RUSSIAN
UKRAINIANHistory
It is believed that the
development of astronomy at V.N.Karazin Kharkov National University
began in 1808, when a special room devoted to astronomy studies
was opened. In 1824 the Chair of astronomy was founded at Kharkov
University. P.A.Zateplinskiy (1794-1834) was the first head of this
department. In fact P.A.Zateplinskiy was the first Russian scientist
who was awarded a Ph.D. degree of the University of Paris ( the
famed Sorbonne. After he came back to Russia, he was nominated as
the first professor of astronomy of Kharkov University. In the middle
of the nineteenth century a great event took place in Russian astronomical
world: Vasiliy
Ya. Struve (1793-1864), the founder of Pulkovo Observatory, initiated
observations the major goal of which was to measure the degree of
arc of the so-called "Russian meridian". Astronomers of Kharkov
University took active part in this campaign under the supervision
of Prof. Shidlovskij A.P. (1818-1892).
In 1883 the permanent Astronomical Observatory of Kharkov University
was founded by 
Prof.
Levitskiy G.V. (1852-1917). For more than two decades, from 1894
to 1915, 
Ludwig
O. Struve (1858-1920), a grandson of the aforementioned astronomer
Vasiliy Ya. Struve, was the head of the Chair of Astronomy of Kharkov
University and the director of Astronomical Observatory. He was
a founder of Kharkov scientific school in the field of astrometry
and stellar astronomy. Honoured Scientist of Ukraine Prof. Evdokimov
N.N. (1868-1941), State Prize Winner of the USSR Kavrayskiy
V.V. (1884-1954), Honoured Science and Engineering Worker of the
RSFSR Kudrevich B.I. (18..-19..) were outstanding representatives
of this school. Famous astrophysicists Acad. Fessenkov
V.G. (1889-1972) (he was the founder of planetary astronomy at Kharkov
Observatory), Prof. Gerassimovich B.P. (1889-1937) (he was the Director
of Pulkovo Observatory in the 1930's),
American astronomer Otto Struve (1897-1963) (he was a son of Ludwig
O. Struve and he headed a number of American astronomical institutions
and served as President
of the International Astronomical Union in 1952-1955), Acad. of
Ukrainian Academy of Sciences Barabashov N.P. (1894-1971) were Prof.
Struve's students and disciples.
Acad. Barabashov N.P.,
the founder of the world wide-known Kharkov school of planetary
science, successfully continued researches of physical conditions
of the Moon and other planets of the solar system begun by Acad.
Fessenkov V.G.
Information about the Moon's surface, Martian atmosphere, studies
of the photometric properties of atmospheres of Venus, Jupiter,
Saturn obtained by the researchers of Kharkov Observatory in the
1930-60`s
ensured greater efficiency in the first planetary space program
planning. Astronomers of Kharkov National University took part in
the preparation and reduction of the results of almost all spaceborne
researches of the Moon, Mars, Venus and Halley Comet carried out
in the USSR. Acad. Barabashov was one of the editors of the three-volume
"Atlas of the Moon's far side". Hard work on the creation of data
output necessary for the design of spacecraft astronavigation systems
was performed in 1967-1988
by the scientists of Kharkov National University.
At the same time astrometrical position measurements were continued.
In 1935 the first spectroheliograph of our country was designed,
and then the Solar Patrol was organized, and the studies of solar
activity and solar physics were started. Since 1929 the Kharkov
Time Service that is a component of the International Time Service
began its daily routine work.
In
the late 1960's a new scientific trend (working out of ground-based
and space data processing technique) began to develop, and a number
of applied scientific tasks were solved, in particular, reduction
of space images of the Moon, Mars, Venus. Now on the basis of this
technique the studies of gravitational lenses are being carried
out.
Studies of the solar system bodies, based on the combination of
the Earth-based and space observations which are obtained as a result
of space missions of the Clementine (the Moon), Magellan (Venus),
and Global surveyor spacecrafts (Mars) are being continued. Information
about optical and radiophysical surface properties of the Moon and
Venus is used to result in their chemical-mineralogical and geological
characteristics. As a consequence, a lot of unique maps of the Moon
and terrestrial planets Mars and Venus are created by Kharkov astronomers
today. In addition, these works are accompanied by the diverse theoretical
and laboratory methods that can provide significant information
about the scattering of light reflected by the rough surfaces.
For two decades asteroid research has been developing in Kharkov.
Observatory of Kharkov National University is one of the leading
astronomical institutions which investigate the near-Earth asteroids
and solve the impact hazard problems.
Nowadays some new scientific trends are developed: the large astrophysical
telescopes are used in the field of astrometry; the closest to the
Sun stars and physics of substars (a new type of objects predicted
by Kharkov astronomers) are studied.
Astronomers of Kharkov National University work in close co-operation
with their colleagues from the special astronomical institutions
of Ukraine, Russia (and other countries of the former USSR), the
USA, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Poland.
Scientific research and educational process in Kharkov National
University are associated. About ten students finish their astronomical
studies every year. For five post-war decades about 400 qualified
astronomers graduated from Kharkov National University. Most astronomy
students are not going to make career in astronomical research,
nevertheless, about 50 of our graduate students have been awarded
the Candidate degree, and more than ten persons were awardet the
Doctor degree. It is important that joined observational and research
work of the scientists of Astronomical Observatory, the teachers
and astronomical students is actively encouraged.
Today the staff of Astronomical Observatory and Teaching staff of
the Chair of astronomy
numbers 45 researchers including six Doctors of Science (Professors)
and 20 Candidates of Science (PhD). They are organized in five thematic
sections:
* astrometry
and stellar astronomy (The chief of this section is Dr.
P.N.Fedorov);
* planetary
and solar physics (The chief of this section is Dr. V.V.Korokhin);
* physics
of asteroids (The chief of this section is Prof. D.F.Lupishko);
* remote sensing
examines of planets (The chief of this section is Prof.
Yu.G.Shkuratov);
* methods of
reduction of observations (The chief of this section
is Prof. V.N.Dudinov).
In addition, Astronomical Observatory has a good working library
(above 50.000 of the principal astronomical and scientific periodicals
and books), and the Chuguyev
Observation Station (70 km south-east from Kharkov).
The main equipment
of Astronomical Observatory consists of: the 0.7-m reflector (AZT-8);
the 0.5-m reflector (on Mt. Maidanak in Middle Asia); a reflector
(AZT-7); the Repsold meridian circle; a normal astrograph; a transit
instrument (APM); a solar telescope (AFR-2). The special coherent-optical
system for calculations is unique, it was registered as the national
property of Ukraine. Our observers have a great opportunity to work
with new powerful equipment at other observatories.
At the present time the basic trends of the researches at Kharkov
Astronomical Observatory and the Chair of astronomy are:
* experimental and theoretical studies of interacting radiation
with the rough surfaces;
* studies of chemical-mineralogical and geological-morphological
characteristics of the lunar and planetary surfaces based on the
combination of the ground-based and space data;
* physical properties of minor planets (asteroids) and the impact
hazard problem research;
* development of image processing algorithms for high-resolution
imaging with ground-based optical telescopes;
* photometric monitoring of brightness variations in gravitational
lens systems and investigation of a gravitational lensing phenomenon;
* the Solar Service and studying the Solar activity in the chromosphere;
* studying the characteristics of the nearest to the Sun stars;
* studying the inner composition of the substars;
* studying the supermassive compact objects;
* fundamental astrometry;
* the Time Service and studying the irregularities in speed of Earth`s
rotation.
Astronomers of Kharkov National University are the active members
of social scientific organizations in Ukraine. They participate
in publicizing scientific results, give popular lectures on astronomy.
Their achievements are highly appreciated: 22 objects of the solar
system are named in honour of the most prolific astronomers of Kharkov
National University.
Professor Yurij V. Aleksandrov