Givatayim Observatory | |||||||
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Organization | Israeli Astronomical Association, Givatayim Municipality | ||||||
Location | Givatayim, Tel Aviv, Israel | ||||||
Altitude | 87 m (280 ft) | ||||||
Established | 1968 | ||||||
Website Givatayim Observatory at the Israeli Astronomical Association website |
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The Givatayim Observatory was founded in 1968 by the Israeli Astronomical Association and the Givatayim municipality.
These are some of the activities taking place in the observatory:
The observatory is placed on a hill (87m above sea level) inside a public park in Givatayim (Second Alyia Park, at the corner of Golomb and BeReshit Street). Givatayim is a town adjacent to Tel Aviv.
The main telescope (16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope) is located in a dome and is dedicated to imaging and research. The other telescopes are operated on an observation terrace next to the dome. The sky in Givatayim is highly light polluted. The situation deteriorated during the last years due to new skyscrapers (Azrieli Center, City Gate, new government building etc.), which are illuminated from below by strong floodlights, sending their light cones into the sky. Moreover, during the last years the bad habit of huge advertisement walls, also illuminated by strong spotlights, became widespread. Many of these spotlights are misdirected, sending their light into the sky.
Since 1984 Dr. Igal Patel is the head of the observatory and of the Israeli Astronomical Association. The administrative manager of the observatory is Shony Lotan. The observatory staff consists of about 20 people with specialties in different fields.