Armenian astronomers sum up year

The Armenian astronomers summed up the results of 2012. It was a very eventful year, full of new scientific discoveries and achievements, and scientists worked hard this year, despite insufficient amounts of money allocated to the sphere, according to information of the Armenian Astronomical Society.

The staff of the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory has achieved a number of significant scientific results: hundreds of new cosmic bodies were discovered, 35 studies were published in influential international journals, and 13 electronic catalogs were released. The scientists of the Byurakan Observatory closely cooperate with astronomical centers of France, Germany, Italy, the U.S., Russia, and other countries. The observatory was granted status of a national value and now it is one of Armenia’s four scientific, cultural and educational establishments with such status (the Matenadaran, Yerevan State University, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, and the Byurakan Observatory).

Young Armenian astronomers took part in number of youth conferences and summer schools. An Astronomy Olympiad of CIS Countries was held in September at Yerevan PhysMatch School. The young Armenian participants won 6 out of 16 medals.