Over 550 million rubles will be spent on construction of an observatory of the Astronomic University of Sternberg of the Moscow State University in 2 years in Karachay-Cherkessia at an altitude of 2,100 meters, RIA Novosti cites Yevgeny Sheffer, deputy head of the institute for science work and prospects for development, as saying.
A project was completed in 2010. 552 million rubles were provided for 2011-2012. A dome for the telescope will come from Italy in October.
The observatory is peculiar for water supplies. Boreholes were drilled at a depth of 180 meters, which is very rare for a mountain area.
The observatory complex will be at the Kichi-Balyk village of Shidzhatmaz area, covering 7.7 hectares. It will have 5 telescopes. A mirror of one of them will have a diameter of 2.5 meters, the second largest in Russia. The largest Russian telescope has a mirror of 6 meters in diameter and is located at the Special Astrophysics Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences at the Zelenchuksky District of Karachay-Cherkessia.
Besides residential and technical facilities, the complex will have a unique machine for aluminum covering of mirrors. The new observatory will carry out research of the university and train young staff.
