Shemakha Astrophysical Observatory

a research institution of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR. The observatory was founded in 1960 on the basis of the academy’s astrophysics section, established in 1956. It is situated at an elevation of 1,435 m, 22 km northwest of the city of Shemakha. Its principal instruments are a 2-m reflector telescope, a 700-cm photoelectric telescope, a 35-cm meniscus telescope, a horizontal solar telescope, and a chromospheric-photospheric telescope.

The Shemakha Observatory studies active formations on the sun, nonstable stars of the T Tauri type, magnetic stars, relativists objects, the atmosphere of the planets, and the structure, evolution, and origin of the ring of asteroids and comets. Since 1971, the observatory has operated a high-mountain station on Mount Batabat, Nakhichevan’ ASSR, at an elevation of 2,300 m. The station has a large coronagraph, with a 40-cm mirror, which is used under conditions other than eclipse conditions. The Shemakha Astrophysical Observatory publishes Soobshcheniia ShAO (Reports of the Shemakha Astrophysical Observatory) and Tsirkuliar ShAO (Circular of the Shemakha Astrophysical Observatory).