Bosscha Observatory Bandung

Hi again guys! now i want to tell you about my favorite place in Bandung called Bosscha Observatory. I'm actually never been there because i don't have time to go there but soon i will go there with my friend :). 

Bosscha Observatory is the first modern astronomical research institution in Indonesia. This observatory is managed by Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).  Bosscha Obsevatory also has a unique role as the only major observatory in Indonesia, even in Southeast Asia.

The observatory is located in Lembang, West Java, approximately 15 kilometers north of Bandung. It is situated on a hilly six hectares of land and is 1,310 m  above mean sea level plateau. The IAU observatory code for Bosscha is 299.

This observatory has 7 main telescopes :

1.The Zeiss double refractor

• This telescope is mainly used to observe visual binary stars, conduct photometric studies on eclipsing binaries, imagelunar craters, observe planets (Mars, Saturn and Jupiter) and to observe comet details and other heavy bodies. The telescope has two objective lenses with a diameter of 60 cm (24 in) each and a focal length of 10.7 m (35 ft).

2. Bima Sakti Telescope 

• This telescope is used to study galactic structure, stellar spectra, asteroid studies, supernovae, and to photograph heavy bodies. The main lens diameter is 71.12 cm (28.00 in), the correcting bi-concave and convex lens is 50 cm (20 in) with a focal length of 2.5 m (8.2 ft). It is also equipped with a spectral prism with a prime angle of 6.10 degrees for stellar spectra, a wedge sensitometer and a film recorder.

3. The Bamberg refractor

• This telescope is used to determine stellar magnitude, stellar distance, and photometric studies of eclipsing stars, solar imaging, and others. It is equipped with a photoelectric photometer a 37 cm (15 in) lens diameter and a 7 m (23 ft) meter focal length.

4. The Cassegrain GOTO

• This was a gift from the Japanese government. This computer controlled telescope can automatically view objects from a database and this was the first digital telescope at Bosscha. The telescope is also equipped with a photometer and spectrometer-spectrograph.

5. The Unitron refractor

• This telescope is used for observing hilal, lunar eclipse, solar eclipse and sunspot photography, and also other objects. Lens diameter is 10.2 cm (4.0 in) and a focal length of 150 cm (59 in).

    

6. The Sun Telescope

• This telescope is a telescope consisting of 3 pieces of Coronado  with 3 different filters. This facility is a gift from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the Netherlands, Leids Kerkhoven-Bosscha Fonds, the Ministry of National Education, and the Ministry of Research and Technology.

7. The Radio Telescope 2,3m

• Bosscha 2.3 m radio telescope or SRT (Small Radio Telescope) designed by MIT-Haystack Observatory and made by Cassi Corporation. This telescope works at a wavelength of 21 cm or in the frequency range of 1400-1440 MHz. Within the range there is a transition frekluensi neutral hydrogen lines, so it is very suitable telescope for observations of neutral hydrogen, for example in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Moreover, these telescopes can be used to observe distant objects such as extra galactic and quasars.

The problem this observatory have to face is the area around this observatory is not suitable to do an observation because of the light pollution. I hope we will have more observatory in Indonesia with a little light pollution and far from resident. 

Source: 

http://bosscha.itb.ac.id/in/tentang-bosscha.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosscha_Observatory

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observatorium_Bosscha