Alexander F. Pugach
Alexander F. Pugach | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Torsind observations of the Allais effect during solar eclipses |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Main Astronomical Observatory, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
Alexander F. Pugach is an astronomer at the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, known for experiments intended to detect anomalous gravitational-type effects during solar eclipses and other astronomical alignments. He is listed in The Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists.
Work
Pugach has developed and used a light torsion-balance instrument he calls the "torsind" (torsion indicator), building on the earlier telescope torsion-balance method associated with N. A. Kozyrev. Since 2008 he has conducted systematic observations at the Main Astronomical Observatory of Ukraine, reporting that such instruments show sudden twisting responses during solar eclipses and syzygies.
During the solar eclipse of 1 August 2008 he reported that the pointers of several independent miniature torsion balances rotated abruptly in the same direction at nearly the same moment. He interprets these observations as possible evidence for the Allais effect, the disputed claim that pendulums and related devices behave anomalously during eclipses. Mainstream physics does not accept the reality of such an effect, attributing reported anomalies to instrumental and environmental factors.