KGO Observatory, Astronomical observatory in Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia

The KGO Observatory is a research and teaching station of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (GAISh) of Moscow State University, opened on 13 December 2014 on the north-eastern ridge of Mount Shatdzhatmaz in Karachay-Cherkessia, at 2112 m elevation. Its main instrument is a 2.5 m optical reflector with five ports (one Cassegrain and four Nasmyth foci); the site covers about 8 hectares and also hosts the MASTER-Kislovodsk sky-monitoring system.

Moscow State University established this research facility in 2014 to expand astronomical research in the region. The project emerged from the need to create observation capabilities in higher-altitude areas of the North Caucasus.

The observatory stands on the northeast ridge of Mount Shatdzhatmaz, a site chosen for its clear skies. Its staff of about 30 is mostly technical and engineering personnel; researchers come from Moscow on assignment. Less than 500 m to the northwest lies the older Kislovodsk mountain astronomical station, so two observing sites share the ridge.

The observatory lies on the north-eastern ridge of Mount Shatdzhatmaz at 2112 m, about 30 km south of Kislovodsk; the neighbouring Kislovodsk Mountain Astronomical Station is less than 500 m to the north-west. Access is by mountain road, and the site is a working research facility rather than a public visitor attraction, so arrangements must be made in advance. The local staff consists only of technical and engineering personnel, while scientific staff work there on assignment.

The 2.5 m telescope's mount was built in Nanjing, China, while its mirrors came from the French concern Sagem-REOSC. The MASTER-VWF4 units stand 900 m apart, and the observatory's computers run Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE. A single night of observation yields about 700 GB of data.