Institute - a short history
From ISTP SB RAS
[edit] 1880-1900
- 1886 - a first photo record of the Earth's magnetic field is produced at the magnetic department of Irkutsk Nicholas Geophysical observatory.
- 1 November 1886 - a magneto-meteorological observatory is opened at Zuy village. The observatory's main objective was to provide continuous registration of the Earth's magnetic field characteristics.
[edit] 1900-1930
- 1914 - The magnetic department of Irkutsk Nicholas Geophysical observatory moves to Zuy village, 35 km away from Irkutsk city, due to industrial noise.
- 1920 - The magnetic department is handed over to the Hydrometeorological Service ("Gidrometsluzhba") Headquarters.
[edit] 1940-1960
- 1941 - a large radio center is built in Irkutsk, which, to enhance communication reliability, required information not only on magnetic disturbances, but on ionospheric situation as well.
- 3 February 1941 - a first record of ionospheric characteristics is made using an ionosonde. Regular studies of ionospheric physics begin.
- 1948 - Irkutsk ionospheric station comes into operation, starting to provide radio-communication condition forecasts for the radio centre.
- 1952 - Cosmic ray intensity registration begins using an automatic ASC-2 ionization camera.
- 1952 - vertical earth currents are measured for the first time in natural conditions of a homogenious medium, in Lake Baikal, which was of great importance for specification and working out techniques for magneto-telluric sounding of the Earth crust in order to search for minerals.
- 1956 - Irkutsk geophysical observatory is re-organised into a complex magnetic-ionospheric station (CMIS). The geophysical complex is supplemented with optical and radio astronomical tools for observing the Sun.
- 1956 - first optical observations of the Sun. Participation in the 'International Active Sun Year" (IASY) programme.
- 1957 - Irkutsk CMIS takes part in a largest international programme - the "International Geophysical Year"
- 1958 - interference related to the East-Siberia Railway electrification forced magnetic observations to be moved from Zuy village to Patrony village, where measurements of Earth magnetic field characteristics are still going on.
- 1958 - Irkutsk ionospheric station is included among the USSR Sun Service reference stations.
[edit] 1960-1980
- 27 May 1960 - The RSFSR Council of Ministers' Regulation No 3310-r approves the USSR Academy of Sciences' proposal to organise a Siberian Institute of Earth Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (SibIZMIR SD AS USSR) in Irkutsk.
- 8 July 1960 - USSR AS Presidium Act No 657 on Organising an Institute of Earth Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (SibIZMIR SD AS USSR).
- 1960 - science papers begin to be published regularly in a SibIZMIR SD AS USSR Collection "Researches in Geomagnetism, Aeronomy and Solar Physics".
- 1964 - a complex magnetic-ionospheric station (CMIS) is organised in Norilsk city.
- 1964 - construction begins of a solar optical observatory in the Eastern Sayan mountains, at an altitude of 2000 m.
- 1964 - work related to producing large-scale optics begins in connection with designing and constructing the Large Solar Vacuum Telescope and creation of a Baikal Astrophysical Observatory.
- 1965 - The Institute takes part in the "International Year of the Quiet Sun" (IQSY) programme.
- 1967 - first expedition along the Leningrad to Buenos Aires route devoted to exploring the latitudinal variation of cosmic ray intensity.
- 1969 - the Institute's first building comes into operation.
- 1969 - a complex high-latitude expedition is carried out aimed at studying geophysical phenomena in high latitudes.
- 1970 - the Sayan spectrograph for cosmic rays comes into operation.
- 1973 - the solar optical observatory's construction is completed in the Eastern Sayan.
- 1974 - a Siberian Solar Radio Telescope (SSRT) begins to be constructed, a 256-antenna cross-shaped radio interferometer; its stagewise operation begins in 1982.
- 1976 - An automated solar telescope comes into operation with a complex of magnetographs and spectrophotometers.
- 1978 - the Institute is designated as a base observatory of the USSR and states of CMEA for activities under the international Solar Maximum Year (SMY) programme.
- 1979 - Dissertation board is created for the defence of candidates' dissertations.
[edit] 1980-2000
- 1982 - a Solar telescope for operative prediction (STOP) comes into operation.
- 22 April 1986 - a USSR Supreme Council Presidium Decree awards SibIZMIR SB AS USSR with an Order of the Red Banner of Labour for its merits in developing the physical science and its major contribution to solving important economic tasks
- 1990 - Under USSR arms conversion, the Institute receives a Dnepr radio location system. This unique instrument has been used since 1993 for incoherent-scatter observations of the ionosphere
- 1991 - a dissertation board is created for the defence of doctor's dissertations.
- 11 February 1992 - Russian Academy of Sciences Act No 5 on renaming the SB RAS Siberian Institute of Earth Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation into the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics SB RAS.
- 1993 - Earth remote sensing begins, a station is organised for receiving and processing information from NOAA series satellites. Satellite monitoring is carried out in order to examine natural resources and environment in Irkutsk region. Applicability: agriculture, hydrology, ecology and meteorology.
- 1994 - RF Government Regulation includes the Institute's three large observing tools into the List of Russia's Unique Installations: the Large Solar Vacuum Telescope, the Siberian Solar Radio Telescope and Irkutsk Incoherent-Scatter Radar
- 1996 - the team that created the Siberian Solar Radio Telescope is awarded an RF Government Prize in the Sphere of Science and Technology.
- 1998 - The Baikal Young Scientists' School on fundamental physics starts its annual sessions in which foreign scientists take part.
[edit] 2000-2010
- 2000 - The Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics and CAS Centre for Space Science and Applied Research (CAS CSSAR) establish a Joint Russian-Chinese Research Centre on Space Weather (JCSW).
- 2000 - First Russian-Chinese Conference on Space Weather takes place
- 2000 - First All-Russia Conference on the physics of Sun-Earth connections is held in which foreign scientists take part.
- 2002 - The collection of ISTP SB RAS science papers "Researches in Geomagnetism, Aeronomy and Solar Physics" attains a new title - the scientific paper collection "Solar-Terrestrial Physics".
- 2002 - regular observations begin at DPS-4 digital ionosondes in Irkutsk and Norilsk.
- 2003 - replacement completes of major appliances in the magnetic-ionospheric complex at Norilsk and Irkutsk by modern digital measurement systems. Proton magnetometers, declinometers-inclinometers, fluxgate variometers are deployed and begin operating.
- 2004 - Russia's only infrared telescope enters operational testing at the Sayan Solar Observatory.