SATURN AND JUPITER FROM THE TERRITORY OF “METSAMOR” MUSEUM-RESERVE

SATURN AND JUPITER FROM THE TERRITORY OF “METSAMOR” MUSEUM-RESERVE

2017-06-30T17:14:06+00:00 26/06/2017|Recent News|

“I’m one particle of this earth” educational program had gathered many visitors and people interested in astrology in “Metsamor” museum-reserve. The aim of the event organized by “Metsamor” cultural-historical museum-reserve and “Goodrike John” public organization is the provision good pastime and the transmission of interesting information about the observed ojects to the visitors.

The director of “Protection Service” NCSO Ara Tarverdyan mentioned in his speech that the organization of this kind of events is aimed to raise the attractiveness of the museum. Not only “Metsamor”, which does not need to be introduced, but other museum-reservations: “Garni”, “Zvartnoc” promise interesting and informative events in this active tourism period. Both local inhabitants and tourists should leave the museum with great impressions and a wish to come back.

The members of “Goodrike John” introduced the constellations and the possibilities of looking at them through telescope. Afterwards Artavazd Zaqyan, the director of “Metsamor” historical- cultural museum-reserve held an interesting excursion in the territory of the “observatory” for the visitors and guests.

The researches of academician Elma Parsamyan in the 1960’s give an opportunity to claim that observations of luminaries were implemented from the platforms of the “observatory”, and in 2800-2600 B.C. the brightest star of the sky could be observed.
Zaqyan mentioned that the “observatory” involves several platforms, out of which only three have been preserved.

The first one is triangular and is directed to the north with the sharp side. It is covered with signs which are probably related to the worship of luminaries. Especially 7 and 12 small, circular ordered holes are noticeable. The second platform is oriented in the length of the meridian, located in the direction of north-south plane and is 2.5 metres higher the first one. In the third one the north-south-east compass is engraved which gives the opportunity of doing the simplest astronomic observations.

The participants of the event watched the movement of the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter planets and galaxies, double stars, diffuse and planetary nebulae and globular clusters.