Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory: Establishment and Observation

Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory lies in the Pirgulu mountains of Azerbaijan's Shamakhy region, approximately 150 kilometres from Baku, with the main site at about 1,500 metres elevation. Site selection required knowledge of clear nights, atmospheric stability and other observing conditions, alongside solutions for transport, water supply and communications. Preparations in the 1950s advanced staff training, infrastructure and instrument purchases together, with Hajibey Sultanov as a principal organizer.

Early equipment supported site selection and sustained observation. Small refracting telescopes assessed local observing conditions, and a 200-millimetre photoelectric telescope put into service in 1959 also studied site conditions. The observatory therefore rested on practical measurements and accumulated personnel experience; 1960 cannot be treated as the first appearance of astronomical activity in the mountains.

References: [1] [5]

On 17 November 1959, the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic adopted Resolution No. 975, organizing the observatory from the existing astrophysics department and Shamakhy astronomical station. Paragraph 2 required the Academy of Sciences to coordinate with the finance authorities in approving the new institution's structure and staffing, using existing personnel and salary funds for the transition.

On 13 January 1960, the Academy followed with Decision No. 1, implementing the name, structure, scientific council, management and urban base, and appointing Sultanov director. The government's 1959 establishment decision and the Academy's 1960 organizational implementation were connected but separate stages, both preceding completion of the large reflecting telescope.

References: [2] [1]

In 1957, while still under preparation, the observing institution participated in solar observations for the International Geophysical Year. E. A. Gurtovenko of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences was invited to work with local solar physicists in commissioning the photospheric–chromospheric telescope. Observers regularly photographed the photosphere, measured sunspot positions and areas from the images, and recorded image quality on a five-point scale.

The chromospheric channel used a hydrogen-alpha filter to image solar filaments and flares, recording their positions, duration and brightness. Early flare research in 1959 also borrowed an MF-2 microphotometer from the Academy's Institute of Physics. Telescopes, measuring equipment and the people organizing records together formed the initial research capability.

References: [3]

In the early 1960s, Nadir Ibragimov observed Mars from a spur of Mount Kaltadag west of the main observatory at approximately 2,000 metres elevation, undertaking integrated spectrophotometric research under Nikolai Barabashov of Kharkov State University. This mountain observing point was distinct from the main site and should be understood as another location within the network, not a wholesale relocation of the observatory.

Atai's review of planetary research records that the 1960–1961 Mars observations covered twenty wavelengths between 405 and 636 nanometres, measuring magnitude, albedo and photometric behaviour with changing phase. Such work transformed reflected light in different bands into comparable data for investigating the planetary surface and atmosphere, rather than merely obtaining sharp photographs of Mars.

References: [4]

The two-metre reflector manufactured by Carl Zeiss Jena in East Germany arrived at Shamakhy in 1964 and entered service in September 1966. This was a major expansion of equipment, not grounds for changing the observatory's founding year to 1966. The instrument paper records a primary mirror with a physical diameter of 2,080 millimetres, an effective aperture of two metres and a primary focal length of nine metres.

The telescope provided prime-focus, Cassegrain and coudé optical paths and was used chiefly for spectroscopy. Early records relied on Kodak and ZU photographic plates, preserving spectra on physical media for subsequent measurement. Electronic detectors began to be used only in 1998, a later stage that should not be projected back onto the founding period.

References: [5]

Using archives and oral testimony, historian of science Petra Hyklová noted that the two-metre telescopes for Shamakhy and Ondřejov in Czechoslovakia were ordered at similar times, allowing Zeiss to develop both in parallel to reduce costs. The astronomers' requirements differed: the Azerbaijani side emphasized photographic photometry and lunar and planetary accessories, while the Czechoslovak side favoured photoelectric photometry, requiring negotiation and compromise.

Joint discussion also improved mechanical design. A mounting adjustment proposed by Jensch placed the centre of gravity, including counterweights, at the centre of the hydrostatic bearing, and both telescopes adopted it. The paper dates Zeiss's handover at Shamakhy to 12 September 1966. This was an instrument-delivery milestone, distinct from the establishment decision, installation and subsequent continuing research.

References: [6]

Solar-patrol data did not remain at the observatory alone. Sunspot measurements and solar images were sent to the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Pulkovo Observatory's Solar Data and relevant coordination stations. In later joint sunspot magnetic-field observations, some measurements were transmitted by coded telegram the same day, followed the next day by photographs and annotated cards.

From site measurements to solar, planetary and spectroscopic research, Shamakhy gradually developed a working system combining different instruments and recording methods. Its early importance lay in the local observatory's ability to produce data reliably, compare them with other institutions and participate in technical negotiations over large instruments. These results depended on sustained organization and cooperation and cannot be summarized by one telescope's aperture alone.

References: [3] [4] [5] [6]