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Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (Simeiz, Nauchny)

The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory is the largest astronomical scientific center in Ukraine, founded on the basis of the private Simeiz Observatory in the early 20th century and restored after World War II in the settlement of Nauchny; today its protected buffer zone is threatened by commercial real estate development.

Overview

The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory is the largest in Ukraine, established on the basis of Nikolai Maltsov's Simeiz Observatory (early 20th century); part of the Ukrainian SSR from 1954, it is currently threatened by development in its protected zone.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Founding in Simeiz: in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wealthy astronomy enthusiast Nikolai Maltsov built a private observatory on Mount Kosh-Kaya (also known as Mount Kishka) in Simeiz. In 1912, he donated it to the Pulkovo Observatory in Saint Petersburg.
  • 1-Meter Reflector (1926): a British-built reflector telescope with a diameter of one meter was installed on Mount Kosh-Kaya — the most powerful in Europe at the time (more powerful mountain observatories in the USSR, such as Gissar, Byurakan, and Baksan, appeared later).
  • First Images of the Far Side of the Moon (1959): in 1959, it was at the antenna of the Simeiz Observatory that the first images of the far side of the Moon in history were received, transmitted from space by a Soviet automatic probe. This made Crimea a key data reception site for the Soviet space program; see details in Crimean Space — Crimea's Role in the Soviet Space Program.
  • World War II and Reparations: the Simeiz Observatory was destroyed during the war. Later, as part of post-war reparations, a 40 cm Carl Zeiss Jena reflector was brought to Crimea, which Hitler had originally prepared as a gift to Mussolini for an Italian observatory. Over time, telescope mirrors began to be manufactured directly on site in their own workshop.
  • Main Observatory in Nauchny: on March 30, 1945, it was decided to locate the main observatory in the settlement of Nauchny (Bakhchysarai District), chosen after exploring the coastal belt from Feodosia to Sevastopol. Construction lasted from 1946 to 1955; over its first 30 years, the observatory became one of the world's leading scientific centers. The Simeiz Observatory was restored as a branch.
  • Largest in Ukraine and Discoveries: after Crimea's transfer to the Ukrainian SSR (1954), the observatory became and remains the largest in Ukraine. Over 1,500 asteroids, 3 comets, and numerous stars were discovered here. In 1958, Nikolai Kozyrev recorded a gas emission in Alphonsus crater on the Moon for the first time — a worldwide sensation indicating potential volcanic activity on another celestial body (which remained the only such observation for half a century).
  • Threat of Development in the Protected Zone: since 2009, the construction company "Konsol" (Volodymyr Konstantynov) promoted an elite housing project between the telescope domes; Minister of Education and Science Dmytro Tabachnyk issued an order liquidating the CrAO Research Institute and attaching it to Kyiv National University, depriving the observatory of its legal entity status and its right to a protective buffer zone. After 2014, the protected zone has been developed (Konsol Hotel, 2015–2019; "Lisovy" residential complex), while the observatory's UNESCO nomination stalled due to the occupation.