Poltava Gravimetric Observatory

Head: Bulatsen V.G.
Director of Gravimetric observatory of Poltava
Candidate of Technical Sciences

      Poltava Gravimetric Observatory (the founder Acad. Ac.Sci.Ukr.SSR A.Ya. Orlov, 1926) possesses fundamental gravimetric post, connected with European gravimetric net and supporting gravimetric posts of the Former Soviet Union. According to the data of observations of tide variations of gravity, inclinations of the Earth's surface and linear deformations in more than 40 posts of Ukraine, parameters, characterising the Earth's reaction to the action of such forces as gravitational impact of the Moon and the Sun were determined. On the base of many years of geodesic inclinometric and deformographic observations it was found the following: the main cause of seasonal vertical movements and inclinations of the Earth's surface are periodical variations of its humidity, not the temperature as was considered earlier. Astronomic observations on changes Poltava latitude are being conducted, on their base the data are obtained to determine the shifts of the Earth's poles and to study the Earth's axis nutations. A set of observations of bright stars made in Poltava does not have any analogues in the world practice of latitudinal observations.
      Since 1980 works have been conducted on earthquake forecast with the use of seismoinclinometers of extremely high sensitivity and with wide dynamic diapason. Appearance of the Earth's axis fluctuations has been found before strong earthquakes of the Vrancha zone.
      In 1992 the first line of radiotelescope "Uran-2" near Poltava was put into operation, which was a part of the system of radiointerferometers "Uran" which is considered to be the national property of Ukraine. For these works research workers of the Observatory V. G. Bulatsen and A. I. Brazhenko were awarded the State Prize of Ukraine of 1997 in the field of science and technique.
      The scientific Staff of the Observatory maintains fruitful contacts with the International Center on the Earth's tides (Brussels, Belgium) and with US Marine Observatory (Austin). Radioastronomic studies are being conducted in the context of the international project INTAS "New boundaries in decameter radioastronomy" and are coordinated by Paris Observatory.
      A great contribution to foundation and development of Poltava Observatory was made by such well-known scientists as Acad.Ac.Sci.Ukr.SSR A.Ya. Orlov, Acad.Ac.Sci.Ukr.SSR E.P. Fedorov, Corr.Member Ac.Sci.Ukr.SSR Z.N. Aksentyeva.
      Acad. of NAS Ukraine Ya.S. Yatskiv began his scientific way here. Now he is a Director of the Main Astronomic Observatory of NAS Ukraine and the first Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.