11-09 Iranian National Observatory

[Image above] The new Iranian National Observatory helps fill a geographic gap in the global telescope network. Credit: VoV News, YouTube


In the upcoming December issue of the Bulletin, which publishes online next week, we’ll look at all the ways ceramic and glass materials are used in space exploration, from launch and atmospheric reentry to low-Earth orbit operations to possible future colonization of the moon and Mars.

But while missions that take place in space often capture media headlines, such as images from the James Webb Space Telescope, ground-based operations are equally important in our search to understand the cosmos. Today’s CTT covers two recent announcements concerning observatories in Puerto Rico and Iran.

Site of fallen Arecibo Observatory telescope to become education center

At the end of 2020, shock swept through the space community when the 900-ton instrument platform of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed. Though not entirely unexpected—the collapse came after several months of technical difficulties—everyone was left wondering what next steps would be after such extensive damage to the site.

On Oct. 13, 2022, that question was answered with a solicitation issued by the U.S. National Science Foundation. Instead of rebuilding the telescope, the NSF announced it planned to create a new multidisciplinary, world-class educational center to serve as a hub for STEM education and outreach.

According to NSF, the center would expand on existing education and outreach opportunities currently in place at the Arecibo Observatory site, while also implementing new STEM programs and initiatives. NSF expects the new center to open in 2023.

While NSF claims the scientific community has expressed “broad support” for an expanded educational facility, some scientists have lamented the decision not to rebuild.

“It’s an unfortunate development because a lot of the instruments at the Arecibo Observatory are still functioning, even though the 305-meter dish was obviously in bad shape following the collapse,” says Tracy Becker, group leader of research and development in the space science and engineering division of Southwest Research Institute, in an interview with The Register. “There are LIDAR facilities. There is a 12-meter telescope that is currently operating and doing really unique observations of the sun and following space weathering.”

She also argues this planned transition overlooks the role Arecibo already plays in advancing science education.

“A lot of the education that’s already happening at Arecibo comes from the ability for those students to work directly with scientists and they already have significant education programs there. But without any facilities, without any instruments, there won’t be any scientists funded to actually work there anymore,” she says.

New world-class telescope opens in Iran

Though Arecibo’s research days are ending, research is just starting at a new facility across the ocean.

On Oct. 15, 2022, it was announced that a new world-class, 3.4-meter optical telescope had recorded first light in central Iran. Called the Iranian National Observatory (INO), the $25 million observatory is located on Mount Gargash near the city of Kashan and helps fill a geographic gap in the global telescope network.

To build the observatory, astronomers in Iran had to overcome challenges that few colleagues elsewhere face: sanctions that curtail high-tech imports, and visa restrictions limiting their travel abroad. While the INO engineers successfully purchased glass mirror blanks from a German firm, they had to figure out how to construct nearly everything else on their own.

Though there were concerns about how some late design changes may compromise the telescope’s performance, initial imaging put those fears to rest.

“INO opened its dome for sky calibration on 27 September and the next night imaged Arp 282, a pair of galaxies some 319 million light-years from Earth. The image’s resolution—0.8 arc seconds—and that of a second image taken a few days ago, 0.65 arc seconds, are close to the limit set by the atmospheric conditions at INO’s site,” a Science article on the new observatory explains.

As INO engineers prepare to begin the first serious science run next summer, INO Project Director Habib Khosroshahi says he hopes to forge partnerships with international teams that might install state-of-the-art instrumentation in INO’s four instrument slots.

“The door is open from our side,” he says in the Science article, though sanctions and politics could stymie some potential collaborations.

A video gallery on the INO website provides a look into construction of the new observatory. Also see an interview with some INO astronomers in the video below.

Credit: VoV News, YouTube

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