University Astronomy: Studies of X-Ray Binaries at Caucasus Mountain Observatory and SAI Crimean Observatory

Sternberg Astronomical Institute (SAI) is a world-renown center for education and research. In all 188 years of its existence it established a profound base for astronomy observations and student training. In the end of 1980s SAI disposed of three observatories in Crimea, Uzbekistan (Maidanak Mountain), and Kazakhstan (in Tian Shan near Almaty). In 1993-94, two of them were lost, which was a bitter loss for SAI. That is why SAI applied a great effort to build a new high-altitude observatory in Russia.