Viet Nam’s first astronomical observatory will be put into operation in March this year in Khanh Hoa Province.

The astronomical observatory in Khanh Hoa (Source: VNSC)

The information was revealed by Director of the Viet Nam National Satellite Centre (VNSC) Pham Anh Tuan at a conference on the centre in Ha Noi on January 18.

Covering 343m2 in a rocky area called Hon Chong in Nha Trang City, the observatory is equipped with a space telescope of 0.5m in diameter inside a dome that is 9m in diameter. The dome can accommodate up to 60 people who can observe space or watch movies about planets, stars and the history of Earth.

The 5.3-million-USD station will serve basic studies on optical astrophysics, disseminate knowledge of the universe in the community, and support human resource training in astrophysics.

It will also promote cooperation with researchers at home and abroad in the field.

The VNSC is hoped to become a leading modern scientific and technological centre in Southeast Asia, meeting the demand of research and application of space technology in Viet Nam to tackle natural disasters and climate change.

As part of efforts to improve the quality of its human resources to serve its development, in 2017, the centre will pay special attention to training work, towards training about 250 skilled staff by 2020.

(Source: VNA)