Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility

The Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility sits near the town of Vasilsursk, about 100 km east of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, where it has studied the upper atmosphere since 1981.

About the Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility

The facility is operated by NIRFI, the radiophysical research institute based in Nizhny Novgorod, and functions as a laboratory for ionosphere research rather than a conventional optical observatory.

History

Commissioned in 1981, the facility was initially funded largely by the Soviet Defense Department before becoming a long-running civilian research site.

Telescopes & research

Rather than telescopes, Sura uses powerful radio transmitters, capable of radiating about 80 megawatts at 4.3 MHz, rising to 260 megawatts at 9.5 MHz, to study how the ionosphere behaves and how low-frequency emissions affect ionospheric current.

Location & getting there

The site lies in the forested countryside east of Nizhny Novgorod, in western Russia, near the Volga River town of Vasilsursk. Use the map and directions button on this page for the general location.

Visiting the Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility

As an active radiophysics research site rather than a visitor attraction, we don't have confirmed public access details. Check with NIRFI directly for any information on tours or public outreach before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

Sura's transmitters are built to study Earth's own atmosphere rather than the night sky, so it isn't a place to view a named star directly. The coordinates on your Star Register certificate can instead be found with a telescope at an optical observatory elsewhere in our network. Name a star or browse the full catalogue of named stars.