"It was Victor Hambardzumyan who gave breath to the universe": Byurakan Observatory Director Areg Mikaelyan

StemNews.am spoke with Byurakan Observatory Director Areg Mikaelyan about the observatory's current place in astronomy, its leading research directions, challenges it faces, and problems it needs to solve.

-What sparked your love for astronomy? What was your biggest source of inspiration?

-In my subjective opinion, everyone loves the sky, universe, and astronomy. I interact with children now, and most love it. It was the same with me. I loved learning. I kept the dream of becoming an astronomer, though I didn't know how. Later I understood I needed to enter Yerevan State University's Physics Faculty, which had an astronomy department. Victor Hambardzumyan's influence and Armenia's high level in astronomy also influenced my decision.

-Do you remember your first time looking through a telescope? What did you feel?

-My father was the famous architect Martin Mikaelyan, who greatly valued science and art. I still remember him saying that a creative person is the highest form of human. He bought us small telescopes, and when I was a student, he brought the largest amateur telescope in the Soviet Union from Moscow. It's still in my office. Later, of course, I visited Byurakan Observatory, like many other schoolchildren.

-What has been your career's biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

-I had a very difficult youth. When I came to work at the observatory in late 1986, we hadn't even decided what to focus on. Back then, they pressured young people, unlike today. They'd say - you must work on this topic, period. Less than a year and a half later, the Karabakh movement began, then the earthquake, Soviet Union's economic crisis, collapse, political changes, war. We young people were studying astronomy, trying to learn something. I had even started my postgraduate years, needed to prepare my candidate thesis, which took six years because of this. That was a huge challenge.

-What has been your life's greatest achievement?

-For me, it's getting Armenia recognized as a regional astronomical center. This is an international status, which is exceptional. We all know Armenia doesn't have anything similar in other fields - political, economic, sports, cultural... I would be happy if Armenia was recognized as a regional chess center, because we're really good at chess. Or any other field. It also raises our respect and authority rating.

We managed this in astronomy. We won against strong competition, even Israel and UAE, which had allocated one million dollars to this cause - it was a competition. Armenia ultimately won.

Interestingly, Armenia won in this conflict region, with Turkey and Azerbaijan, who have been very negative towards us in many ways, or still are. Azerbaijan dropped out of the competition. Turkey officially confirmed by letter their desire for Armenia to be the center. This was mandatory. Without neighboring countries' official letters, the International Astronomical Union wouldn't recognize our status. Now it's called the Southwest and Central Asian region, with Armenia as its center. We coordinate astronomy development here.

-What are Armenia's leading directions in astronomy?

-Armenia's main contribution to astronomy is the study of active phenomena, proposed and still developed by Victor Hambardzumyan. It was Victor Hambardzumyan who gave breath to the universe. Until the 1930s, the universe was considered eternal, unchanging. Even today, many people, like poets, associate the universe with eternity. Because Earth's rotation causes apparent rotation of the sky, but stars and constellations remain in the same positions for centuries (though they change over millennia), the universe was mainly associated with an unchanging, stable state.

When cosmological theories began emerging, it was thought the universe was created billions of years ago with no further changes occurring. Ambartsumian was first to determine the correct age and insist, leading to today's worldwide acceptance, that numerous active processes occur in the universe - star explosions, galactic nuclei activity, etc. As they say, he gave breath to the universe.

Details in the video.

Author: Lusine Hakobyan