The Second Sky Observation Event of 2022 Started in Van

The Second of the Year's Sky Observation Event Started in Van
The Second Sky Observation Event of 2022 Started in Van

The Van Sky Observation Event, where astronomy, history and science meet, has started. Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank inaugurated the event, where sky enthusiasts will gather at Fidanlık Park on 3-5 July. Reminding that the sky observation event will continue for two more days, Minister Varank called on the citizens of Van and the surrounding provinces to participate in the activities.

Van Sky, which will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with the support and contributions of the Van Governorship, Van Metropolitan Municipality, Yüzüncü Yıl University, the Eastern Anatolia Development Agency and the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), under the coordination of TÜBİTAK. The Observation Event has begun.

7 to 77

Minister Varank, in his speech here, reminded that they decided to expand the observation activities held in Antalya to different cities of Anatolia for years. Emphasizing that they appeal to all sky enthusiasts from 7 to 77 at the events, Minister Varank said, “Our biggest goal is to activate the science, technology, space and astronomy curiosity in our children. We believe that our children who have this experience here today and look at the stars, the moon and the planets will be the most important scientists of tomorrow.” made statements.

GREAT INTEREST

Noting that the people of Van also showed great interest in the event, Varank said that thousands of guests were hosted in the events that had 300-400 participants in previous years, and that about 73 thousand people from 2 provinces applied to participate. Varank emphasized that exploring the sky by staying in tents is a special experience and gave information about the event.

NATIONAL SPACE PROGRAM

Pointing out that space studies are the driving force of R&D, scientific knowledge, innovation and technology, Varank said, “We established the Turkish Space Agency to ensure coordination in the space field, where we have achieved significant gains through TÜBİTAK Space. We accelerated our work by announcing the National Space Program and our goals. We will launch İMECE, our first domestic and national observation satellite, into orbit in January. We have successfully completed the tests of the hybrid technology rocket system that we plan to use in the unmanned spacecraft that we will send to the Moon.” used the phrases.

ERZURUM IS NEXT

Noting that another goal of the National Space Program is to make Turkey one of the competent countries in astronomical observations and tracking of space objects from the ground, Varank said, “We are building the Eastern Anatolia Observatory at an altitude of 3 thousand 170 meters on the Karakaya Hills in Erzurum. . We are building the largest telescope to be installed on the European continent in Erzurum. With our telescope, we will be able to take images with much higher resolution than the Hubble Space Telescope. When the Eastern Anatolia Observatory is completed, one of the most important observation centers in the world with its location and optical features will be in Erzurum. We will hold our next observation event around our Eastern Anatolia Observatory on July 22-24.” said.

TURKISH SPACE TRAVEL AND SCIENCE MISSION PROJECT

Varank stated that they started the official process for the "Turkish space traveler and science mission project", which constitutes an important stage of the National Space Program, and said, "We will send a selected Turkish citizen to the international space station for 2023 days to carry out scientific activities in 10. We announced our Science Mission call for our scientists and researchers. Our space passenger will carry out the tests and experiments of the research projects to be selected within the scope of the call on the International Space Station. I invite our researchers and scientists from Van all over Turkey to apply to this call.” used the phrases.

INVITATION TO THE EVENT

Emphasizing the importance of raising human resources in the field of space, Varank talked about studies such as Experiment Technology Workshops and TEKNOFEST, which were held in this context. Varank invited the young people to participate in TEKNOFEST, which will be held in Samsun this year. Reminding that the sky observation event will continue for two more days, Varank called on the citizens of Van and the surrounding provinces to participate in the activities.

PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS

TUBITAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal also reminded that scientists in the field of space and astronomy came from these geographies in the past and expressed that they wanted to raise awareness in this context. Mandal explained that during the Van Sky Observation Event, there will be observations at night and presentations and workshops during the day at the stands of stakeholders such as the Ministry of Youth and Sports, TUBITAK and Development Agencies.

At the opening ceremony, Van Governor Ozan Balcı, AK Party Van Deputy İrfan Kartal, KOSGEB President Hasan Basri Kurt and AK Party Van Provincial President Kayhan Türkmenoğlu, as well as 55-year-old Kadriye Diken, who participated in the observation event held in Diyarbakır's historical Zerzevan Castle. was present.

The video of the observation event held in Diyarbakır and the video of the interview about Kadriye Diken's interest in space were also shown at the ceremony.

After the opening ceremony, under the moderation of Pelin Çift, Assoc. Dr. Selçuk Topal talked about his interest in space throughout history in an interview titled "Space from the Past to the Future".