Jakarta,
July 11, 2018 (Antara) - Lying on the equator and having a tropical climate,
Indonesia has several observatories mostly located in the western part
of the country and is now planning to build another one in the eastern
region.
The country's Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) is building an observatory to be equipped with a telescope, believed to be the largest in Southeast Asia, in the Mount Timau area, Central Amfoang Sub-district, Kupang District, East Nusa Tenggara Province.
The construction of the observatory, expected to cost some Rp400 billion, began on July 9, Jasyanto, spokesman of Lapan, noted recently.
"Indonesia is entering a new chapter in aeronautics to be marked by construction of the largest national observatory facility in Southeast Asia, to be located in Timau mountainous area," he said.
Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister Prof Mohamad Nasir
officially designated Mt Timau area as a national observatory site and
as a national dark sky park. He has also officially named the facility
as Timau Observatory.
LAPAN
builds the observatory with the cooperation of the Bandung Institute of
Technology (ITB), the University of Nusa Cendana (Undana) in Kupang,
and the Kupang district administration.
The
observatory will be equipped with a telescope having a diameter of 3.8
meters, believed to be the largest and modern telescope in the Southeast
Asian region.
