Novosibirsk State University and BurService are launching a new product for interpreting seismic and borehole data.

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

On September 16, a strategic cooperation agreement was signed between NSU and BurService. The document solidifies the partnership in the development and support of digital technologies for the oil and gas industry and is a natural extension of the previously concluded agreement on the joint development and commercialization of a next-generation software package for interpreting seismic and geological-geophysical data used in constructing digital field models. The signing took place at the TNF-2025 Industrial and Energy Forum.

Arkaim is a joint development project combining NSU's scientific base and BurService's practical expertise. The software incorporates the intellectual property of both parties, making the product unique in its depth of development and innovativeness.

The parties entered into an agency agreement under which NSU modules and developments not included in the Arkaim project will be exclusively distributed by BurServis. The agreement is valid throughout the Russian Federation and beyond. This format of cooperation reflects a genuine collaboration between business and science and will allow for the most effective use of BurServis's experience in promoting and implementing new solutions for oil and gas companies in the region.

"Creating a science-intensive technological product requires at least two competencies: scientific—to solve the problems underlying the product—and applied—to properly plan its development and market promotion. We intend to achieve synergy between these two areas by signing an agreement with BurService, under which our partner will assume the functions of promoting and providing technical support for the software platform we are developing for interpreting seismic data and building digital models of oil and gas fields," commented Sergey Golovin, Director of the NSU Advanced Engineering School.

Commercial delivery of the product is scheduled for January 2026.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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An NSU student is creating a digital assistant that will help psychologists reduce their workload and avoid burnout.

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Student Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics Anna Arinicheva of Novosibirsk State University is developing an intelligent assistant for psychologists that takes over routine tasks and helps specialists focus on working with clients. The project won a student initiative competition and received a 1 million ruble grant from the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE).

According to the idea's creators, the AU assistant will take notes on consultations, systematize client information, and generate reports on their progress. A key feature of the solution is an interpretable algorithm for identifying cognitive biases, which highlights speech patterns and draws conclusions.

"The goal of our project isn't to replace psychologists, but to support them. Currently, specialists have to simultaneously take notes, ask questions, and monitor the client's nonverbal responses. This significantly reduces concentration and increases the risk of burnout. An AU assistant takes over the routine, freeing the psychologist to focus on working with the client," explains Anna Arinicheva.

The development is designed for individual consultations in both online and offline formats. It can be used by beginning specialists, as well as in clinics, government agencies, and corporate corporations, where the workload of a single psychologist is particularly high. Moreover, all the assistant's findings must be verified by a specialist—the technology serves as a support tool, not a replacement for a professional.

"Our solution is especially relevant for growing professionals, aggregator platforms, and clinics where a single psychologist handles a huge daily client flow and needs to maintain documentation while providing high-quality support. The AU assistant enables psychologists to maintain their effectiveness and avoid burnout even with a large client flow," notes Anna Arinicheva.

Today, approximately 19 million people in Russia consult psychologists, while the number of specialists does not exceed 100,000. The high workload forces psychologists to either limit the number of clients or risk losing their effectiveness. Experts believe that digital tools like the AU assistant can be a valuable aid in addressing this issue.

The origins of the internal algorithm were laid by Anton Kolonin, a leading specialist at the NSU Artificial Intelligence Center, who currently oversees the development. NSU Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics graduate Evgeny Brazhnikov has joined the team and is responsible for prototyping. A working algorithm for identifying cognitive biases has already been developed, over 40 problem-solving interviews have been conducted, and letters of interest have been received from specialists at NSU, RANEPA, and the Ulyanovsk Region Association of Psychologists.

The team is currently preparing a prototype AU assistant for closed testing to identify potential flaws and refine the model before launching it. The grant funds will be used to complete the prototype and launch a marketing campaign. The minimum plan includes creating a Telegram bot that receives an audio recording of a consultation and provides a transcript, notes, and analytics on cognitive biases. Upon request, the bot will be able to generate reports on the client's progress from session to session. Promotion is planned through a subscription model, and the marketing strategy includes working with professional communities and creating a dedicated Telegram channel.

NSU students' participation in such projects demonstrates the university's key advantage: its education is closely linked to real-world research and entrepreneurial practice. According to the university, such initiatives allow students not only to gain unique experience but also to bring their developments to market.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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NSU postgraduate students become laureates of the Novosibirsk City Hall scientific award

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

The register of winners of the competition for the Novosibirsk City Hall Prize in Science and Innovation in 2025 has been published. The list includes young researchers from leading universities and research institutes in the region.

Among them are representatives of Novosibirsk State University:

Alexander Novikov, 3rd year postgraduate student Faculty of Economics, NSU in the specialty "Regional and sectoral economics";

Ilya Gertsel, 1st year postgraduate student Faculty of Physics, junior researcher at the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, engineer at the Center for New Functional Materials at NSU and laboratory assistant at the SKIF Collective Use Center.

Alexander Novikov's work "Development of tools for analysis and forecasting of the carbon balance of the Novosibirsk region" is related to climate policy and sustainable development of the region.

— My scientific supervisor Anna Vladimirovna Komarova recommended me to participate in the competition. We discussed it and decided that there was a chance of passing the selection, since the research is focused specifically on the Novosibirsk region, — said Alexander.

The study began with an assessment of the carbon balance of the Novosibirsk region for the NSU Climate Center. The team led by Irina Viktorovna Filimonova analyzed greenhouse gas emissions and absorption across all sectors, which became the basis for the work of the regional government.

Next, within the framework of the RSF grant, the team studied the directions of emission reduction and proposed recommendations for energy, industry and agriculture. One of the key results was the development of a model for long-term forecasting of greenhouse gas emissions taking into account economic development scenarios.

“The joy of recognition of the results, gratitude to the supervisor and colleagues, as well as regional programs to support young scientists – that’s what I felt when I learned about the victory,” Alexander shared.

Ilya Gertsel's research paper "Development of Wear-Resistant Coating Technologies for the Oil and Gas and Energy Industries" is devoted to new methods of restoring and creating parts using laser additive manufacturing.

— For a scientific career, participation in competitions and awards is an important step. For me, the City Hall award became a starting point for future larger grants, — Ilya noted.

The young researcher is developing technologies that allow the creation and restoration of equipment elements in the oil and gas and energy industries. These are parts that must withstand aggressive environments, high loads and thousands of hours of operation. The key technology is the direct laser deposition method (Direct Metal Deposition). It allows the formation of products from metals and alloys, similar to 3D printing, but at a more complex level. Research includes the selection of material composition, laser exposure modes, analysis of the microstructure and operational properties of products.

— The work resulted in scientific publications in leading peer-reviewed journals “The Journal of The Minerals, Metals

Both laureates associate their future plans with scientific activity. Alexander Novikov is working on his PhD thesis on modeling international energy trade and is participating in a large grant from the Russian Science Foundation. Ilya Gertsel continues to develop the field of laser additive manufacturing and strives to receive his own scientific grant and lead a research group.

The victory of NSU students in the prestigious city competition confirms the high level of training of young researchers and their significant contribution to solving urgent scientific and practical problems of the region. Congratulations to the guys!

Material prepared by: Yulia Dankova, NSU press service

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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NSU creates a stand for testing the drone's propeller-motor group

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Egor Pobezhimov, 2nd year master's student Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of NSU, is implementing a project to create a test stand for a propeller-motor group with a thrust of up to 2 kg for unmanned aerial vehicles. The project became one of the winners of the federal competition "Student Startup", within the framework of which budding entrepreneurs are allocated 1 million rubles for a period of one year.

— The idea of the project arose from university research and engineering practice: a tool for objective analysis of the propeller-motor group was needed, which was lacking on the market. Currently, when designing and testing drones, there is an acute shortage of available full-featured stands. Existing solutions are either too expensive or do not take into account the vibroacoustic characteristics that are critically important for increasing efficiency and improving the operation of UAVs, — says Egor Pobezhimov.

So, now typical tests of VMG in design bureaus or laboratories are carried out manually: when working on a new prototype, the selection of propellers, modes, recording of parameters and data processing take from 2-3 weeks to 1-2 months. If we talk about the testing process itself, then one test takes on average one to two days. And to conduct full-fledged tests, it is necessary to conduct more than a dozen such tests.

— The stand and the availability of standardized test scenarios will reduce this time to two hours and obtain a larger set of data from which more information can be extracted. This directly reduces the cost: less time for specialists, less expenses on full-scale flights and replacement of failed components, — Yegor explains.

The solutions existing on the market have a number of limitations: they measure only basic parameters (thrust and current) and involve manual testing scenarios. The stand created at NSU comprehensively measures not only basic parameters (thrust, speed, electrical characteristics), but also vibrations and acoustic noise, provides a synchronous analysis of the power plant operation, which allows identifying anomalies and optimizing characteristics.

— Unlike existing solutions, our stand combines mechanics, electronics and software into a single system. Our product includes automated standard tests and built-in analysis and visualization. In addition, we will have a modular design with the ability to scale. And an important point: we offer not only equipment, but also testing services, which our competitors do not have, — adds Egor.

The project started in 2024. At present, the components and implementation algorithm have been defined; the concept of software and hardware parts has been developed, i.e. the architecture and methods of receiving and exchanging information between the source sensors, control software and the user. In addition, the necessary laboratory base has been created at NSU, where further work on the project will be carried out. A team has been formed, and agreements have been reached with design bureaus on testing.

The grant funds will be used for design, purchasing components, assembling and debugging the system, calibrating sensors and developing software, as well as paying for the team's work, registering patents, marketing and launching it to market.

It is expected that in a year a fully operational stand will be ready, which is a compact cubic frame with vibration isolation and protection against screw destruction, and also includes sensors for measuring various parameters and a controller. As for the software, a desktop application will be created, including an interface for collecting, storing and analyzing data, test scenarios. The development language is Python and C, and in the future it is also possible to integrate machine learning methods for predictive diagnostics.

The solution will find application in design bureaus engaged in the development of UAVs, for the selection of propeller-motor groups and the detection of defects; in production for quality and reliability control; in the "smart city" for reducing noise and improving the operation of delivery drones, etc.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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NSU graduate studies spoken language of Akademgorodok residents

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Graduate Humanitarian Institute of NSU (Fundamental and Applied Linguistics) Ekaterina Kulyatina studied how the living conversational speech of the intelligentsia of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok is structured. Her work expands the possibilities for research in the field of stylistics and genre theory, and also opens up prospects for teaching neural networks to understand the subtleties of human speech.

In the project, Ekaterina analyzed the recordings of memories of residents of Akademgorodok, paying special attention to the so-called modus – the subjective “superstructure” of the statement.

— If I say: it is raining — it is simply a fact. And if I say: it seems to be raining — I add doubt. That is the modus. There are many such semantic superstructures in the Russian language, and they can overlap, — Ekaterina explained.

The work is written within the framework of the structural-semantic approach, the founder of which is considered to be Viktor Vladimirovich Vinogradov. Within the framework of modern syntactic concepts, which Ekaterina Kulyatina relied on in her research (the theory of modeling elementary simple sentences, developed by Maya Ivanovna Cheremisina), the contradictions contained in V. V. Vinogradov's approach are overcome. Nevertheless, the structural-semantic approach allows solving a wide range of scientific problems. As Ekaterina Kulyatina explained, the dictum part of speech constructions is now very well described, many works on this topic have been published, but the modus component, which she emphasized in her work, has not yet been studied so well.

The student took the recordings for analysis from the project "Myths and Legends of Akademgorodok" and supplemented them with her own interviews. The sample consisted of interviews with ten respondents – people with a high level of proficiency in Russian, many of whom were engaged in scientific research work.

— In their speech, we saw a high density of meanings: complex phrases, participial and adverbial constructions. Such features make oral speech rich, but at the same time difficult to analyze — especially automatically, — noted Ekaterina.

According to the author of the project, understanding the mode is important not only for philology, but also for technology. In the future, such developments can be used in training neural networks so that they understand and convey not only facts, but also subjective shades of meaning.

“We are not yet at the stage where a computer can fully recognize and reproduce such nuances, but this is a logical next step,” she noted.

The results achieved within the framework of Ekaterina Kulyatina's diploma work may be useful for research in the field of stylistics and genre theory.

— We have outlined a methodology for describing the genre of memoirs from the point of view of structural and semantic features. This is useful both for stylistics and for teaching, — Ekaterina emphasized.

The graduate herself plans to slightly change the direction of her research during her master's studies, focusing on the automation of speech analysis.

"I want to try to teach the computer to extract modal meanings and compare the machine results with my manual ones. This will be an honest test of how technologically ready we are for such an analysis," Ekaterina concluded.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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NSU Master's Student Launches Startup to Produce Important Cheese-Making Enzyme

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Master's student Faculty of Natural Sciences of Novosibirsk State University (FNS NSU) Valeria Meleshenko was among the winners of the Student Startup competition of the University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform. Her project to create an enzyme for cheese making received a grant of 1 million rubles and is aimed at developing domestic biotechnology.

The enzyme chymosin, which is used to coagulate milk in cheesemaking, is currently mostly obtained in Russia from calf stomachs or purchased abroad. This approach is both expensive and limited in its scope of application. Valeria's project offers a fundamentally different approach – genetically engineered production of chymosin. This involves using a synthetic gene obtained from a database and introduced into a yeast strain. As a result, it becomes possible to produce the enzyme in a laboratory, without using animals.

— This approach is quite popular in the field of biotechnology today, it allows to make production more technological, and at the same time humane, since it does not require mass slaughter of animals. For example, insulin production is organized in a similar way, but bacteria are used there, and yeast is used in my project, — explained Valeria Meleshenko.

At the first stage, which also became her bachelor's thesis under the supervision of Dmitry Shchebakov, an employee of the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology "Vector" of Rospotrebnadzor, Valeria had already obtained a strain capable of producing the necessary enzyme.

The next step is to test it at cheese-making plants.

— My task is to produce a sufficient amount of chymosin and conduct tests in real production. If it turns out that there is no difference in the quality of the cheese or even improvements appear, for example, the bitterness goes away or less enzyme is needed to curdle the milk, the project can be considered successful, — the author of the startup adds.

The project already has potential partners. Successful negotiations were held with representatives of the Cheese Research Institute of the Federal Altai Scientific Center of Agrobiotechnology (FANCA), Barnaul. And in case of positive results at this stage, a cheese-making enterprise in Kuzbass is ready to join the project.

According to Valeria, the startup did not simply grow out of her bachelor's thesis. "It is important to note that my victory was made possible largely thanks to the teachers of the NSU Natural Sciences Department, who taught me flexible and analytical thinking rather than blind memorization. And participation in Technohack, a hackathon from the NSU Advanced Engineering School, gave me my first ideas about creating startups," she emphasizes.

An important component of the project is that it not only promotes the development of domestic production of an enzyme important for the food industry, but also expands the use of advanced technologies in this industry.

— Biotechnological projects are one of the most promising areas of development. For NSU students, participation in such initiatives is an opportunity to get involved in real research and create startups that are in demand in industry while still studying, — the university notes.

Valeria continues working on the prototype. She has a year to implement the project – that's how long the grant from the Student Startup competition gives. If the testing is successful, Russia will have its own technology for producing the enzyme, which today has to be mostly purchased abroad.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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On the night of September 7-8, a total lunar eclipse could be observed across almost the entire territory of Russia

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

On the night of September 7-8, residents of almost the entire territory of Russia could observe a total lunar eclipse. In Novosibirsk, there were ideal weather conditions that night – a clear and bright sky, so astronomy lovers could enjoy a rather rare astronomical phenomenon.

According to Egor Konyaev, an engineer at the Vega Observatory at NSU, the next total lunar eclipse, visible over most of Russia, will occur in 3 years, on December 31, 2028.

— According to local time in Novosibirsk, its maximum will be almost midnight (23:50). Therefore, it can already be called New Year's, — adds Yegor.

What is a lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon, in its orbit around the Earth, enters the shadow of our planet, and the Earth at that moment is exactly between the Sun and its natural satellite.

Why is the moon red? And why is it visible?

— The most important and interesting question that arises in the observer is: why does the Moon turn red during a total eclipse? And why is it visible if an eclipse occurs? It would seem that if the Moon is immersed in the Earth's shadow, it should not be visible at all. But this is not so. And here the Earth's atmosphere plays the main role, — explains Yegor Konyaev.

According to Rayleigh's theory, there is a dependence of the intensity of light scattering on the wavelength. Blue rays, which have a shorter wavelength, are scattered in the Earth's atmosphere 4-5 times stronger than red ones, which is why the color of the daytime, clear sky is blue.

— It is for this same reason that during a lunar eclipse the Moon takes on a red hue. Some of the rays that are refracted and not scattered in the Earth's atmosphere hit the lunar surface, from which they are reflected and "return" to the observer located on the Earth's night side. And we can observe such an interesting, beautiful effect when the Moon is painted in different shades of red — from copper-yellow to dark-dark red, — says Yegor Konyaev.

How often do lunar eclipses occur?

On average, both lunar and solar eclipses occur twice a year. But an observer on Earth has a much greater chance of seeing a lunar eclipse than a solar one. Why? The reason is geometry.

— A lunar eclipse looks the same wherever the Moon is above the horizon — its area is equal to a hemisphere. In addition, the Earth is larger than the Moon, so the Earth's shadow completely covers the Moon. During a solar eclipse, when the Moon moves in front of the Sun, the shadow cast by the Moon is much smaller than the Earth's and covers an insignificant part of the Earth's surface. Therefore, the chance to see a solar eclipse is only available to people located within a narrow strip of the Earth's surface along which the Moon's shadow passes, — adds Yegor Konyaev.

So, the next total solar eclipse, which will occur on August 12, 2026, in Russia can be seen only on the Taimyr Peninsula, but observation will be extremely difficult, since it is very low above the horizon and not all phases will be visible.

A total lunar eclipse has three phases. The first phase is the penumbral phase, when the Moon is still fully illuminated by direct sunlight, but falls into the Earth's penumbra. As it continues to move along its orbit, the Moon falls into the Earth's shadow, which completely blocks sunlight for some areas of the Moon – this is the shadow phase of the eclipse. When the Moon is completely immersed in the Earth's shadow, the total phase of the lunar eclipse occurs. This is the moment when the Earth's natural satellite turns red.

This time, the maximum phase of the eclipse was 136%, it was reached at 1:12 Novosibirsk time. The total phase lasted from 0:31 to 1:52, the umbral phase from 23:27 to 2:56, and the penumbral phase from 22:28 to 3:55.

What is interesting about a lunar eclipse?

As Alfiya Nesterenko, head of the Vega observatory at NSU, notes, this lunar eclipse was quite long, unlike those observed earlier. Thus, the phase of the total lunar eclipse this time lasted more than an hour.

“Also, during a lunar eclipse, you can discern relief details that are not noticeable on the Moon during normal times, due to the greater contrast of some elements,” adds Alfiya Nesterenko.

Photo: Egor Konyaev, Mikhail Maslov, NSU Vega Observatory. The photo shows all phases of the lunar eclipse.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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NSU student presented a report on new possibilities of analytical methods for solving biofermentation problems

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

From August 18 to 22, 2025, the All-Russian scientific conference with international participation "Modern Problems of Organic Chemistry" (SPOKh-2025) was held in the Akademgorodok of Novosibirsk. It was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences V.P. Mamaev. Maria Sotnikova, a 4th-year student, gave an oral report at the section dedicated to modern trends in biochemistry and analytical chemistry. Faculty of Natural Sciences of NSU, direction "Chemistry". Her scientific supervisor is a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Molecular Engineering Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies (IMMT) NSU Nikita Basov.

The work presented by Maria is devoted to exometabolomic screening of yeast strains isolated from traditional fermented products – kumiss, mead and kefir fungus. Such analysis allows to identify microorganisms with unique metabolic profiles, promising for use in biofermentation tasks.

Modern analytical methods played a key role in the study: high-performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). These technologies allow for the simultaneous recording of hundreds of metabolites and open up new possibilities in selecting strains for the synthesis of target substances in demand in industry, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and the agricultural sector.

The results showed that even closely related yeast strains can differ significantly in their metabolic profiles. This makes metabolomic analysis a powerful tool for rational selection of microorganisms for biotechnology and the development of environmentally friendly production.

M.A. Sotnikova's speech at the SPOH-2025 conference aroused great interest among the scientific community and became a vivid example of how NSU students and young researchers are forming a scientific foundation in the field of advanced biotechnology.

The work is especially important because it was carried out by young scientists and students working at IMMT NSU. In addition, Maria is already preparing her first scientific article dedicated to metabolomic studies of cells. Next year, she plans to enroll in a master's degree program in Industrial Pharmacy at IMMT NSU and continue her research at the intersection of analytical chemistry, biotechnology and medicine.

This is not the first time the student has performed: earlier, Maria was awarded a third-degree diploma at the International Scientific Student Conference (ISSC-2025), which was held at NSU for the 63rd time, in the Analytical Chemistry section.

Thus, at the university, students are involved in real science already at the early stages of their studies, participating in interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of chemistry, biology, medicine and engineering. It is this approach that meets the modern challenges of biofermentation and opens up prospects for the creation of future technologies.

The study was carried out in collaboration between the Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of the Institute of Mathematics and Mathematics of NSU and the Engineering Center "Prombiotech" of the Altai State University.

The project was implemented with the support of the Priority 2030 strategic academic leadership program.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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NSU student took part in international speleological expedition to Uzbekistan

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Ilona Vladimirova, second year student Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, NSU, took part in an international speleological expedition to the Gissar Range in Uzbekistan this summer. For twenty days, a team of 34 researchers from Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Israel and the United States studied the largest caves in the region – Boy-Bulok and Vishnevsky.

The main objective of the expedition was to find a connection between the Boy-Bulok and Vishnevsky caves, conduct a topographic survey of the Boy-Bulok cave passages, explore an ice cave at an altitude of 3,700 m, and refine the topographic survey of the Khodja-Gur-Gur-Ata massif caves. In addition, more specific tasks were also solved: installing a hydrogenerator in the underground base camp (UBC) at a depth of -560 m to generate electricity, organizing communication between the caves using the Nicola device, delivering ground penetrating radars to both caves, and measuring the distance between the closest points, as well as other studies.

Ilona worked as part of a team at the Chulbair massif. The speleologists managed to pass a narrow section in the Boy-Bulok cave and explore a new clay passage about 70 meters long, which allowed them to refine the topographic survey data and increase the amplitude of the cave depth by another 6 meters.

— It was not easy, since the route through the cave has the fourth category of complexity. However, I really enjoyed life underground in PBL-560, where I spent three nights (some participants lived there for up to 14 nights). But the most pleasant thing was to come to the surface. It was very beautiful. We met the sunset on the edge of the Chulbair wall at an altitude of 3,700 meters, looking down at a four-hundred-meter cliff. I also remember the volleyball match in the Uzbek village of Dekhibolo between locals and cavers, in which friendship won, — Ilona shares her impressions.

In addition to research in Boy-Bulok, the expedition examined an ice cave at an altitude of 3,700 m, where bears' beds were discovered, and also carried out work on the Khodja-Gur-Gur-Ata massif.

Ilona admits that she would like to return to Uzbekistan to continue searching for the connection between the two largest caves.

The expedition was organized by the Sverdlovsk city speleosection under the leadership of Vadim Loginov, who has been conducting research in this area since 2007.

Material prepared by: Yulia Dankova, NSU press service

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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The most interesting astronomical phenomena of autumn 2025, visible in Novosibirsk

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

The greatest surge of amateur astronomical activity usually occurs at the end of summer and in autumn, especially in the first half. During this period, the nights are already quite long and dark, compared to summer, but at the same time it is not as cold as in winter. In this review, we will present the most interesting astronomical events in Novosibirsk and its environs that await us in the autumn months.

The most interesting astronomical phenomena of autumn 2025.

September 7/8. Total lunar eclipse. One of the most interesting and anticipated events of autumn 2025, which can be observed by anyone. The maximum phase of the eclipse will be 136%, it will be reached at 1:12 Novosibirsk time. The total phase will last from 0:31 to 1:52, the shadow phase – from 23:27 to 2:56, and the penumbral phase – from 22:28 to 3:55. The time of the eclipse is therefore very favorable for Novosibirsk, during the maximum the Moon will be near the culmination. It should also be noted that the penumbral phases of the lunar eclipse are practically not visible visually, the visible darkening of the lunar disk will be observed from about 23:00 to 3:00 am.

During a lunar eclipse, the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow, and the maximum phase of this eclipse will be quite large, which means that the Moon will plunge deeply into the Earth's shadow and will look quite dark near the maximum. However, the lunar disk will not darken completely, since even being deep in the Earth's shadow, the Moon is illuminated by the refracted light of the Earth's atmosphere from the edges of the dark Earth's disk when viewed from the Moon. Since red light is refracted more strongly, the lunar disk is illuminated mainly by the red component of the solar spectrum, and the Moon during a total eclipse is colored in different shades of red – from dirty orange (copper) to dark red or brown. The intensity of the red color and the brightness of the lunar disk are also affected by the dustiness of the Earth's atmosphere during the eclipse, which is a variable value and depends, for example, on the intensity of volcanic eruptions. For this reason, it is difficult to predict how dark the lunar disk will be during the eclipse, but it is in any case a beautiful phenomenon that does not require any special instruments to observe, although binoculars will better show the boundary of the Earth's shadow and details of the lunar surface during the eclipse.

October 8. Possible surge in Draconid meteor shower activity.

The Draconids are a so-called "flare" meteor shower, whose activity does not occur every year, but, as a rule, near the perihelion of its parent comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. During flares, activity can also vary greatly – from relatively low to meteor storms, which the Draconids produced, for example, in 1933 and 1946. Of the recent manifestations of activity, 2011, 2012 and 2018 should be noted, when activity reached hundreds of meteors per hour.

In 2025, comet 21P passes its next perihelion, and, as calculations show, the Earth will collide with fairly fresh cometary material ejected in 2012. In this regard, we can expect a surge in meteor activity, the calculated maximum of which falls at 22:07 Novosibirsk time. The intensity of the surge is unlikely to be stormy, since the Earth should collide with a cloud of particles, the sizes of which are very small. Nevertheless, at the maximum, we can expect quite pronounced activity at the level of tens, and if we are lucky, hundreds of meteors per hour.

The radiant of the shower is in the constellation of Draco, in the evening it is located high above the horizon, so for Novosibirsk the time of the maximum is very favorable. During the outburst, there will be a bright Moon in the sky, which will worsen the conditions for its observation and reduce the number of visible meteors. However, any manifestation of Draconid activity is undoubtedly a unique event and is recommended for observation.

September 13. Moon Occultation of the Pleiades

The series of occultations of the very beautiful star cluster Pleiades by the Earth's satellite Moon continues, which occurs once every 18 years. The period of 18 years is equal to the duration of the lunar saros (draconic period), which is caused by the precession of the lunar orbit. In other words, this is the period of precession of the orbit of the Moon. The Pleiades cluster is located in the sky slightly above the ecliptic, but due to the precession and the tilt of the lunar orbit of about 5 degrees, the Moon in its visible movement across the sky periodically (every 18 years) "reaches" the Pleiades and gives a series of occultations of the cluster.

At the latitude of Novosibirsk, the current series of occultations began in mid-2024 and will end in March 2028. Occultations occur approximately once a month (more precisely, every 29 days, which corresponds to the sidereal period of the Moon). However, occultations occur at different times of the day and not all of them are visible in Novosibirsk.

To observe this occultation (which is essentially a series of occultations of the Pleiades cluster stars by the Moon), you need to use binoculars or a telescope. In its orbit around the Earth, the Moon will pass in front of the Pleiades stars and will block them from the Earth observer for a while. Using binoculars or a telescope, you will be able to see the Moon gradually approaching the various stars of the cluster, then at some point they disappear behind the lunar disk, and after a while they reappear on the other side.

This occultation will occur on the night of September 12/13, when the Moon will be located high above the horizon, which, combined with a phase of about 67%, creates very good conditions for observations with a telescope or binoculars. However, it is better to use a tripod or astronomical mount to stabilize the image.

Here are the parameters of coverage of the brightest stars of the Pleiades for Novosibirsk:

Electra. Start – 03:42:50, altitude 52°, end – 04:13:57, altitude 55°.

Taygete. Start – 03:50:01, altitude 53°, end – 04:57:24, altitude 58°.

Maya. Start at 04:02:40, altitude 54°, end at 05:08:45, altitude 59°.

November 6. Moon occultation of the Pleiades

The next occultation of the Pleiades by the Moon, visible in Novosibirsk, will occur on November 6. Unlike the September event, it will occur in the evening, at a slightly lower, but still good height above the horizon, although at a fuller phase of the Moon.

Here are the parameters of coverage of the brightest stars of the Pleiades for Novosibirsk:

Electra. Starts at 21:00:44, altitude 27°, ends at 21:48:41, altitude 34°.

Merope. Starts at 21:24:42, altitude 30°, ends at 22:14:21, altitude 37°.

Alcyone. Starts at 21:52:36, altitude 34°, ends at 22:48:16, altitude 42°.

Atlas. Start at 22:46:44, altitude 41°, end at 23:04:31, altitude 44°.

Meteor showers

October 21. Orionid meteor shower peaks. This meteor shower with a radiant in the constellation Orion originates from comet 1P/Halley, its maximum intensity is about 20-30 meteors per hour, and the meteors themselves are very fast. The shower's radiant rises quite high in the second half of the night, and the maximum itself is quite wide, activity near the maximum level can remain for several days around October 21.

November 17. Peak of the Leonid meteor shower. This shower, with a radiant in the constellation Leo, shows a normal annual activity of about 10-15 meteors per hour, but is known for its periodic increases in activity in the years around the perihelion of its parent comet 55P/Swift-Tuttle. No increased activity is predicted for the current year. The radiant of this shower also rises high in the sky in the second half of the night and produces fast meteors.

Comets

C/2025 A6 Lemmon. This is currently the brightest comet expected for the fall of 2025, with its brightness expected to reach approximately magnitude 6 in October-November. This is still not enough for visual observations, but at this time the comet should be clearly visible in amateur telescopes and even binoculars.

The comet will be visible in the mornings in the second half of the night, reaching a good height of 40-45° in the morning, then for about a week from October 15 to 22 it will move from the morning part of the sky to the evening part, and then it will be visible in the evenings until about mid-November. At the end of October and the beginning of November (just around the maximum brightness) visibility will be good, and then the comet will begin to decrease more and more, until it finally becomes invisible.

C/2025 K1 ATLAS. This comet will be a bit dimmer, expected to be around magnitude 9 or 10 in October-November. However, it will be a pretty good target for amateur telescopes, but it is unlikely to be visible in binoculars.

The comet will be visible low above the horizon in the mornings in the last days of October and early November, and then, after the passage of the Moon, from mid to late November (and especially in the third ten days of November) it will be visible high in the sky for most of the night, although it will still be better visible in the second half of the night, since its culmination time will fall in the second half of the night.

Connections

September 20. Conjunction of Venus and Regulus. On the morning of September 20, the brightest planet in the sky will be 0.6° from the 1st magnitude star Regulus. This separation is slightly larger than the apparent size of the lunar disk. In the sky, this conjunction will look like two bright stars next to each other above the eastern horizon. At this time, a very narrow crescent of the waning Moon will be below them. The best time for observation is around 6 a.m.

November 13. Conjunction of the Moon and Regulus. Also quite a close conjunction, on the morning of November 13, under the waning crescent of the Moon, there will be a fairly bright star Regulus, the visual separation of which from the nearest edge of the lunar disk will be only 0.2°. The best observation period is from about 6 to 7 am.

In the photo: comet C/2025 K1 ATLAS, which was discovered in May 2025. The comet was photographed on August 26 through a telescope with a focal length of 854 mm, approximately 70 km from Novosibirsk along the Ordynskaya highway. In the summer, it was practically inaccessible for visual observation at the latitude of Novosibirsk, and for photography – from about July 20 until the end of August. It will pass the closest point to the Sun in its orbit (perihelion) on October 8, but at this time it will be behind the Sun from the point of view of an observer on Earth. And now it is practically invisible, and it will become visible again at the end of October, when it comes out from behind the Sun after perihelion and gains sufficient elongation (visual angular separation from the Sun).

We invite students of the NSU SUNC to the special course "Observational Astronomy at the NSU Vega Observatory. All questions can be asked by mail:Nesterenko@post. NSU.ru.

Explanation: Usually, various astronomical phenomena can be observed over a more or less large area, and depending on what event we are talking about, they can be visible, for example, in different regions of Siberia or Russia as a whole, or in the entire northern or eastern hemisphere, or even throughout the world. This review provides information about what remarkable, unusual and interesting astronomical phenomena can be observed in Novosibirsk and its environs in the fall of 2025.

It may well turn out that Novosibirsk will not be the optimal place for observing any of the phenomena indicated in the review, and in other points on our planet this phenomenon will be better visible, but the circumstances of visibility are given specifically for Novosibirsk.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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