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{{Other uses|Pulkovo (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox observatory |caption = The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory, near [[St. Petersburg]]}}

The '''Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory''' ({{langx|ru|Пулковская астрономическая обсерватория|Pulkovskaya astronomicheskaya observatoriya}}), officially named the '''Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences at Pulkovo''',<ref>Главная (Пулковская) астрономическая обсерватория Российской академии наук, ''Glavnaya (Pulkovskaya) astronomicheskaya observatoriya Rossiyskoy akademii nauk''; {{cite book |title= Society in Washington |date= 1887 |publisher= Harrisburg |author= De Benneville Randolph Keim |page= 55 }}</ref> is the principal [[astronomical observatory]] of the [[Russian Academy of Sciences]]. It is located 19 [[kilometre|km]] south of [[Saint Petersburg]] on [[Pulkovo Heights]] {{convert|75|m}} above sea level. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site [[Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments]].<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/540/multiple=1&unique_number=635 Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments – UNESCO World Heritage Centre]</ref> It was formerly known as the Imperial Observatory at Pulkowo.

== Early years ==
[[File:Pulkovo 1839.jpg|thumb|left|Pulkovo Observatory in 1839]]
[[File:Ev. Bernardsky. Pulkovo Observatory in 1855.jpg|thumb|left|Pulkovo Observatory in 1855. Ev. Bernardsky (1819–1889); Col. Woodcut]]

The observatory was opened in 1839.<ref name="TS304">{{The Timetables of Science|page=304}}</ref>
Originally, it was a brainchild of the German/Russian [[astronomer]] [[Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve]], who would become its first director<ref name="TS304"/> (in 1861, his son [[Otto Wilhelm von Struve]] succeeded him). The architect was [[Alexander Bryullov]]. The observatory was equipped with state-of-the-art [[machine|device]]s, one of them being the a {{convert|15|in|adj=on}} aperture [[refractor]], one of the largest refractors in the world at that time (see [[Great Refractor]]). In 1885, the observatory was equipped with {{convert|30|in|adj=on}} refractor, which was the biggest usable refractor in the world, until the {{convert|36|in|adj=on}} telescope at the [[Lick Observatory]] in California a few years later. Both were built by [[Alvan Clark & Sons]] in Massachusetts.<ref name="gao_hist">[http://www.gao.spb.ru/russian/index.html Pulkovo Observatory web page] (in Russian)</ref>
The principal line of work of the observatory consisted of determination of [[coordinate]]s of [[star]]s and astronomical [[Physical constant|constant]]s, such as [[precession]], [[nutation]], [[Aberration of light|aberration]] and [[refraction]], and also discovering and measuring [[double star]]s. The observatory's activities have also been connected to the [[geographical]] study of the territory of [[Russia]] and development of [[navigation]]. The [[star catalogue]]s, containing the most precise positions of 374, and then 558 stars, were made for the years 1845, 1865, 1885, 1905 and 1930.

[[File:Pulkovo.jpg|thumb|left|Staff of the Pulkovo Observatory (1883–1886)]]

By the 50th anniversary of the Observatory, they had built an [[astrophysical]] [[laboratory]] with a mechanical workshop and installed the Europe's largest refractor, (30 inch). Astrophysical research really gained momentum with the appointment of [[Feodor Bredikhin]] as a director of the Observatory in 1890 and transfer of [[Aristarkh Belopolsky]] from the Moscow Observatory, an expert in [[astronomical spectroscopy|stellar spectroscopy]] and [[Sun|solar]] research. In 1923, they installed a big [[Littrow prism|Littrow]] [[spectrograph]], and in 1940 – a horizontal solar [[telescope]], manufactured at a [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]] factory. After having received an [[astrograph]] in 1894, the observatory began its work on [[astrophotography]]. In 1927, the Observatory received a zone astrograph and with its help the Russian [[astronomer]]s catalogued the stars of the near-[[celestial pole|polar]] areas of the sky. Regular observation of movements of [[celestial pole]]s began with the construction of the [[zenith telescope]] in 1904. In 1920, the Observatory started transmitting the exact time by radio signals. The observatory participated in the basic [[geodesic]] work, namely in measuring [[degree (angle)|degree]]s of the [[arc of the meridian]] from the [[Danube]] to the [[Arctic Ocean]] (until 1851), and in [[triangulation]] of [[Spitsbergen]] in 1899–1901. Military [[geodesist]]s and [[hydrographer]]s used to work at the Observatory as interns. The Pulkovo Meridian, which passes through the center of the main building of the Observatory and is located at 30°19,6‘ east of [[Greenwich]], was the point of departure for all former geographical maps of Russia.<ref name=r1>John Lankford [https://books.google.com/books?id=berWESi5c5QC&pg=PA424 History of astronomy: an encyclopedia] pp.423–424, Taylor & Francis, 1997 {{ISBN|0-8153-0322-X}}</ref>

In order to observe the southern stars that could not be seen on the observatory's [[latitude]], the scientists organized two [[wikt:affiliated|affiliated]] observing locations. One of them was an [[astrophysical]] station in the [[Crimea]]n town of [[Simeiz]] ([[Simeiz Observatory]]), which had been organized on the basis of a private observatory presented to the Pulkovo Observatory by an astronomy lover N. S. Maltsov in 1908. The other was an [[astrometric]] station in [[Mykolaiv]] – a former observatory of the Department of the Navy, (today's Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory).

== Later history ==

During the [[siege of Leningrad]] (1941–1944), the Observatory became the target of fierce [[Germany|German]] [[airstrike|air raids]] and [[artillery]] [[bombardment]]. All of the buildings were completely destroyed. Under dramatic circumstances, the main [[Measuring instrument|instrument]]s were saved and stored safely in [[Leningrad]], including the lens of the destroyed 30-inch [[refractor]], and a significant part of the unique library with manuscripts and important works from the 15th to 19th century. On February 5, 1997, nearly 1,500 of the 3,852 books were destroyed by malicious [[arson]] and the rest of the library items were damaged by flames, smoke or water.<ref name=r1/><ref>André Heck [https://books.google.com/books?id=-7YecFVJeFIC&pg=PA147 Information handling in astronomy: historical vistas] p. 147, Springer, 2003 {{ISBN|1-4020-1178-4}}</ref>

[[File:Pulkovo refractor.jpg|thumb|left|The 65 cm Zeiss (25.59 inches) achromatic refractor of Pulkovo observatory]]

Even before the end of the war, the Soviet [[government]] made a decision to restore the Observatory. In 1946, it began the construction after having cleared the territory. In May 1954, the Observatory was re-opened, not only having been restored but considerably expanded in terms of instruments, [[employee]]s and research subjects. New departments had been created, such as the Department of [[Radio Astronomy]] and Department of Instrument Making (with its own [[optic]]al and mechanical workshop). The surviving old instruments were repaired, modernized and put into service once again. Also installed were new instruments, such as the {{convert|26|in|adj=on}} refractor,<ref name="gao_hist" /> a horizontal meridian device, a photographic polar telescope, a big zenith telescope, stellar [[interferometer]], two solar telescopes, [[coronagraph]], a big [[radio telescope]] and a variety of labware.
The 65&nbsp;cm [[Carl Zeiss AG|Zeiss]] refractor was originally intended as a gift from then [[Chancellor of Germany]] [[Adolf Hitler]] to the Italian [[Benito Mussolini]], but it was not delivered and instead was recovered by the Soviet Union.<ref>[http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/seri/JHA../0028//0000177.000.html Journal for the history of astronomy vol. 28, pt. 2, p. 177 (1997), Title: Book Review: Pulkovo / St. Petersburg : Spuren der Sterne und der Zeiten : Geschichte der russischen Hauptsternwarte / Peter Lang, New York, 1995, Bibliographic Code: 1997JHA....28..177H]</ref>

The Simeiz station became a part of the new [[Crimean Astrophysical Observatory]] of the [[Soviet Academy of Sciences]] in 1945. They also built the [[Kislovodsk Mountain Astronomical Station]] and a laboratory in [[Blagoveshchensk]]. The observatory organized many expeditions for determining differences of [[longitude]]s, observing passages of [[Venus]] and [[solar eclipse]]s, and studying astroclimate. In 1962, the Observatory sent an expedition to [[Chile]] to observe stars in the southern skies.<ref>Frank Kelly Edmondson [https://books.google.com/books?id=jEurac1jvsAC&pg=PA199 AURA and its US national observatories] pp. 199 ff Cambridge University Press, 1997 {{ISBN|0-521-55345-8}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:USSR 1954 1691 1562 0.jpg|Soviet postage stamp, 1954, marking the restoration of the observatory
File:1989 CPA 6095.jpg|Soviet post stamp on occasion of 150th anniversary of the observatory
File:Pulkovo 30 inch refracting telescope.jpg|The 30 inch (76&nbsp;cm) refractor, installed in 1885, was one of the largest telescopes in the world at that time
</gallery>

== Directors ==
{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|
# 1839–1862 [[Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve]]
# 1862–1889 [[Otto Wilhelm von Struve]]
# 1890–1895 [[Fyodor Aleksandrovich Bredikhin]]
# 1895–1916 [[Oskar Backlund]]
# 1916–1919 [[Aristarkh Belopolsky]]
# 1919–1930 Alexandr Alexandrovich Ivanov
# 1933–1937 [[Boris Gerasimovich]]
# 1937–1944 [[Sergey Belyavsky]]
# 1944–1946 [[Grigory Neujmin]]
# 1947–1964 [[Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Mikhailov]]
# 1964–1979 Vladimir Alekseevich Krat
# 1979–1982 Kiril Nikolaevich Tavastsherna
# 1983–2000 Viktor Kuzmich Abalakin
# 2000–2015 {{Interlanguage link multi|Alexandr Vladimirovich Stepanov|ru|3=Степанов, Александр Владимирович (астроном)}}
# 2015–2016 Yury Anatol'evich Nagovizyin
# since 2016 Nazar Robertovich Ikhsanov
}}

== See also ==
* [[List of Russian astronomers and astrophysicists]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.gao.spb.ru/russian/history/2_obs.html History of the observatory] (in Russian)
* [http://www.gao.spb.ru/english/ The official site of Pulkovo observatory]
* [https://archive.today/20121221161356/http://www.spbrc.nw.ru/PH/archive/!english/org/gao.htm Overview of the observatory]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Pulkovo |short=x}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1839 establishments in the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Astronomical observatories built in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Astronomical observatories in Russia]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1839]]
[[Category:Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Science museums in Saint Petersburg]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Russia]]
[[Category:Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg]]