Introduction

Welcome to the Terskol International Observatory!

Construction of an observatory on Terskol Peak in the Northern Caucasus (43°16’29” N, 42°30’03” E) began in the 1970s. During the next two decades, this site was developed as a high-altitude observation station of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. Since 1993, the Terskol Observatory has been operated by the International Center for Astronomical, Medical, and Ecological Research (ICAMER), a joint institution of the Ukrainian and Russian academies of sciences. 

A panoramic view of the Terskol Observatory from the North

Terskol Peak is a small plateau at an altitude of 3100 m above sea level on the southern slope of Mt Elbrus. Due to high atmospheric transparency, this site is well suited for astronomical research in the UV wavelength range. Moreover, the low water vapor content in the atmosphere over Terskol provides a unique environment for IR observations. There are about 160 clear nights per year with a seeing of about 1 arcsec. 

Since the 1990s, the Terskol staff has put emphasis on the development and maintenance of astronomical facilities. We have come a long way, installing new instruments and developing new techniques and now we provide observational data of sufficient quality in many fields of astronomy. At present, the Terskol Observatory operates several optical telescopes with diameters up to 2 m. Successful scientific operation of the well-equipped telescopes and significant advances made over the past years have proven their usefulness for long-term observational programmes.