Dushak-Erekdag Observatory

High on Mount Dushak-Erekdag in Turkmenistan, at an elevation of 2,020 metres, the Dushak-Erekdag Observatory is the southernmost observatory that once belonged to the Soviet Union, and one of the clearest, driest observing sites in Central Asia.

About Dushak-Erekdag Observatory

The observatory is jointly operated by the Institute of Physics and Technology of the Turkmen Academy of Sciences and the Astronomical Observatory of Odessa State University in Ukraine. Its mountaintop site delivers low light pollution, unusually stable sky transparency, and more than 200 usable observing nights a year, ranking it among the best sites in the region for astronomy.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's instruments include a 0.8-metre telescope fitted with a two-star high-speed photometer contributed by Odessa, a 1-metre wide-angle telescope, and a dual-tube instrument with 0.5-metre mirrors. Astronomers there take part in international observing programmes and multi-site campaigns, and the site's longitude helps fill a gap in global asteroseismology networks such as the Whole Earth Telescope (WET), where continuous coverage depends on observatories spread across different time zones.

Location & getting there

Dushak-Erekdag sits at 2,020 metres above sea level in the Kopet Dag mountain range of southern Turkmenistan, chosen specifically for its dark, stable skies.

Visiting Dushak-Erekdag Observatory

As a research facility on a remote mountain site, Dushak-Erekdag has no published public visiting programme. Anyone wanting to arrange access should approach the operating institutes directly.

See your named star from here

The stable, high-altitude skies above Dushak-Erekdag are exactly the kind of conditions that make it possible to track a named star precisely by its coordinates. Look up its position in our star catalogue for any observer to find.