Izah Azahari
The existence of an observatory building is expected to draw a significant number of students to excel in the field of astronomy, an area that has historically been dominated by Muslims, said Minister of Development Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Muhammad Juanda bin Haji Abdul Rashid during the 19th Legislative Council (LegCo) session yesterday.
The minister was responding to a question by LegCo member Yang Berhormat Haji Daud bin Jihan, who is also a former officer at the Survey Department, regarding the latest development of a national observatory, requested by the department a while ago.
The minister noted that the plan to build the National Astronomy Observatory is still underway.
The initial phase of determining the site has already been completed; and it is currently at the stage of soil investigation to ensure the site can accommodate the observatory.
The second phase will be the subjugation and discussion with relevant agencies, followed by the design and construction of the building.
At present, the minister said, there is a limited number of locations in the Sultanate where the new moon for Ramadhan, Syawal, Zulhijjah can be sighted, and these areas lack the infrastructure and facilities to function as astronomy observatories.
He also noted that there has been a growing interest and engagement. As a result, astronomy events are organised at selected sites accessible to the public to witness special phenomena at specific times such as planetary alignments and eclipses.
