The research in our laboratory focuses on fundamental physics of stars and nebulae, as well as on some applied aspects in the field of space activities. Employing spectral and photometric observations as the major method, we try to understand processes that occur within stars in their early stages of evolution, in circumstellar shells and reflection nebulae, in symbiotic stars and planetary nebulae. We also investigate non-stationary processes in stars and star systems, model processes in circumstellar shells and sublimation region of stars, and help planning and developing the methods of astrophysical research in UV-range using data from orbital telescopes.

The lab staff performs observations mainly at Assy-Turgen and Tian-Shan observatories, though the other two observational bases of the institute are used as well.

Among the major achievements of the laboratory are:

  • The extensive atlas of gas-and-dust nebulae (Fesenkov, Rozhkovskii, 1953)
  • Photometric catalogue of reflection nebulae (Rozhkovskii, аKurchakov, 1968). Analysis of the catalogue revealed not only physical but also genetical connection between nuclei of nebulae and diffuse nebulae.
  • Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet was discovered in our lab in 1969.
  • By the end of 1960s, the catalogue with data on energy distribution in spectra of 1159 stars was published. This spectrophotometric catalogue is one of the most extensive in the world (Haritonov, Tereshchenko, Knyazeva, 1978)
  • Spectral observations of more than 150 emission nebulae allowed to discover and perform detailed analysis of 20 new compact HIII regions (Glushkov, 1995).
  • During 30 years investigations of planetary nebulae were held (about 80 objects), and twelve of them were studied for the first time. Among them, rapidly evolving objects such as Th4-4 were discovered (Kobdratyeva, 2001).
  • A universal model of evolutionary dynamics of planetary nebulae was developed (Vilkoviskij, Kondratyeva, 1983).
  • 416 Markarian galaxies (28% of the total number of such objects) were analyzed for the first time. For the most of them line-of-sight velocities were measured. 42 new Seyfert galaxies were discovered (Denissyuk), and data on active galactic nuclei were accumulated during 40 years.
  • In the middle of 1990s, the mechanism of catastrophic thermodestruction of comet nuclei was proposed (Shestakova, Tambovtseva, 1997-1998).
  • A genetic relation between near-Sun dust and comets falling into the Sun was established as the result of observations of the line-of-sight velocity field for dust in F-corona of the Sun during total eclipses in 31.07.1981 and 29.03.2006 (Shcheglov et al., 1987, Shestakova et al., 2010).