27/29 Miasoyedov St., 36029, Poltava, Ukraine
Phone: (0532) 56 9238; fax: (0532) 56 9238;
e-mail: pgo@poltava.ukrtel.net
The Observatory was set up in 1926 on the initiative of academician A.Ya.Orlov (1880-1954), a famous astronomer and geophysicist. Originally, it functioned under the Ukrainian Head Bureau of Standards, in 1936 it was transferred to the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, and since 1964 it has been a branch of S. I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics.
In 1926-1938 the team of the Observatory carried out a task of extremely high relevance for the national economy – it compiled the gravimetric map of Ukraine, indispensable for mineral exploration, in particular the search for oil and gas. This map incorporated the results of determining the gravity acceleration in 465 points of Ukraine.
In 1930-2003 the gravimetric observatory performed a large volume of research into pitch tidal deformations of the Earth. This research was carried out with extremely sensitive and high-precision clinometers, gravimeters and strainmeters and was aimed at studying the Earth crust dynamics and internal structure of the Earth.
In 1992 the first phase of URAN-2 radiotelescope near Poltava was commissioned. It is involved in the network of NAS radio telescopes. Observatory’s researchers (V. H. Bulatsen and A. I. Brazhenko) were awarded the 1997 State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology for their contribution to the research series ‘Elabotrating principles of ultra-far low-frequency interferometry, development of the Ukrainian radiotelescope network for space exploration and observation’.
In 2001 the second phase of this radio telescope was put into operation. Now it is the second in the world in terms of its technical parameters. Its antenna, which consists of 512 separate antennas, takes the area 28 000 m2; it has considerable angle resolution and sharp response in the interferometer mode.
Since 2001 the Observatory has conducted regular GPS-observations as a part of the international network of observations.
Main lines of research activities of Poltava Gravimetric Observatory are:
1. Determination and analysis of the Earth orientation parameters from astronomical observations.
2. Studying the Earth crust dynamics through geodesic and geophysical observations.
3. Geophysical research towards earthquake prediction.
4. Studying sources of space radio emission in the decameter radio frequency band.
Applied works the Observatory can carry out:
1. Monitoring of the Earth-surface shifts.
2. Determination of the stability of large engineering facilities (nuclear power plants, dams etc).
3. Various-purpose geodesic works.