Star travel of the observatory named after Engelhardt

Star travel of the observatory named after Engelhardt

<p> (KZN.RU, April 5, Alina Berezhraya). Cosmonauts and astronomers have one passion - this is stars. However, somebody observe them through the porthole, and others through telescopes. Each pupil knows about Yury Gagarin, the first person who conquered space. But others might not have heard of 16 celestial objects were named by Kazan astronomers. Before the Cosmonautics Day Almaz Galeev, a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, a lead engineer of the astronomical observatory named after V.P.Engelhardt, told the portal KZN. RU about the contribution of the Kazan astronomy school to space exploration. </p> <h3> <b>All began with friendship</b> </h3> <p> The Kazan astronomical observatory was built in 1838 on the territory of the Imperial university due to rector's assistance - Nikolay Ivanovich Lobachevsky, an astronomer and great mathematician. Exactly here the Kazan scientists carried out the systematic observation of the celestial phenomena and made their first discoveries in the astronomy. For example, the professor Marian Kovalsky assumed that our star system rotated (since 1854 Kovalsky headed the observatory of the Kazan university). </p> <p> By the end of the XIX century the first tram ways emerged in Kazan. Transport movement created considerable obstacles for high accuracy of star locations, therefore it was resolved to transfer the observatory outside of the city. 120 years ago, in 1899, a suitable site was identified in 20 kms to the West of Kazan, not far from the Lavrentevo railway station (now Observatory), where administrative and observation departaments had been constructed for two years. So one of the oldest celestial country observatories - the observatory named after V.P.Engelhardt - was emerged in Kazan which has been already working for 118 years. The actual founders of this observatory are two astronomers and two friends Dmitry Ivanovich Dubyago and Vassily Pavlovich Engelhardt. V.Engelhardt acted as the patron and donated telescopes, scientific equipment and great library of his private observatory in Dresden. The observation of variable objects were carried out here. Variable stars, asteroids, the Moon, our Galaxy were studied through the telescopes installed in the observatory in XX century. There are still the ancient telescopes by the Kazan astronomers in the observatory. </p> <p> In particular, Alexander Dubyago, Dmitry Dubyago's son, discovered two comets, and Nail Sakhibullin, the director of the observatory, astrophysics, Tatarstan Academy of Sciences academician, created the world's famous school of stellar atmosphere simulation. «We can be proud by labour of our astronomers. The Kazan astronomical observatory was one of the strongest. To the word, the observatory was built in Kazan earlier than in Moscow», - told Almaz Galeev. </p> <h3> <b>There are the perfect conditions for starry sky observation in the mountains of Turkey</b> </h3> <p> Kazan and its environs grew very fast, and all of that had prevented the scientists to carry out the astronomical researches. By the start of the new century, a big modern 1,5 m mirror-diameter telescope was emerged in Kazan, but that time there were just some places with good astronomical climate in Russia, where such large device would effectively work. And, it would seem, the way to the stars for the Kazan scientists was closed. «That time the National observatory had been built in Turkey, but the Turkish scientists had no their astronomical equipment. Then the representatives of the Kazan university, The Tatarstan Academy of Sciences and the Turkish council on Science and Technology came to an agreement to unite efforts. And now our scientists regularly come to the National observatory TUBITAK in 50 kms from Antalya, where they sufficiently involve in astronomy on Russian-Turkish telescope», - А.Galeev explained and added there were the perfect conditions for starry sky observation in the mountains of Turkey. Today the observatory named after V.P.Engelhardt acts as a scientific, educational and popular scientific centre. And the ancient telescopes became museum exhibits. For example, there is the meridian circle made in XIX century. «During the observation a tray with mercury was installed to make more accurate measurements, and to control accuracy of the device installation relative to the horizon. Now computer technologies, modern digital receivers, and space telescopes are used for the observation of stars and galaxies», - А. Галеев told. </p> <p> As well there is a unique monument on the observatory territory - the world-tomb where Dmitry Dubyago was buried in 1918. And just several years ago V.P.Engelhardt, the second observatory founder, was reburied here as well. The scientist wanted him to be buried on the observatory territory, but it was not possible to execute his will - the astronomer died during the First world war, and the scientist was buried on Dresden cemetery of Holy Trinity. Later Engelhardt's will was executed - his ashes was brought forever to observatory named after him in the autumn of 2014. </p> <h3> <b>«There is no connection between the astronomy and horoscopes»</b> </h3> <p> Astronomers not only discover space objects, but also are able to see the future. However A.Galeev asserts: «Stars cannot tell about people, there is no connection between the astronomy and horoscopes». But astronomers are able to forecast celestial phenomena. So, in November 11, 2019 Mercury planet will pass through the Sun disk. It is a very rare phenomena which happens approximately once in 10 years. However, it will be impossible to see it without telescope. «Through telescope it will be visible how Mercury planet will have been slowly moving on the background of Sun disk for 5 hours. Of course, more impressive phenomenon is the transit of Venus through the Sun disk, but it happens even less often - one-two times for century. These celestial phenomena will not affect people. That's more than I can say for magnetic storm», - explained А.Galeev. To the word, it is impossible to forecast magnetic storms for a month, as a rule, they can be predicted just for 2-3 days, as the scientist told. </p> <h3> <b>The asteroid named Syuyumbike</b> </h3> <p> With the naked eye it is visible just about 6000 stars on the sky, and Galaxy, probably, consists of 100 billion stars. As Almaz Galeev noted and added that stars live for billions years. As a rule, the stars have just numerically-alphabetic designations from star catalogues, only 200 of them preserved its historical, mainly, Arabic titles. However, this is not the case with asteroids. Mainly they are named in honour of mythical heroes. About 16 celestial objects are named by Kazan astronomers on the surface of the Moon and Mars, and even there are asteroids named in honour of Kazan. So, in the beginning 2000s one of the asteroids discovered in the North Caucasian astronomical station was named Syuyumbike in honour of the 1000-anniversary of Kazan. The planet named the Tatar queen is between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The distance from the Earth to this planet accounts for approximately 300 million kilometres. It is impossible to see it on the sky with the naked eye. Therefore we can only rely on the certificate which shows that on behalf of the International Astronomical Union the planet is named Syuyumbike. </p> <p> Moreover there are more important discoveries of the Kazan scientists. For example, in 2017 the astronomers of the Kazan federal university discovered the exoplanet at the star HD208897 beyond the Sun system, which is 210 light years away the Sun. As the astronomers say this discovery is not ordinary, because it is the first out-sun planet discovered due to the Russian telescope. </p> <p> Today, to get closer to the stars, we don't have to be a cosmonaut or a astronomer. Everyone can see the astronomical bodies in the observatory named after V.P.Engelhardt. You can visit the night excursions here, where starry sky is open to the visitors through the telescope. And on the Cosmonautics Day everyone can watch the fulldome film «Universe phantom» at the planetaria which is on the observatory territory. The visitors will become cosmonauts and will fly through space for a couple of hours. </p>

2019-04-05T17:33:40+0300