An Emirati Observatory places its mark in the discovery of new worlds outside the solar system
Abu Dhabi, June 11/ WAM/ The International Astronomy Center announced the participation of the “astronomical seal” observatory in the depth of the Abu Dhabi desert, in monitoring and confirming the existence of external planets revolving around stars far from our solar group, in a new scientific achievement that reflects the UAE’s progress in the field of astronomical research.
This step comes to confirm the presence of the UAE in advanced international scientific projects, aimed at a deeper understanding of the universe and exploring the possibilities of a life outside the ground.
His Excellency Eng. Khalfan Al -Nuaimi, head of the International Astronomy Center, said that this participation came in the context of cooperation with the task of the NASA Space Agency, where the Emirati Observatory analyzes accurate changes in the brightness of the stars to reveal the crossing of planets in front of them, which is the technique approved in the discovery of external planets.
He added that the monitoring of these planets is based on preliminary data provided by the TESS telescope, and is being verified on the ground through a global network of specialized observatories, and the sealing observatory was able to play a major role in confirming several discoveries that enhance its scientific position globally.
For his part, Engineer Mohamed Shawkat, the director of the International Astronomy Center, said that the sealing observatory officially joined the “TFOP” program in June 2024, after passing a careful training program by international experts followed by a successful practical test to monitor one of the candidate planets.
He explained that, since joining the observatory, a series of nightcloths, each of them took between 4 to 7 hours, which focused on 12 stars suspected of the presence of planets around them, indicating that he was able to use its main telescope to convert the case of 10 of them from a “candidate planet” into a “documented planet” in an achievement that proves the accuracy of the research work of the observatory.
The official documents from the global program show that the sealing observatory achieved these results independently, which reflects the efficiency of its equipment and the accuracy of the meteorology that it provides, especially in light of the environmental challenges facing ground monitoring operations.
Odeh stressed that this contribution represents an important scientific step for the UAE in the field of space exploration, and puts it in an advanced position within the efforts to search for planets that may be viable, or provide new visions about the formation of planets and their development in remote galaxies.
This achievement comes within the framework of the strategic trend of the Emirates towards strengthening its scientific leadership, and contributing to the efforts of humanity to understand the secrets of the universe, supported by an advanced infrastructure and an ambitious vision for the future.
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