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Photo: Norayr, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The radio telescope to observe distant space was active from 1986 to 1990, when it fell into disuse with the Soviet break-up. An attempt to restore it brought it back online in 1995, but it was abandoned for good in 2012. From the gate, there are guided tours of the grounds, the telescope dish, and the control room, in their all Soviet glory, on most days of the week. Some hiking tours also combine a visit to the nearby observatory, see below.
The Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope, also known as ROT54 or the Herouni Mirror Radio Telescope, is a radio telescope in Orgov, Armenia. It was built between 1975 and 1985 and was active between 1986 and 1990 before its use was halted. It was again operational until ceasing in 2012. Subsequently, many attempts have been made to restore and restart the ROT54.
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You can observe stars and planets from one of the Byurakan Observatory telescopes. Tours are organized everyday at 21:00, 22:00 and 23:00. You will join a group of about 20 to 30 people and observe one or two stars and one or two planets. As the group can be quite large, you will unfortunately not have a lot of time per person to observe the sky through the telescope. Moreover, as there is a lot of light pollution due to the cities on the bottom of the volcano, the sky is not as dark as it used to be probably at the construction of the observatory. However, it is still a good experience if you have never observed stars through a telescope. It is recommended to book in advance the tour by phone but if you are a solo traveler, you can just show yourself at 21:00 and ask to join the group.