The Ankara University Observatory (AUG) ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi Gözlemevi), is a ground-based astronomical observatory operated by the Astronomy and Space Sciences Department at

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

's Faculty of Science. Established in 1959 by Dutch astronomer

Egbert Adriaan Kreiken Egbert Adriaan Kreiken (1 November 1896, Barneveld, Gelderland – 16 August 1964) was a Dutch teacher and astronomer. He was born at Barneveld in the Netherlands, to a family of teachers. After being awarded his Ph.D. in 1923, he would b ...

in Ahlatlıbel,

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

. Currently, it consists of nine

optical telescope An optical telescope is a telescope that gathers and focuses light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, to create a magnified image for direct visual inspection, to make a photograph, or to collect data through electro ...

s and a

radio telescope A radio telescope is a specialized antenna and radio receiver used to detect radio waves from astronomical radio sources in the sky. Radio telescopes are the main observing instrument used in radio astronomy, which studies the radio frequency ...

, which is currently taken out of service. Old instruments are displayed in a museum at the observatory.

History

Ankara University's Faculty of Science decided in 1954 to establish an observatory to begin with astronomical studies. Ahlatlıbel in Gölbaşı, Ankara was chosen as the ideal site, a location with dark skies far from the city's downtown to avoid the effects of

light pollution Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive use of artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day ...

, having an average 300 clear nights per year and also offering easy transportation from the campus. It is situated south of Ankara at an altitude of . Groundbreaking of the main building and the three domes took place in 1959. The observatory was officially inaugurated on August 26, 1963, accompanied by an international astronomy conference. The scientific studies were carried out in the beginning with a radio telescope produced by the Dutch PTT, a 5 cm astrograph, a 15 cm Coudé telescope of

Zeiss Zeiss or Zeiß may refer to: People *Carl Zeiss (1816–1888), German optician and entrepreneur *Emil Zeiß (1833–1910), German Protestant minister and painter Companies *Carl Zeiss AG, German manufacturer of optics, industrial measurem ...

from Germany for solar observations, a Hilger and Watts microphotometer and a Cuffey Iris

photometer A photometer is an instrument that measures the strength of electromagnetic radiation in the range from ultraviolet to infrared and including the visible spectrum. Most photometers convert light into an electric current using a photoresistor, ph ...

Facilities

Telescopes

;T40 Kreiken telescope T40 Kreiken Teleskobu 2

* Diameter: 406 mm (16") * Focal ratio: f/10 * Focal length: 4,000 mm * Image scale: 51 arcsec/mm * Producer: Meade Instruments Corp., California, USA * Focal plane instruments: Apogee ALTA U47+ CCD camera, 1024x1024 13 micron pixels E2V CCD47-10 back illuminated ccd chip, PC based data acquisition via USB 2.0 port, OPTEC IFW filter wheel (PC controlled), Johnson UBVRI – Strömgren uvbyHbeta – RGB filters, various eye-pieces. Named after Egbert Adriaan Kreiken, the founder of the observatory, it is used in general for photoelectric

photometry Photometry can refer to: * Photometry (optics), the science of measurement of visible light in terms of its perceived brightness to human vision * Photometry (astronomy), the measurement of the flux or intensity of an astronomical object's electrom ...

observations on eclipsing

binary star A binary star is a system of two stars that are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other. Binary stars in the night sky that are seen as a single object to the naked eye are often resolved using a telescope as separate stars, in wh ...

s and

variable star A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as ...

s. ;T35 telescope * Diameter: 356 mm (14") * Focal ratio: f/10 * Focal length: 3,556 mm * Image scale: 58 arcsec/mm * Producer: Meade Instruments * Focal plane instruments : Apogee ALTA U47+ CCD camera, 1024x1024 13 micron pixels E2V CCD47-10 back illuminated ccd chip, PC based data acquisition via USB 2.0 port, OPTEC IFW filter wheel (PC controlled), Johnson UBVRI – Strömgren uvbyHbeta – RGB filters, various eye-pieces. Installed in the former Maksutov Dome ın 2011, the 356mm telescope is used for observation on binary stars and photoelectric effects of variable stars. ;T30

Maksutov telescope The Maksutov (also called a "Mak") is a catadioptric telescope design that combines a spherical mirror with a weakly negative meniscus lens in a design that takes advantage of all the surfaces being nearly "spherically symmetrical". The negative ...

* Diameter: 300 mm * Focal ratio: f/16 * Focal length: 4,800 mm * Image scale: 43 arcsec/mm * Producer : E. Popp Tele-Optik, Zurich, Switzerland * Focal plane instruments: Optec SSP-5A single channel photoelectric photometer, (containing a Hamamatsu R1414 phototube), standard 1 mm diaphragm, Johnson UBV filters, motorized filter slider, 80386 PC based data acquisition. 300mm telescope for observation on binary stars and photoelectric effects of variable stars. ;T15 Coudé telescope T15 Coude Teleskobu

* Diameter: 150 mm * Focal ratio: f/15 * Focal length: 2,250 mm * Image scale: 92 arcsec/mm * Producer: ZEISS-Oberkochen, Württemberg, Germany * Focal plane instruments: Solar projection lens and screen for Sun spot observations, Contarex photo camera, Lyott H-alpha monochromator, various filters and eye-pieces. 150mm telescope of type Coudé is used for scientific observation of

sun spot Sunspots are phenomena on the Sun's photosphere that appear as temporary spots that are darker than the surrounding areas. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. Sun ...

s. Popular and educational public sessions are held also at this telescope. ;Other telescopes For popular and educational activities open to public: ;

Meade LX200 The Meade LX200 is a family of commercial telescopes produced by Meade Instruments launched in 1992 with 8" (20.32 cm) and a 10" (25.4 cm) Schmidt–Cassegrain models on computerized altazimuth mounts. Two larger models, a 12" (30.48 ...

8" * Diameter: 203 mm (8") * Focal ratio: f/10 * Focal length: 2,000 mm * Producer: Meade Instruments Corp., California ; Meade ETX-125 5" * Diameter: 127 mm (5") * Focal ratio: f/15 * Focal length: 1,900 mm * Image scale: 108 arcsec/mm * Producer: Meade Instruments * Focal plane instruments : DSI-2 Color CCD camera ;TAD Bresser RB-60 (Two pieces) * Diameter: 60 mm * Focal length: 700 mm * Producer: Meade Instruments ;Bresser Mars Explorer ST-70 * Diameter: 70 * Focal ratio: f/10 * Focal length: 700 *Producer: Meade Instruments ;Radio telescope Radio Teleskop 3

The radio telescope is not in use anymore.

Meteorological station

There is a

meteorological station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...

for observing atmospheric conditions such as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and wind direction as well as precipitation amounts. The gathered data is published also on the internet every five minutes.

Transportation

The observatory is in Ahlatlıbel on İncek Blvd., at a distance of from Or-An Bridge (

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...

Road) and can be reached by public transportation: * From Güvenpark in

Kızılay, Ankara Kızılay is a neighbourhood in Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey. It is named after the Kızılay Derneği (Turkish Red Crescent) whose headquarters used to be located at the Kızılay Square, its centre. Güvenpark in Kızılay has many trees and bench ...

with lines 190, 191, 192 and 194 * From Bentderesi in Ulus, Ankara with

Dolmuş In Turkey and Northern Cyprus, dolmuş () are share taxis that run set routes within and between cities. Background Their name is derived from Turkish for "seemingly stuffed" referencing the fact that in days past these taxis were often filled t ...

References

{{reflist Astronomical observatories in Turkey

Observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

Buildings and structures in Ankara Province 1963 establishments in Turkey Radio telescopes