Among the stars: QNL is Qatar ‘s newest astronomical research center

Doha: The Qatar National Library will provide Qatar’s astronauts and scientists with access to the world’s best robotic telescopes from the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) in the US. The agreement makes the Library one of LCO’s Global Sky Partners, supported by the Simons Foundation, a prestigious program recently recognized by the HundrED Foundation as one of the 100 most innovative educational projects in the world. world for 2021.

Through the program, an unlimited number of students will have access to 50 hours of viewing through LCO robotic telescopes. Teachers lead students in special lectures at the Library as they explore planets, asteroids and comets using the powerful technology.

This new initiative, in addition to the popular Astronomy Club, is part of the Library’s Science Book Forum. This unique program encourages the next generation to enroll in science and engineering in Qatar and the MENA region by promoting science books and subjects. Dr. Essam Heggy is the chair, research scientist in earth and planetary sciences and a member of several space experiments that seek answers to key questions about Earth and planetary evolution.

The Library’s Children and Young Adults Library Manager, Hind Al Khulaifi, said, “This partnership represents a major milestone for our role in spreading commitment to science in the community and making us great. center in Qatar for astronomy research projects. We want people to ask questions about the universe and help empower the next generation of scientists, researchers and philosophers. We also want to use the excitement generated by outer space to increase public understanding of science and scientific methods, and to show inquisitive minds that science is a path to discovery and knowledge. “

The Science Book Forum recently ran the Astronomy Club’s first educational program with LCO telescopes, called the “Exoplanet Transit. “The Library held four sessions teaching students how to prepare the robotic telescope for observation, submit observations to a laboratory and analyze the data. Research papers from the classes will be posted regularly on the Library’s website.

In October, the same instruments saw a rare explosion of light from a star torn apart by a terrifying black hole. The phenomenon, known as the Breaking Event, is the closest flame recorded to date, at just over 215 million light-years from Earth.

Ahmed Saad, Library Accessibility Program Co-ordinator, said: “The Science Book Forum aims to provide all students with access to high quality STEM education. I am amazed at the strength of the Astronomy Club’s participants in the Exoplanet Transit program, which continued through this year’s challenges and continued to learn and conduct their research. at a global epidemic never seen before. ”

In a joint statement, students Adham Ramy El Araby, Yousef Mohammed, Muneeb Abdelrahman and Aryan Irfan, led by Drs. A. Smith at Newton British Academy in Qatar: “As physics students, we were naturally ambitious for this research program. presented by the Library, guided by our curiosity about the world around us and even the world beyond what we normally see or study.

“Through the program, we were able to confirm the presence of a WASP 98b exoplanet. In addition to this, we were also able to calculate the time, density and size of the exoplanet itself. “We are very proud of our work and the efforts of every member of the team through this process. We must thank the Library for this wonderful learning experience, which helped us to advance and develop not only our scientific study skills, but also their understanding of planets outside our own solar system. . ”

LCO is a California-based nonprofit science institution with the mission of advancing science and education. Its global telescope network was established in 2005 by technician Wayne Rosing, with organizations and entities from around the world competing to become a Sky Global Partner through an open round of proposals.

LCO’s director of education, Dr. Edward Gomez: “With Global Sky Partners, we have the opportunity to inspire communities who would not normally have access to our robotic telescope network. We are delighted to be working with the National Library of Qatar to realize this potential for Qatar, and look forward to introducing new audiences to science through robotic telescopes. ”