The Largest Russian Optical Telescope BTA: Current Status and Modernization Prospects

The Russian 6-m telescope (BTA), once the largest telescope in the world and now the largest optical telescope in Russia, has been successfully operating for almost 45 years. In this paper we briefly overview the observing methods the facility can currently provide, the ongoing projects on the development of scientific equipment, the status of the telescope among the world’s and Russian astronomical communities, our ambitions to attract new users, and the prospects the observatory wishes to realize in the near future.