Katameya Astronomical Observatory-Cairo

Astronomical observation in Egypt, or what is known as amateur astronomy in Egypt, is one of the most important hobbies that Egypt enjoys over other countries, and that is because Egypt has some of the best star locations in the world and has vast areas of desert that enable the observer to stare at The dark sky and contemplation of nature's creations.

Astronomical observing bodies in Egypt:

• The Astronomical Society of Mahmoud Mosque
• Helwan Observatory
• Katameya Astronomical Observatory

Kattameya Observatory is the largest astronomical observatory in the Arab world, the Middle East and North Africa

This observatory belongs to the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research in Helwan, and it is located about 80 km from the center of Cairo Governorate in the direction of Suez Governorate (Ain Sukhna Road) on a mountain 480 meters above sea level .. This observatory was established in 1964 It is considered an extension of the Helwan Observatory, which was established in 1903 and is considered one of the oldest research institutes in Egypt and the Middle East.

The Kattameya Astronomical Observatory can be considered as a small scientific city. It contains the telescope building with a large dome, as is common for astronomical observatories around the world.
The body of the telescope is very huge, as it weighs more than 50 tons, the length of its tube is more than 9 meters, and the diameter of its mirror is about 188 cm, and the thickness of this mirror is about 30 cm, and it weighs about 2 tons. The telescope building was designed from double walls in order to isolate it from the surrounding desert environment, and the telescope dome was built of steel in the form of double walls by the Austrian company "Fossett" .. The diameter of the telescope dome is approximately 19 meters, and weighs about 100 tons, and it rotates around The building is carried on steel bars by 26 steel wheels, and there is also a waterway at the bottom edge of the dome to prevent dust and heat from escaping inside, and thanks to this wonderful design, the building floor temperature does not exceed 3 degrees Celsius even in the hottest days. The building also contains a huge electric elevator to transport the telescope mirror to the silvering room on the lower floor .. There is also another small (14 inch) telescope of the silestone on the site and there are also a number of restrooms equipped for the convenience of visitors, and there is also a power station to operate this quantity The huge electrical devices, equipment and motors needed to make the endoscope .. There are also two water tanks, engineering laboratories, electrical and mechanical workshops, a garage and a kitchen on the site.

Due to the unique location of the telescope, the number of clear nights of the sky there is about 250 nights during the year, which was reflected in the accuracy of observations and the purity of the images taken from the telescope, which made it internationally famous among the world's observatories at that time .. and one of the most important achievements he made The Kattameya Astronomical Observatory is its participation in the accurate observations that were taken on the surface of the moon to select the sites of human landing on the moon in the late sixties, in addition to the projects, messages and scientific research that were based on the accuracy of this telescope's observations.