The head of the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research, Dr. Jad Al-Qadi, said that the project to establish the large optical astronomical observatory on one of the mountain peaks in South Sinai is expected to be completed within 5 years from now.
In a statement today, Sunday, Al-Qadi revealed the specifications of the new observatory, as it will be at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level and will be equipped with an astronomical telescope with a mirror of 6.5 meters in diameter, stressing that work is currently in full swing to complete the procedures for establishing this observatory.. explaining that the new observatory will replace An alternative to the Kattameya Astronomical Observatory, which will be transformed into a global training center for astronomy and space sciences.
Regarding the institute’s plan to establish a network to monitor satellites and space debris, Dr. Gad El-Kady said that the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research is currently completing the national meteorological network to monitor satellites and space debris to cover all parts of the Republic during the next few years, which it started in 1957 after the launch of the first spacecraft. by the then Soviet Union.
He added that the Institute, in cooperation with the Central Space Administration of China, is establishing a new station within the network of stations owned and managed by the Institute. This station includes optical and laser monitoring tools.
Al-Qadi explained that the main objective of establishing these stations is to give the scientific community the necessary information about the state of the space environment surrounding satellites operating at different altitudes, and to provide the latest data for each newly discovered object, including orbital information and stellar magnitude.
He pointed out that this data can be used to develop mathematical models to study the potential long-term orbital evolution of these objects, as well as the possibility of these objects colliding with operating satellites, which allows satellite owners to use this data in order to obtain accurate models to predict the movement of the moon and assess the surrounding risks. with it.
Dr. Jad Al-Qadi highlighted the success of the Institute’s scientists and researchers in discovering, so far, 12 stars through the telescope of the Katameya Astronomical Observatory, which is the largest telescope in the Middle East and North Africa. Those stars were registered in the name of Egypt and the Katameya Astronomical Observatory, and they all start with KAO- EGYPT. , on the international website of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), which is the international body entrusted with registering and approving scientific discoveries of variable stars.
He stressed that this achievement contributes to strengthening Egypt’s international position in space research and exploration, and adding new data to international databases, explaining that the importance of discovering and studying such stars lies in the fact that they represent more than 80% of the stars in the universe, and they also play an important role in the field of physics. Astronomical, because it gives a unique and unprecedented opportunity to calibrate individual stars in terms of mass, size and chemical properties, and it represents a stage in the evolution of stars, which allows understanding and studying the evolution of the universe in general and the solar system in particular, and it is of interest to researchers in the field of astrophysics and space exploration in all around the world.