Astronomical Observatory of Kiev University

• 1845-1855 - Vasily Fedorovich Fedorov - first director
• 1856-1869 - Andrei Petrovich Shidlovsky
• 1869-1901 - Mitrofan Fedorovich Khandrikov (1837-1915)
• 1901-1920 - Robert Filippovich Vogel (1859-1920)
• 1923-1939 - Sergey Danilovich Black
• 1939-1953 - Sergey Konstantinovich All Saints
• 1953-1972 - Alexander Fedorovich Bogorodsky
• 1972-1987 - Romanchuk, Pavel Rodionovich
• 1987-2001 - Telnyuk-Adamchuk, Vladimir Vladimirovich
• 2001-2004 - Gnatyk, Bogdan Ivanovich
• since 2004 - Efimenko, Vladimir Mikhailovich

For more than half a century, there were only two astronomers in the staff of the observatory: a director and an observing astronomer. Only in 1913, the University Council established the post of supernumerary assistant.

At first it was planned to place the university observatory in the premises of the main building of the university (as evidenced by the existing architectural designs of the building), but later they decided to build a separate building for it. This task was entrusted to Vincent Beretti , on whose project it was built in 1841-1845 and officially opened on February 7, 1845. The main building of the observatory is built in the simplified style of late classicism, has the shape of an octagonal tower. The main entrance to the observatory is directed south. On the west side of the building there is a hall along the meridian with an open terrace, on which portable astronomical instruments were exhibited. Four false columns with embossed ornaments, a staircase with a railing made of cast iron, a tiled stove with stucco decorations were kept in the central hall of the observatory. The architectural complex of the observatory was partially rebuilt in 1860-1890. During the Great Patriotic War, the main equipment of the observatory was evacuated to Sverdlovsk , all astronomers of military age went to the front, many of them died in battles for their homeland. Laboratories, houses, pavilions for new telescopes were built in 1946-1960.

The observatory occupies about 2.6 hectares of territory in the historical part of Kiev. There are the main building, a pavilion with a meridian circle, a pavilion with a horizontal solar telescope, three brick pavilions, laboratories and living quarters. The astronomical museum deserves special attention. It has about 20 thousand exhibits related to science, technology and local history attractions. There are old astronomical instruments here, such as:

• portable telescope made by Ertel in 1838;
• astrograph made by Repsold in 1895;
• Meridian circle made by Repsold in 1870.

In 1892, in Kiev, for the first time with a spectroscope on an astrograph, the spectra of the Sun were obtained. Since 1923, they began to regularly monitor solar active formations.

On June 1, 1979, by Decree No. 442 of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, the main building of the observatory was included in the National Register of Monuments of History and Culture as an architectural monument of national importance.

On February 1, 2007, the Expert Council of the State Service for the Protection of Cultural Heritage recognized the university observatory as a monument of science and technology. In 2008, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List .

On February 7, 2009, the Kiev Meridian was inaugurated.

Antique tools

• portable telescope made by Ertel in 1838
• Passenger circle was purchased in 1838
• 9-inch Fraunhofer Refractor
• watches and chronometers
• the Merz-Repsold refractor-astrograph (two lenses: Dphoto = 24 cm and Dvisual = 20 cm; F = 4.5m) was made by G. Merz and F. Mahler in 1842, in 1845 it was installed in JSC KNU
• Meridian circle , made by Ertel (Munich, Germany) in 1841
• Meridian circle made by Repsold in 1871 (D = 122 mm, F = 1.48 m) - observations were carried out until October 1996
• spectroheliograph

Modern tools:

• Horizontal solar telescope (assembled in 1947-1954, an integral group of mirrors: 30, 52, 18 and 14 cm) - a spectral setup for tracking the magnetic field of the Sun
• AFR-2 - chromosphere-photosphere telescope (Chromosphere telescope: D = 60 mm, F = 5.34 / 2.14 m; Photoheliograph: D = 130 mm, F = 9.08 m)

• Astrometry sector
• Department of Solar Physics and Solar-Terrestrial Relations
• Department of Astrometry and Small Bodies of the Solar System
• Department of Astrophysics
• Lesniki observation station (15 km south of Kiev, in 1957)
• Pilipovichi Observation Station (50 km north of Kiev, in 1977)

• Meridian observations to determine the exact positions of the celestial bodies and compile star catalogs
• astronomical and geodetic definitions
• calculation of the orbital elements of the bodies of the solar system
• service of the sun
• spectrophotometric studies of solar atmosphere formations
• optical and radar observations of meteor events
• comet research
• satellite observations

The staff of the observatory discovered two comets ( Churyumova-Gerasimenko in 1969 and Churyumova-Solodovnikova in 1986), discovered and investigated about 600 new dwarf galaxies, investigated the effect of gravitational lensing on the observational characteristics of space objects, created a series of catalogs of the positions of stars and extragalactic radio sources, developed the theory of luminescence of prominences , the role of coronal holes in the generation of the solar wind is revealed, the scientific concept of the asteroid-meteor hazard is substantiated.

Kiev , Shevchenko district , st. Observatory, 3

• Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
• Lesniki observation station of the astronomical observatory of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
• The main astronomical observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
• List of Astronomical Instruments

• The official site of the observatory
• Detailed description of observatory tools
• Article about KAO from the journal "Earth and the Universe" No. 6, 1970.
• Opening of the Kiev Meridian on February 7, 2009
• Observatory in WikiMapia
• Observatory Description
• About the possible demolition of the observatory in 2004
• Kiev University Observatory threatens destruction
• History of the observatory

Publications of observations at the Center for Minor Planets:

• Astrometric observations of minor planets