The Italian-Armenian collaboration in astronomy dates back to 1960s-1970s (V.A. Ambartsumian, L.V. Mirzoyan, M. Rodono, L. Rosino), when a cooperation between the Byurakan and Asiago observatories was conducted on discovery and studies of flare stars. There were coordinated observations of flare stars and the results were accumulated and studied to understand the flare activity of dwarf stars. A more intimate cooperation between Italian and Armenian astronomers was established in 1980s when the Italian young researcher Massimo Turatto spent a few months in Byurakan and started collaborating with Artashes Petrosian and some other Armenian astronomers. Many science papers appeared in top-level astronomical journals related to the research on supernovae and active galaxies. Later on, in early 2000s, a large collaboration started between the Byurakan Observatory and Universita di Roma La Sapienza (UniRoma1) on the digitization of famous Markarian survey plates and creation of the Digitized First Byurakan Survey (DFBS) database. Areg Mickaelian and Enrico Massaro are the coordinators of this collaboration which has resulted in the electronic DFBS database at UniRoma1 website and publication of many papers as well as the DFBS book. High-energy sources and late-type stars are other topics of this collaboration. Many mutual travels were accomplished for discussion of scientific work, participation in seminars and conferences, and observations. Interestingly, the famous astronomer of Armenian origin Fabio Mardirossian works in Italy (Trieste), as well as three PhD/post-doc students work/study in Italian universities and institutions. Italian astronomers regularly participate in meetings held in Byurakan and by support of Italian scientists the Armenian students have participated in prestigious summer schools in Vatican and l’Aquilla. Outstanding Italian astronomers who visited Armenia were: Leonida Rosino (1966), Francesco Bertola (1966, 1998), Marcello Rodono (1984, 1989), Cesare Barbieri (2007). In 2005, collaboration between the Italian and Armenian Virtual Observatories (VO) started which involves several institutions in Italy and is aimed at creation of VO access for the Digitized First Byurakan Survey (DFBS), as well as several science projects based on the DFBS have been conducted.
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| Marcello Rodono (on the right) at IAU Symposium #137 in Byurakan in 1989. |
Massimo Turatto at the Byurakan Summer School in 2006. |
Cesare Barbieri and Areg Mickaelian at the VO meeting in 2005. |