RI prepares observatory to monitor asteroids and search for life outside of Earth

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA – The interest of many countries in studying space is growing, especially in plans to open opportunities for other life forms outside of planet Earth.

Apart from that, the United States, Russia, China, Indonesia also have the same interest in studying it, or perhaps even participating in paving the way to find another life.

Currently, Indonesia is building the largest observatory in Southeast Asia, which is located in Timau, East Nusa Tenggara.

The observatory, which was built by the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), is still under construction since 2017. In collaboration with ITB, Undanda, NTT Provincial Government and Kupang Regency Government.

LAPAN said the observatory will house a telescope that has a diameter of 3.8 meters. This observatory will be able to observe the solar system not only in the northern sky, but also in the southern sky. The budget to build this observatory is reported to be around IDR 340 billion.

According to Lapan, the main objective of the construction of this observatory is the Indonesian astronomical observation center and the empowerment of eastern Indonesia.

Where the observation center includes various objects of the solar system, such as planets, comets and asteroids, the physics of stars and galaxies, the great structure of the universe to the planets outside the solar system.

In fact, this observatory can later be used for satellite tracking, as well as for survey observations of near-Earth objects such as comets and asteroids.

Then, with these observations, Indonesia will be able to prevent collisions with active satellites and mitigate falling objects from space, collaborating with the observation network of active satellite space objects and space debris.

The Timau National Observatory is located in the Protected Area on the slopes of Mount Timau at an altitude of 1,300 meters above sea level. Meanwhile, OCHO’s office is located in Tilong, Kupang.
LAPAN revealed that the 3.2 kilometers of road in the Lelogama area were rocky and in need of repair. Around Fatumonas, there are also 1.5 kilometers of rocky roads in need of repair. In fact, along the 6.7 kilometers before the observatory location, road conditions were still dirt and mud, making it difficult to pass.

The plan is for the Observatory to be completed in 2021, after pulling out of the 2020 plan this year. Besides this National Observatory, Lapan also built a science center in Tilong Kupang as a public education center equipped with a telescope with a diameter of 50 cm.

“Obnas will be useful to strengthen the capacity of space science and astronomy, for research institutions and universities in Indonesia, stimulating international cooperation in research and development and empowering communities by improving the quality of education at NTT,” Lapan wrote on his Instagram account.

This will be the sixth LAPAN observatory. Currently, LAPAN has 5 observatories. The most famous is, of course, the Bosscha Observatory in Bandung, West Java. Fans of the Sherina Adventure movie will certainly feel nostalgic when visiting this observatory. The other four are the Taman Ismail Marzuki Observatory in Jakarta, the Loka Jala Crana Observatory in Surabaya, East Java, the Jagad Raya Tenggarong Observatory in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, and the Taman Pintar Observatory in Yogyakarta.