Muhammadiyah Inaugurate Observatory in Ahmad Dahlan University

Yogyakarta, MINA – Chairman of PP Muhammadiyah Syamsul Anwar inaugurated observatory in Ahmad Dahlan University (UAD) on Friday at UAD Campus IV, Yogyakarta.

Syamsul hopes that the presence of the UAD Observatory can help the Muhammadiyah Tarjih Council socialize the Global Islamic Calendar.

He explained why the Global Islamic Calendar is so important. According to him, Muslims are now increasingly connected and interacting in various parts of the world, so a calendar system is needed that can embrace geographical and cultural diversity.

This calendar will help overcome difficulties that often arise, such as differences in the start date of Ramadan or other Hari Raya between Islamic countries.

“The world we live in is now global, but our calendar is still local. This is an oddity. In ancient times, Indians celebrated Eid on Monday and Egyptians celebrated Sunday, they didn’t know each other. But now, the world has merged so that information can be obtained quickly,” said Syamsul.

However, this step towards realizing the Global Islamic Calendar is not a simple matter. It takes hard work, in-depth research, and collaboration across disciplines to produce an accurate and reliable Global Islamic Calendar.

The Tarjih Assembly is currently still in the socialization stage. It is planned that the Global Islamic Calendar will soon be implemented ahead of 100 years—based on Hijriyah calculations—the age of the Tarjih Assembly next year.

The observatory marks an important milestone in the journey of the UAD Astronomy Study Center (Pastron UAD) which has been active since 2014.

With this inauguration, the UAD Observatory comes with a variety of excellent facilities that can facilitate research and study of astronomy.

This observatory consists of several functional rooms that support various activities related to sky observation. There are several rooms that can be visited by sky lovers, both amateurs and professionals.

The Control Room is a place for training and delivery of material regarding the observatory, as well as being the control center for the main telescope. While the Workshop Room is a place for creativity in the manufacture and maintenance of observatory equipment. The Gallery Room, on the other hand, presents astronomy teaching aids that students and visitors can access.

One of the main features of the UAD Observatory is the hemispherical observatory dome which houses the large main telescope, the planewave type.

This telescope has a diameter of 17 inches and is equipped with a camera system that is installed and regulated from the Control Room. The observatory also equips itself with the Space Park, a place that facilitates observation and research in the field of astronomy. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)