ASC-Kislovodsk observatory
Satellite imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
High on the Shadzhatmaz plateau in the North Caucasus, the Kislovodsk Mountain Astronomical Station has spent over seven decades watching the Sun from some of the clearest skies in Russia.
About the Kislovodsk Mountain Astronomical Station
The station is an outpost of the Pulkovo Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, sited at roughly 2,100 metres elevation on the Shadzhatmaz plateau in Karachay-Cherkessia. It grew from a Pulkovo field station into an independent research facility with international standing.
History
It was founded in 1948 as an offshoot of Pulkovo Observatory in St. Petersburg, chosen for its combination of altitude, clear air and low light pollution.
Telescopes & research
The station's core mission is solar astronomy: regular optical and radio observation of activity in the Sun's photosphere, chromosphere and corona, studied both for its own sake and for its effects on Earth's ionosphere, magnetosphere, troposphere and biosphere.
Location & getting there
The observatory sits on the Shadzhatmaz plateau in Karachay-Cherkessia, in the North Caucasus region of Russia, not far from the spa town of Kislovodsk that gives it its name.
Visiting the Kislovodsk Mountain Astronomical Station
As a working scientific research station, it is not set up as a general tourist attraction. Anyone hoping to visit should contact Pulkovo Observatory or the Russian Academy of Sciences directly to check current access before travelling.
See your named star from here
A solar research station like this one is a reminder of how precisely astronomers track objects in the sky. If you've named a star, its position is recorded with similar precision in our star catalogue.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check Google Maps for current times before you travel.
