https://arab.news/mb94z
- Telescope set to be installed at the observatory is a gift from Japan’s Kochi Prefecture to Notre Dame University–Louaize (NDU)
- Will complement the university’s existing main observatory on campus, the largest of its kind in the Middle East
BEIRUT: Mount Makmel, Lebanon’s highest mountain rising 3,093 meters above sea level, is preparing to host the country’s first astronomical observatory.
A telescope set to be installed at the observatory is a gift from Japan’s Kochi Prefecture to Notre Dame University–Louaize (NDU). It will complement the university’s existing main observatory on campus, the largest of its kind in the Middle East.
NDU recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Municipality of Bsharri, as Mount Makmel, the tallest peak in the entire Levant, geographically spans the districts of Bsharri and Danniyeh. The region is renowned for hosting some of the last remaining Cedars of Lebanon forests.
The area has been identified by the National Council for Scientific Research as the most suitable site for astronomical studies.
University President Fr. Bechara Khoury described the project as “a new framework that opens broad educational and research horizons for students in the field of astronomical sciences.”
Meanwhile, Bsharri Mayor Joe Kairouz said that the municipality “will work to secure the necessary funding to implement the astronomical observatory project on Mount Makmel in cooperation with relevant local and international bodies, ensuring that its objectives are achieved according to the highest standards.”
According to the university president, the Notre Dame University–Louaize Observatory will foster “a dynamic framework of integrated scientific cooperation” between the main observatory on the Zouk Mosbeh campus and the new site on Mount Makmel.
Khoury said it reflects “the university’s educational and research mission, and enhances its capacity to provide precise astronomical data.”
Awareness activities will also be organized to promote scientific culture and public interest in astronomy.
The collaboration between NDU and the Bsharri Municipality also focuses on efforts to declare “Mount Makmel a Dark Sky Reserve, in order to protect the nocturnal environment and preserve the purity of the night sky from light pollution,” added Khoury.