Bosscha Observatory, Lembang Bandung

Bosscha Observatory, Lembang Bandung

Wish upon a Meteor Shower at the Bosscha Observatory

You can wish upon a star at the Bosscha Observatory in Lembang. Trust us, this is a sure romantic way to impress your date. And it makes a great family day out too, to get the kids to learn about the planets and constellations.

One-of-its-kind in the country, the observatory was built in 1923 during the Dutch colonial era, and was acquired by Institut Teknologi Bandung in 1959 for research in mathematics and natural sciences.

The observatory is only open to the public between 9:00-13:00 on Saturdays (it’s advisable to make a reservation beforehand). And depending on the weather conditions, lucky visitors can even get the chance to see Jupiter, Venus and several Nebulas. Yes, you may also get to witness a meteor shower – it’s only visible on a few nights every other month. A schedule is shown on the observatory’s website, so you can prepare to go check it out in advance!

From Wikipedia:

Bosscha Observatory is the oldest observatory in Indonesia. The observatory is located in Lembang, West Java, approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) north of Bandung. It is situated on a hilly six hectares of land and is 1,310 m (4,300 ft) above mean sea level plateau. The IAU observatory code for Bosscha is 299.

History

During the first meeting of the Nederlandsch-Indische Sterrekundige Vereeniging (Dutch-Indies Astronomical Society) in the 1920s, it was agreed that an observatory was needed to study astronomy in the Dutch East Indies. Of all locations in the Indonesia archipelago, a tea plantation in Malabar, a few kilometers north of Bandung in West Java was selected. It is on the hilly north side of the city with a non-obstructed view of the sky and with close access to the city that was planned to become the new capital of the Dutch colony, replacing Batavia (present-day Jakarta). The observatory is named after the tea plantation owner Karel Albert Rudolf Bosscha, son of the physicist Johannes Bosscha and a major force in the development of science and technology in the Dutch East Indies, who granted six hectares of his property for the new observatory.

Construction of the observatory began in 1923 and was completed in 1928. Since then a continuous observation of the sky was made. The first international publication from Bosscha was published in 1922. Observations from Bosscha were halted during World War II and after the war a major reconstruction was necessary. On 17 October 1951, the Dutch-Indies Astronomical Society handed over operation of the observatory to the government of Indonesia. In 1959 the observatory's operation was given to the Institut Teknologi Bandung and has been an integral part of the research and formal education of astronomy in Indonesia.

Bosscha Observatory

Address: FMIPA Institut Teknologi Bandung, Lembang, Bandung 40391, Jawa Barat, Indonesia
Phone: For reservations, call +62-22-2786001
Entrance: $1 (15,000 IDR)
Opening hours: Saturdays between 09:00-13:00 (visiting hours)

Source : https://indonesia.tripcanvas.co/bandung/things-to-do/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosscha_Observatory

Picture Source : Google