If the stars attract you stronger than other cities and countries, you can arrange an unusual journey – visit one of the observatory where they conduct excursions. We have chosen five scientific objects located in the very beautiful corners of Russia, so after meeting with stars and planets you can walk around the neighborhood and relax in nature.
Karachay-Cherkessia, Arkhyz: Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences
This is the largest observatory in Russia for observing deep cosmos. It is located in the village of Nizhny Arkhyz, not far from the skin resort of the same name. Outside, this is a huge white dome 53 m high and 44 m wide. A oblong window opens in the roof at night, and a huge eye of the telescope peers into the darkness. It is also one of the largest in the world: the diameter of the mirror is 6 m, and it weighs 42 tons.
It was no coincidence a place for the observatory: back in 1959, 16 explosions were conducted to determine the most cloudless district of the USSR. Since 1976, the telescope has been working every night-if the weather is good, of course.
The research institute contains another telescope located 20 km from the village of Nizhny Arkhyz, on the outskirts of the village of Zelenchukskaya. Instead of the dome, here there is a 600-meter circle on Earth-this is the ring antenna of the world’s largest radio telescope. It is called the Ran-600.
You can come to both objects with a tour, but you need to sign up in advance through the official website. A ticket costs 500 rubles for an adult and 250 for schoolchildren (to preschoolers for free). We advise you to visit the planetarium with a night tour to look at the stars through the Celestron telescope (it begins after the onset of dark air at an altitude of 2,070 m, so you need to dress at any time of the year).
How to get: most conveniently from the village of Nizhny Arkhyz. The nearest airport is in mineral waters. The ticket is back and forth-from 11,000 rubles*, the flight lasts 3 hours 40 minutes.
Where to stop:
- Guest House Solaris Guest House (rating 9.9). The cost of a room is from 3,000 rubles* per night.
- Hotel Korona Arkhyz (rating 8.6). The cost of the room is from 3,500 rubles* per night.
- Five -star hotel Arkhyz Royal Resort & Spa (rating 10). The cost of the room is from 16,500 rubles* per night.
St. Petersburg: Pulkovo Observatory
The observatory in St. Petersburg was created by decree of Emperor Nicholas I and has been working since 1839. In the 19th century, the famous American astronomer Benjamin Gold called it the astronomical capital of the world. During the Second World War, the building of the observatory was almost completely destroyed, but after it was restored under the leadership of architect A. V. Schusev, who used the initial drawings.
Today, the Pulkovo observatory is a modern intensively developing scientific institution. Here, work is carried out in various areas of astronomy and constantly improve methods for observing space objects. Inside you can get into the group accompanied by the guide. Conduct the thematic excursions. For example, they talk about black holes or solar activity (schedule here). The cost of the ticket depends on the selected excursion.
How to get: The observatory is located in St. Petersburg at the address of Pulkovskoye Shosse, the house 65.
Where to stop:
- Hotel quarter (rating 8.6). The cost of the room is from 2,800 rubles* per night.
- The four-star hotel AirportCity Plaza St. Petersburg (rating 10). The cost of a room is from 6,000 rubles* per night.
- The five -star hotel TSAR Palace Luxury Hotel & Spa (rating 10). The cost of the room is from 12,900 rubles* per night.
Kazan: Astronomical Observatory of Kazan University named after V.P. Engelhardt
The observatory is located near Kazan, in the village of Oktyabrsky. This place has a rich story-the first building here was built in 1814, and they began to study astronomy back in 1810. The complex in the form in which he has survived to this day appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. Today it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In AOE, 12 existing telescopes, including the most modern ones. By the way, all ancient telescopes also work, but are museum exhibits. Immediately you can see the unique astronomical tools made in Germany in the 19th century – a heliometer and a meridian circle.
At the observatory, a planetarium works, in which for everyone they conduct daily and night programs. The details and schedule can be found on the official website. The standard program includes an interactive excursion, an astronomical lecture and a star show, as well as watching a full -domed film. The duration of the session is an hour and a half, an adult ticket costs 450 rubles, children – 400 rubles.
How to get: From Kazan to the Observatory, you can get by train in 40 minutes. Address – Oktyabrsky village, AOE street, 7, bldg. 1. Until Kazan itself, it is most convenient to fly by plane. A ticket from Moscow back and forth costs from 5,100 rubles*, on the way 1 hour 40 minutes.
Where to stop:
- Apart-hotel “Pushkin 26” (rating 9.6). The cost of a room is from 5,500 rubles* per day.
- The four -star hotel “Cosmos Kazan” (assessment 10). The cost of the room is from 7 100 rubles* per day.
- The four -star hotel Raymond (rating 9.2). The cost of the room is from 8,600 rubles* per day.
Irkutsk: Baikal Astrophysical Observatory
This observatory is located in a very beautiful place: right on the shores of Lake Baikal, in Listvyanka. The main object here is a large sunny vacuum telescope (BSVT), built back in 1980 to study activity and magnetic fields of the largest star in our universe. One of the main objects of the study is solar outbreaks. The results are used to develop methods for predicting solar activity.
By the way, the telescope remains the largest in Eurasia today. Its height is 25 m, approximately like a nine -story building. There are also four more solar telescopes in the observatory, but less.
You can get to the object from one of the official excursions. For tourists, only an old -style telescope is open, which is no longer used for research. But through his lens, it will be possible to discern a solar disk, and sometimes even spots on its surface and flash. In the evening you can watch the moon, planets, galaxies and foggy. All excursions last from one to two hours, the cost of tickets is indicated on a separate site. Guides are professional astronomers who tell a lot of interesting things. And the site near the BSVT is considered one of the best viewing points on South Baikal, so you get the most beautiful photos.
How to get: the observatory is located at Listvyanka, st. Partizanskaya, house 29. It is convenient to get by a bus or a taxi on the Baikal tract from Irkutsk. And in Irkutsk, regular flights fly from Moscow. A ticket back and forth from 33,000 rubles*, on the way 5 hours 45 minutes.
Where to stop:
- Hotel “Mayak” (score 9.3). The cost of the room is from 4,300 rubles* per day.
- Three -star hotel “Cross Pad” (rating 8.9). The cost of the room is from 6,400 rubles* per day.
- Apartments Baikal Hill Residence (rating 9.9). The cost of the room is from 8,800 rubles* per day.
Pushchinsky Radio Astronomic Observatory Akts Fian
In the city of Pushchino near Moscow, there is the oldest scientific institution in Russia, which is engaged in radiostronomy. This observatory was founded in 1956, and it was its employees who discovered Supercoron of the Sun. Today, pulsars are being examined here and dynamic processes in the near -salt and interplanetary plasma are being studied.
Three radio telescopes operate in the observatory. True, from the outside they do not look as large as other observatories: for example, the BSA radio telescope is an antenna grate and for a third -party observer looks like a huge accumulation of wires (grille area, by the way, exceeds seven hectares). At the same time, BSA is one of the most sensitive telescopes in the world. Another radio telescope, DKR-1000, consists of a number of antennas (their length is 1 km). For tourists, the RT RT-22 radio telescope Fian-a large “plate” with a diameter of 22 m looks most interesting for tourists.
The observatory regularly spends open days. The program has a sightseeing tour with the inspection of telescopes, guides’s stories about how radiostronomers work and what they study, as well as lectures and a master class. And if the weather allows, in the evening there are observations of stars with optical telescopes. Look for information about open days on the official website.
How to get: The observatory is located in the city of Pushchino near Moscow (Radiotekopnaya St., house 1a). It is convenient to get there from Moscow by car or by bus from the Lesoparkovaya metro station, from 40 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on traffic jams.
Where to stop:
- Hotel “Meridian” (rating 8.2). The cost of the room is from 3,500 rubles* per day.
- Park-hotel “Vozdvizhenskoye” (assessment 10). The cost of the room is from 7,000 rubles* per day.
- Country Hotel API (rating 9.1). The cost of the room is from 8,800 rubles* per day.
*Prices are relevant at the time of publication.
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