Beniamin Markarian: most of the astronomers have heard this name and most of the astronomers know nothing about this man. In spite of his modesty, he became famous due to his works. In spite of many difficulties and obstacles, he worked hard for 50 years and left numerous valuable results. The famous Byurakan surveys, result of more than 20 years observations, valuable sources for discovery of thousands of interesting objects and study of the nearby Universe, are among the most important achievements of the 20th century’s astrophysics. They became possible due to Markarian’s brilliant ideas, fantastic observational skills and tireless efforts.
Of all what we know about Markarian, Markarian galaxies are the most well known. Perhaps all astronomers working in the field of AGNs have dealt with the Markarian galaxies. These objects contain QSOs, Seyfert galaxies, BL Lacertae objects, LINERs, Starbursts, radio, infrared, X-ray and Gamma-ray sources, interacting and merging objects, galaxies with double and multiple nuclei. Markarian galaxies appear in all new studies where any new interesting result have been achieved. What is the secret of Markarian’s such success? He was a brilliant observer, and a brilliant spectroscopist. He could feel the images, the spectra to select objects to be interesting after many years. Once, surveying a plate and finding an unusual star (future cataclysmic variable), he noted: “an unusual flare star in the flare phase”. The cataclysmic variables were found a few years later. A search for blue stellar objects was thought also by Markarian but was fulfilled after his death. He could feel which objects could be of any interest. The years showed that he was right in the vast majority of cases.
New large facilities are now available for astrophysical research giving hundreds times better results than in Markarian’s times. Space telescopes are being launched every year and thousands of new interesting objects are being listed in archives. And surprisingly, Markarian galaxies do not become historical objects: all recent interesting discoveries at different wavelengths come to prove again that Markarian galaxies are probably the most interesting objects in the Universe. They appear again and again among the most important objects in any direction. Mrk 231 is the most luminous infrared galaxy (ULIG) in the Local Universe, Mrk 116 (IZw18) is the most metal-deficient blue compact dwarf galaxy (BCDG) (most of the BCDGs are Mrk and SBS galaxies), Mrk 501 is one of the 5 known TeV sources, Mrk 938 is the first dynamical merger discovered observationally, Mrk 766 is one of the famous NLS1 galaxies, Mrk 273 is a wonderful double-double nuclei galaxy, Mrk 6 shows variations of spectral lines typical of different types of objects and very high column density of H in X-rays, Mrk 266 has a multiple structure nuclear region, Mrk 110 is crucial for understanding differences between NLS1s and BLS1s, Mrk 231 and Mrk 507 are among the 5 known superstrongest FeII emitters, Mrk 530, Mrk 993 and Mrk 1018 change their spectra from Sy2 to Sy1. Really, Markarian galaxies contain all wonders of the extragalactic Universe. It is possible to teach extragalactic astronomy, especially the course of active galaxies based on the Markarian galaxies only.
What are Markarian’s scientific results and how they have been reached, what was his approach to science, how was he working and thinking and what kind of man he was: all this you will learn from this booklet. Although it is strange, but this is the first attempt to bring together all information available today about Beniamin Markarian: his life, scientific activity, bibliography, astronomers’ opinions and memories. The material is written by people, who knew Markarian personally, have worked with him. Each of them describes things individually and each of them was inspired by Markarian. Let this booklet be a material memory to our great colleague and teacher.
This booklet is compiled in occasion of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Colloquium No. 184 on AGN Surveys, held on June 18-22, 2001 in Byurakan and dedicated to Markarian’s memory. The Byurakan Observatory is considered as a place for searches and studies of new objects, especially AGN. We know Markarian, Arakelian and Kazarian galaxies, SBS quasars and galaxies, bright QSOs from the Second part of the FBS, AGNs from newly identified IRAS sources – all found in Byurakan, and we know that the beginning and the basis for all these studies was the famous Markarian survey. Due to this work and its continuations the IAU decided to hold this important meeting in Byurakan.
The booklet will be interesting for all professional astronomers, especially for those working in the field of AGN, for amateur astronomers, students and pupils, for everybody who wishes to learn how science is being done and how Markarian galaxies appeared.
Dr. Areg M. MICKAELIAN
Leading researcher, Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO), Armenia,
Co-President, Armenian Astronomical Society (ArAS),
Project Manager, Digitized First Byurakan Survey (DFBS) and Armenian Virtual Observatory (ArVO)