IHY and BSS in West Asia Hamid M.K.AL-Naimiy Dean/College of Arts and Sciences University of Sharjah UAE alnaimiy@sharjah.ac.ae 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 1
CONTENTS The Importance of IHY & BSS, Education on IHY & BSS for the region, Some Arab Astronomical Heritage, Present IHY & BSS activities in few Arab countries :-: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya The Gulf Countries ( Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, S. Arabia, UAE), Syria Other Arab Countries ( Libya, Syria..) Future aspects 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 2
IHY Committee for West Asia This committee formed on November 23 rd,2005 during the 1 st UN/ESA/NASA WORKSHOP ON IHY at UAE : Nait Amor Samir / Algeria. A. A. Galal / Egypt Rashid Al-Naimi / Iraq Saleh Al-Shedhani / Sultanate of OMAN Hanna Sabat / Jordan Rojer Hajjar / Lebanon Emad Barghouthi / Palestine Abdul Haq Sultan / Yemen Nour-Eddine Najid / Morocco Fodil Mammar / Algeria Hassan Basurah / Saudi Arabia Ismail Sabbah / Kuwait Abdul Qader Abseim /Libya Mohammed Al Othman/ Bahrain Shawqi Al-Dalal / Bahrain 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 3
Algeria: Dr Samir NAITAMOR, CRAAG. In August they finalized the reception and Installation of the VLF receiver in coordination with Prof Inan Umran. According to Prof. Jamal Maymoni report:- - Astronomy and Astrophysics is mainly done at the CRAAG (Centre de Recherche en Astronomy Astrophysique et Géophysique), G previously known as the Bouzareah Observatory: Personnel: 14 researchers and engineers on 22 are working on solar physics, 3 of them are actually PhD students in Max Planck Institute Germany. Related projects: - Helioseimology, Solar activity, Solar astrolabe. Some researchers rs are working on the atmospheric turbulence for daytime measurements. - Astrophysics is also done at some Universities although within the physics research teams as there is no department of astrophysics per se. Nuclear and plasma astrophysics at Bab Ezzouar and Batna universities, General Relativity and astroparticle physics at Constantine University, Cosmic Ray physics at Annaba University. - Space Research is done mainly at the CNTS (Centre National des Techniques Spatiales) at Arzew which is an engineering school and a research center in Geodesy, Teledetection and space techniques. It is also in charge of the conception and development elopment of the Algerian microsatellite program (The AlSat series) in coordination with the t ASAL (Agence Spatiale Algerienne) whose seat is at Algiers. The INCT (Institute National de Geodesie et de Teledetection) at Algiers is also a dedicated center for teledection and related activities. Some research activities in geodesy and teledetection are also carried c out at the Earth Science departments of various Algerian universities. 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 4
Egypt: The following organizations are involved with IHY and BSS in Egypt: - Research and postgraduate studies are carried out at the National al Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (in Hellwan). Kottamia observatory operates a 2-metre 2 optical telescope with photometers, a spectrograph and a CCD camera. The observatory was built in 1963.This telescope is the largest optical/infrared telescope in North Africa and the Middle East. Carl Zeiss Company involved in modernizing the optical system of this telescope (Deebes( & Heileman 1999). The Institute plans to build a radio telescope at Abu Simbel in the South of Egypt as part of the European (VLBI), or EVN, to bridge the gap between n the radio telescope in Western Europe and the radio telescope at Hartebeesthoek in South Africa, (Shaltout( 1999). - Teaching of and training in BSS and solar physics are provided in a few universities, particularly at Cairo University, which has a good astronomy department and about 30 astronomers and solar physicists. It offers two Bachelor of Science degrees in Physics/Astronomy (interdisciplinary) and Astronomy (single discipline), in addition to Master of Science and doctoral degrees es in solar physics, astronomy and space science. The department of astronomy at Cairo o University contributes to different fields of solar physics & BSS, such as astrophysics, astro- chemistry, celestial mechanics, solar physics, and cosmology and space physics. In schools, astronomy is a part of the general science course at the primary and preparatory levels and a part of the physics course at the secondary level. 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 5
Kuwait Dr. I. Sabbah installed the First Cosmic Rays Muon Telescope in the Middle East at Kuwait University in order to predict the time of arrival of Coronal Mass Ejections: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu/spaceweather neutronm.bartol.udel.edu/spaceweather/.. He also installed a robotic Sun photometer to monitor Aerosol to study desert dust and its effect on Climate in collaboration with NASA: http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 6
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Libyan Remote Sensing & Space Application centre (LRSSA), started on 2005 building a 2-metre 2 robotic optical telescope. Observations and research are being carried out for choosing a suitable site out of three being studied. A training program for astronomers and technicians in process, beside that, the telescope in manufacturing process. LRSSA purchased the telescope from SAGEM- REOSC Manufacturer (France) 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 7
Oman Dr. Saleh Al-Sheethani installed a 14" RCX400 telescope for site testing, a Portables telescopes: 12", 11" and 5" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes and a 16" Newtonian reflector. 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 8
Saudi Arabia Dr.Hassan Basurah and his group: Daily Sunspot observations (Monthly sunspot analysis to SIDC - Belgium).They installed recently a Cosmic ray Muon observatory and observed stellar occultation. 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 9
Syrian Arab Republic Plans exist for building a 2m optical telescope. The country has active societies, the Syrian Cosmic Society and the astronomical amateur astronomy. It has an agreement with Jordan and Lebanon for building the Middle East Observatory. 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 10
The Gulf Observatory An observatory with a 2-metre 2 optical telescope proposed by astronomers from the Arabian Gulf region (Bahrain, Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman), to be built on top of the Jabal Shams (2,980m above sea level),, in the Sultanate of Oman. There is a plan in the near future for a site- testing programme for this mountain. UAE : We have a proposal for building a Solar and Optical Observatory. 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 11
Qatar Sheikh Salman Bin Jabor Althani,, head of Astronomical Department at Qatar Scientific Club is planning to install Solar observatory consists of Coronado Solarmax 40 telescope, Coronado Solarmax 90 telescope and Coronado Solarmax 90 CaK telescope; and Optical observatory (20 RCX400 on MAX Robotic German Equatorial Mount) in Jordan near Al-Betraa Betraa.. 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 12
Iraq I) IHY : Professor Rashid Al-Naimiy the national coordinator for IHY and his group conducting research and studies on; Sunspots, Ionosphere, Climate change and develop devices for measuring Solar Radiation. Currently they are conducting the following researches: The effects of sunspots on the ionosphere Measurements and modelling of the spectral ultraviolet solar radiation Developments of simple and low cost devices for the solar radiation measurement. The role of solar effects in the Climate change of the earth. Development of Computer Aided Learning Modules for teaching Meteorology and Astronomy Modelling the atmospheric effects on radio signals. Accurate determination of the sun position relative to Earth. 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 13
INAO 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 14
(II) BSS A solar telescope and 5-6meter 5 optical telescope of modern design has been suggested which probably fit in the 3.5-meter dome Space Research Centre: It is part of the Ministry of Science & Technology in Baghdad. The main research programmes are: remote sensing, wave propagation, communications, astronomy and astrophysics. Physics departments in most Iraqi universities offer courses in astronomy and astrophysics. The Dept of Astronomy at University of Baghdad has undergraduate and postgraduate studies in ASS. It has a small observatory, Al-Battani,, which contains : a 40cm reflector and a 20cm refractor. 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 15
INAO Status on October 7 th, 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 16
Observatory Junipero Serra Siero Toledo Korek Kitt Peak San Pedro Martir Piper Mountain Mt. Mckinley Flagstaff Best seeing Observed 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 1.0 2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 17
2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 18
2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 19
2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 20
2nd UN/NASA/India workshop 21