Lampung OAIL Set to be Southeast Asia`s Largest Observatory
26 June 2018 21:28 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Bandarlampung - An observatory is currently being constructed at Wan Abdurrahman forest park area in the Indonesian province of Lampung. The Astronomical Observatory ITERA Lampung (OAIL) is ambitiously predicted to be the largest observatory in Southeast Asia.
Lampung Governor Muhammad Ridho Ficardo maintained that the OAIL will be the best Southeast Asia will ever have. “The construction of the OAIL is one of the locomotives to internationalize Lampung,” said Ridho in Bandarlampung on Monday, June 25.
The governor further assessed that the observatory development is his attempt to realize Lampung’s technological independence to help the region’s welfare and improve its competitiveness.
“Not only do I want the OAIL to be beneficial for the people of Lampung but also for the people of Southeast Asia,” said Governor Ridho.
Head of OAIL Dr. Hakim Luthfi Malasan, M.Sc explained that Lampung is considered to be the precise location to house a large-scale observatory since the region is geologically stable and meteorologically similar to Indonesia’s oldest observatory, Bosscha.
Rector of the Sumatra Institute of Technology (ITERA) Prof. Ofyar explained that there is currently a memorandum of understanding between Lampung Administration, ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology), and ITERA regarding the construction of OAIL.
The Lampung OAIL is set to be equipped with 24 telescopes, starting from medium-sized telescopes and later on will be equipped with large-scale premium equipment. The facility has gained interest from Southeast Asia's astronomers who planned to host an annual meeting on October 2018 with the astronomers from East Asia.
ANTARA