Astronomy enthusiasts participate in an astronomical observation night in Damascus
On October 1st, the Syrian Astronomical Society held an astronomical observation night for the moon, Saturn and Jupiter at its observatory headquarters in the Lady Fatima al-Zahra complex in Damascus, with the participation of more than 200 amateur astronomers.
The Chairman of the Society’s Board of Directors, Dr. Muhammad Al-Asiri, said that this activity comes within the framework of the World Space Week, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999.
Al-Asiri explained that Jupiter will rise in the east opposite the setting sun, which means that the planet will appear opposite the sun, and the approach of this planet to Earth rarely coincides with its encounter with the sun, and this event will not be repeated again until the year 2139.
He indicated that the planet Jupiter entered as of the 24th of last September at its closest point to Earth for the first time in 59 years, which will make it appear brighter and larger in the sky.
He pointed out that October 4 is the anniversary of the launch of the first Soviet satellite, and October 10 is the date of signing the International Space Treaty.
He pointed out the importance of the observation night as a scientific and social activity, and it was chosen to be yesterday, because it is a holiday to allow the largest number of astronomy enthusiasts to participate.
A number of members of the Society’s Board of Directors gave an explanation for the amateurs who were distributed on the main telescope of the Society’s observatory, secondary telescopes, and screens provided by the Society, to follow up the monitoring process around the Moon, Jupiter and its dependencies, Saturn and its rings.
- al-Mohammad