Karachay-Cherkessia: Astronomical megaproject

A scientific expedition led our team to Karachay-Cherkessia, to the area of the largest telescopes in Eurasia, to talk about white dwarfs, the Pleiades and once again feel the Creator's providence.

Roads in the Krasnodar region in winter are known to be some of the best in Russia. Therefore, 370 kilometers flew by like a swallow. The landmark is the village of Zelenchuskaya. It is in its vicinity that gravitational waves are caught.

Fig.1 Route Krasnodar - Arkhyz

Along the way we visited the ancient capital of Alanya, Meuse. This ancient and rich city was located on the Silk Road and at certain periods of its history had a population larger than Paris. It contains three Orthodox churches and a 90-meter solar calendar from those times.

Fig.2 In the ancient city of Meuse

In the picture below, the purpose of the visit is the Large Azimuth Telescope with a mirror diameter of 9 meters. This is currently the largest telescope in Eurasia. On the way to it, we passed the RATAN-600 radio telescope, somewhat similar to the Krasnodar football stadium.

Fig.3 Europe's largest telescope BTA

The BTA telescope is located at an altitude of 2600 meters, closer to the stars, so that no interference would distract scientists from the search for extraterrestrial civilizations. The town of scientists is located at the foot of the mountain. Typical Soviet Academy Town. The views from the mountain are breathtaking.

Fig.4 View of the mountains from the telescope site

As a builder, I was also interested in the history of the construction of the telescope. This megaproject began in 1965. From the observatory's website you can download an illustrated album with photographs dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the BTA. I will give below some of them.

Fig.5 Construction of the telescope foundation in the summer of 1966

The construction itself lasted almost 10 years in accordance with a strict schedule. At the same time, a unique mirror was produced, at that time the largest in the world. The mirror was made at the Leningrad Optical-Mechanical Plant. By the way, many visitors ask what the LOMO inscription on the telescope means.

Fig.6 Installation of the telescope dome arc in 1968

You can learn how to manage megaprojects from such living examples. As part of the construction, a complex subproject was also implemented to deliver the mirror to the telescope. For the first time in the world to such a height!

Fig.7 Delivery of the telescope mirror in 1974

On the eve of the opening of the observatory, the newspaper Pravda published the following editorial congratulating Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev.

Fig.8 Congratulations to Brezhnev

This is what a telescope looks like from the inside. The dome opens and the tower can rotate 360 ​​degrees. The internal system rotates the mirror at the desired angle and the light from the mirror begins to focus at a certain point where the readings are taken by the equipment. It looks majestic, especially in comparison with a person.

Fig.9 BTA telescope from the inside

The legacy of the megaproject is important! The observatory made many scientific discoveries, the largest of which is considered to be confirmation of the existence of gravitational waves. Observatory staff publish regular reports and defend doctoral dissertations. The telescope's operation is scheduled for two years in advance.

In the process of observing stars, it was confirmed that our Universe is expanding. On a good starry night, about three thousand stars are visible and only 5% of them have names, the rest have numbers.

One of the observatory's most experienced employees, Anatoly Kopylov, left science and became a minister of the Church. And this is quite understandable. Even if you get under this roof for a few hours, you begin to talk about the Creator and measure time with standards incomprehensible to human age.

I would also like to note that since life on planet Earth depends on the Sun, the Sun has less than 6 billion years left to shine. It will then turn into a red giant and then into a white dwarf. Take care of yourself and think about the eternal!

Fig. 10 Hertzsprung-Russell diagram shows the distribution of stars by Brightness to Temperature

Yes and more! Down in the valley there is a miracle called the face of Christ. An unknown artist depicted Jesus at a height of 120 meters on a rock. God looks at the old city, at the observatory and at the stars.

Fig. 11 Face of Christ

Everything is interconnected in our life. That's how it should be!