town. The main instruments - four telescopes (1.9-m, 1.0-m, 0.75-m and 0.5-m) - are located 370 km from the city inland, on a hill rising on the dry Karoo plateau. In 1948, a 1.9-m telescope was built in South Africa, it was the largest instrument in the southern hemisphere. In the 90s. last century, the scientific community and the government of South Africa decided that South African astronomy could not remain competitive in the 21st century without a modern large telescope. Initially, a 4-m telescope, like the ESO NTT (New Technology Telescope) or more modern WIYN, at Kitt Peak Observatory was considered. However, in the end, the concept of a large telescope was chosen - an analogue of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) installed at the McDonald Observatory (USA). The project was called the Large South African Telescope, in the original - the Southern African Large Telescope. Cost project for a telescope of this class is very low - only 20 million US dollars. Moreover, the cost of the telescope itself is only half of this amount, the rest is the cost of the tower and infrastructure. Another 10 million dollars, according to modern estimates, will cost the maintenance of the instrument for 10 years Such a low cost is due to both the simplified design and the fact that it is created as an analogue of the already developed one.

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SALT (respectively, HET) are radically different from previous projects of large optical (infrared) telescopes. The optical axis of SALT is set at a fixed angle of 35° to the zenith direction, and the telescope is able to rotate in azimuth for a full circle. During the observation session, the instrument remains stationary, and the tracking system, located in its upper part, provides tracking of the object in a 12° section along the altitude circle. Thus, the telescope makes it possible to observe objects in a ring 12° wide in the region of the sky that is 29 - 41° away from the zenith. The angle between the telescope axis and the zenith direction can be changed (no more than once every few years) by studying different regions of the sky. The diameter of the main mirror is 11 m. However, its maximum area used for imaging or spectroscopy corresponds to a 9.2 m mirror. It consists of 91 hexagonal segments, each with a diameter of 1 m. All segments have a spherical surface, which greatly reduces the cost of their production. By the way, the blanks of the segments were made at the Lytkarino Optical Glass Plant, the primary processing was performed there, the final polishing is carried out (at the time of writing the article has not yet been completed) by Kodak. The Gregory corrector, which removes spherical aberration, is effective in the 4? region. Light can be transmitted via optical fibers to spectrographs of various resolutions in thermostatically controlled rooms. It is also possible to set a light instrument in direct focus. The Hobby-Eberle telescope, and hence the SALT, are essentially designed as spectroscopic instruments for wavelengths in the 0.35-2.0 µm range. SALT is most scientifically competitive when observing astronomical objects that are evenly distributed across the sky or located in groups of a few arc minutes in size. Since the telescope will operate in a batch mode (queue-scheduled), studies of variability during a day or more are especially effective. The range of tasks for such a telescope is very wide: studies of the chemical composition and evolution of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, the study of objects with a high redshift, the evolution of gas in galaxies, the kinematics of gas, stars and planetary nebulae in distant galaxies, the search for and study of optical objects identified with x-ray sources. The SALT telescope is located on the summit where the telescopes of the South African Observatory are already located, approximately 18 km east of the village of Sutherland at an altitude of 1758 m. Its coordinates are 20°49" East and 32°23" South. The construction of the tower and infrastructure has already been completed. The journey by car from Cape Town takes approximately 4 hours. Sutherland is located far from all the main cities, so it has very clear and dark skies. Statistical studies of the results of preliminary observations, which have been carried out for more than 10 years, show that the proportion of photometric nights exceeds 50%, and spectroscopic nights average 75%. Since this large telescope is primarily optimized for spectroscopy, 75% is a perfectly acceptable figure. The average atmospheric image quality measured by the Differential Motion Image Monitor (DIMM) was 0.9". This system is placed slightly above 1 m above the ground. Note that the optical image quality of SALT is 0.6". This is sufficient for work on spectroscopy. Large South African Telescope (Southern African Large Telescope - SALT). The segmented primary mirror, tracking system structures, and instrument compartment are visible. Telescope Tower (SALT) BYuAT. In the foreground, a special adjustment tower is visible to ensure the matching of the main mirror segments.

The Chilean Observatory Las Campanas is an observatory in Chile. It is located in the mountains of the Atacama Desert. In addition to the fact that the most incredible and interesting people on our planet work there, it also has the cleanest and brightest starry sky on the planet. At the same time, 30 people live on the territory of this observatory.

The main miracle of this observatory is the Magellan telescope. There are two of them here, they have a mirror diameter of 6.5 meters. And life here begins after sunset. In order to calibrate the instrument, scientists spend about 30 minutes every evening. During the day, when astronomers sleep off after working at night, their places are taken by engineers who monitor the instruments during the daytime. If you are lucky enough to get here, then you will be welcomed with pleasure, shown and told what is so interesting here.

But, why does mankind need astronomy? Coming here, people ask this question, so much money and time is spent on getting to know these dead distant stars. What is the use of astronomy other than pretty pictures? The desire to see the unrecognized, the desire to understand what is far away, is there someone alive there? People have always aspired to go there, to that dark distant height, and having been here, you will be able to touch the space odyssey yourself.

The Mauna Kea Observatory is an international project that includes a number of independent research centers; The telescopes are located on the top of the Mauna Kea volcano at an altitude of 3730 m to 4190 m above sea level in the USA, on the island of Hawaii. Founded in 1967. The observatory grounds are managed and leased by the University of Hawaii. The Mauna Kea Observatory is one of the best places in the world for optical observations in the infrared and visible regions of the spectrum, as it is located at a considerable height and in isolation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Founded in 1964 in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. The observatory is managed by the Canaries Institute of Astrophysics. It is one of the first international observatories in the world, in which telescopes were installed by different countries, since the area has excellent astroclimatic conditions. Later, the main optical observations were transferred to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma. The Teide Observatory is considered one of the largest observatories in the world.

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