Gaze into space from Abu Dhabi desert
EMIRATI BUSINESSMAN AND FILIPINO STARGAZER JOIN HANDS TO BUILD ADVANCED OBSERVATORY NEAR AL WATHBA
S tanding in the middle of the desert, the Abu Dhabi space observatory is giving astronomy enthusiasts in the UAE the chance to gaze into space like never before.
Al Sadeem Observatory, which officially opened near Al Wathba in June, was born out of the vision of Thabet Al Qaissieh, an Emirati businessman who provided the funding for the observatory, and Andy Palado, a Filipino resident who originally founded the Abu Dhabi Astronomy Group.
“This collaboration really started after I got in touch with Andy to get some advice on telescopes. After our meeting, we both discussed the potential for building a space observatory in Abu Dhabi, and it just went from there,” Al Qaissieh said.
Al Qaissieh saw a business opportunity in the project, but more importantly, he wanted the community to be engaged in astronomy. “What gave me a big push was an old video I saw of Shaikh Zayed, the founding father of the UAE, who said that the private sector is not there to just make money, but to help in building the nation. I see this project as contributing towards that,” he said.
Sky gazing, lectures
For Palado, the building of the observatory fills him with pride after his humble beginnings of meeting with other stargazers in Abu Dhabi.
“It is a great feeling ... At the observatory we hold lectures on space and astronomy, carry out planetary observations, deep sky observations, and we have future plans to conduct space research,” he said.
Palado said the two-storey observatory took around six months to build, and has a 360-degree rotational dome. “This included getting the right design, materials and the construction itself. The dome is made from fibreglass, while the rest is built using concrete. Inside the observatory, there are several telescopes, including the main 16-inch telescope that is mounted. All of the telescopes are highly advanced.”
Palado said the observatory has generated a lot of interest, and not just from people who are in the UAE. “We get a lot of requests from visitors who want to come and experience the observatory.”
Al Qassieh hopes that the observatory becomes a place for space enthusiasts in the UAE to learn about the universe.
“What I had noticed before was that if I wanted to go some place to learn about space or astronomy, there really weren’t that many options other than YouTube, and so I wanted to provide a place for that.
“If after 10 years, one student ends up going to university to study astronomy and astrophysics and goes on to pursue a career in that field, and their inspiration was from the observatory, then I have reached my goal. As a country we started our space journey a little over two years ago, and so I want to give a platform for people to come and see the universe, to know that there is a whole world above us to explore.”