Journal of Radio Electronics. eISSN 1684-1719. 2026. №7
Full text in Russian (pdf)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30898/1684-1719.2026.7.14
COMPARISON OF ASTROCLIMATIC CONDITIONS
OF POSSIBLE ESMT LOCATION SITES IN THE AGUL
AND KULINSKY DISTRICTS OF DAGESTAN
V.B. Khaikin1,7, A.Yu. Shikhovtsev3, Y.O. Vodzyanovsky2,7, I.V. Shaldyrvan1,
M.Yu. Shikhovtsev3,8, A.A. Lezhenin3, V.S. Gradov4, G.A. Makoev1,7,
P.M. Zemlyanukha5, P.M. Zemlyanukha5, A.V. Khudchenko2,61Special Astrophysical Observatory of the RAS,
369167, Russia, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Nizhny Arkhyz.2Astro Space Center of the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the RAS,
117997, Russia, Moscow, Profsoyuznaya str., 84/32.3Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the RAS,
664033, Russia, Irkutsk, Lermontov str., 126, P.O. Box 291.4Institute of Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Geophysics of the RAS,
630090, Russia, Novosibirsk, Academician Lavrentiev Ave., 6.5Institute of Applied Physics of the RAS,
603950, Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, Ulyanova str., 46.6Institute of Radio Electronics of the RAS,
125009, Russia, Moscow, Mokhovaya str., 11.7Institute of Astronomy of the RAS,
119017, Russia, Moscow, Pyatnitskaya str., 48.8Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the RAS,
664033, Russia, Irkutsk, Ulan-Batorskaya str., 3, P.O. Box, 278.
The paper was received October 12, 2025.
Abstract. In recent years, Russia has been actively searching for and studying the astroclimate of potential sites for a large millimeter/submillimeter (MM/subMM) telescope, including as part of the Eurasian Submillimeter Telescopes (ESMT) project. To this end, suitable sites were identified and new astropoints were established in northern Eurasia between 2021 and 2023: Khulugaysha Peak (Eastern Sayan Mountains), Kurapdag Mountain in the Agulsky District of Dagestan, and the Tashanta APT in the Altai Republic. The astronomical site of the Large Alt-Azimuthal Telescope (BTA, Pastukhova Mountain) was selected as reference location for comparing atmospheric characteristics. The new astropoints are characterized by low values of precipitable water vapor and total cloud cover. Meteorological measurements indicate a high frequency of weak surface wind gusts in the villages of Tashanta and Khulugaysh, as well as regular gusts exceeding 30 m/s near Mount Kurapdag. As alternatives to Mount Kurapdag, we consider Mount Jufudag in the Agulsky District and the high-mountain Shunudag Plateau in the Kulinsky District of Dagestan. This paper compares the astroclimatic conditions of Mount Jufudag and the Shunudag Plateau with those of Mount Kurapdag, Mount Pastukhova and other astropoints. Maps of precipitated water vapor, total cloud cover, and wind gust speed for the North Caucasus were obtained using Era-5 reanalysis data, and their median estimates are provided, taking into account the terrain. The mesoscale WRF model was used to achieve greater map detail. The paper presents the first results of measurements of optical thickness and precipitated water vapor in the area of Mount Jufudag and the Shunudag plateau, obtained using a two-channel radiometric atmospheric transparency meter IPAR-2 in March-April 2025. The first results of measurements of meteorological parameters and astronomy seeing in the area of Mount Jufudag using an ultrasonic weather station and Polar-2 optical monitor are presented.
Keywords: submillimeter telescope, astroclimate, precipitated water vapor, optical thickness, total cloudiness, wind regime, radiometric method, Era-5 reanalysis, astronomy seeing.
Financing: This work was supported by the RSF grant N23-72-00041.
Corresponding author: Khaikin Vladimir Borisovich, vkhstu@mail.ru
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For citation:
Khaikin V.B. et al. Comparison of astroclimatic conditions of possible ESMT locations in the Agul and Kulinsky districts of Dagestan. – 2026. – №. 7. https://doi.org/10.30898/1684-1719.2026.7.14 (In Russian)