1 Decade of Opening the Sky to the World of Astronomy Learning Opportunities

National Astronomical Research Institute Distributes Learning Opportunities to 660 Schools Nationwide

The National Astronomical Research Institute (NARIT) has revealed its 10-year pride in spreading astronomy throughout Thailand. The institute has donated telescopes to over 660 schools in 77 provinces nationwide, creating an astronomy network that includes teachers, clubs, projects, and community-wide astronomy activities.

Dr. Saran Posayachinda on the Project’s Success

Dr. Saran Posayachinda, Director of the National Institute of Astronomical Research, expressed his pride in the project’s success. “We had intended to donate telescopes and astronomy learning materials to schools, and we are happy to see that the project has been more successful than expected. The school is active in learning and teaching astronomy, and an astronomy gathering was born in the school, expanded into a network to organize astronomical observation activities in the community.”

Teachers Share Their Experiences with the Project

Mr. Narutchai Suntran from Chonprathanwittaya School, Nonthaburi Province, shared his experience with the project. “We applied to join the project to get a telescope to use for studying astronomy and organizing activities in schools. Receiving a telescope will allow us to further develop our projects and thank the DDS project for supporting astronomy education in this way.”

Ms. Wiphawan Pannao from Ban Phai School, Khon Kaen Province, also shared her experience. “I have participated in the DDS project, starting from the project of training teachers in basic astronomy labs. The experience gained made me want to continue doing many activities, so I joined the project to train teachers in intermediate astronomy labs. We try to organize more activities in schools, such as astronomy camps, and later received a telescope from DDS for this project.”

The Telescope Presentation Ceremony and Astronomy Learning Resources

The Telescope Presentation Ceremony and Astronomy Learning Resources Ready for In-Use Training was held from September 13 to 15, 2024, at Sirindhorn Astronomical Park, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province, and Green Lake Resort Hotel, Chiang Mai Province. 50 school teachers from 33 provinces participated in the activity, which included telescope presentation ceremonies, training on installing daytime observation equipment, practice using the telescope for nighttime observation, and training on using astronomical software.

The Telescope Used in the Project

The telescope used in the project is a Dopsonian telescope with a diameter of 10 inches, designed, built, and developed by DRD and a Thai manufacturer. The telescope is low-cost but high-quality, easy to use, and suitable for use in schools. It can be used to observe planets, moon, sun, as well as deep space celestial objects such as galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, etc.