Coming to Nha Trang ( Khanh Hoa ), tourists will want to go to the observatory to see the vast and magical universe. With modern telescopes and new technology planetariums, visitors will experience the feeling of floating and getting lost in the overwhelming space of the universe, with countless twinkling stars...
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Students practice observing the sky.
Here is Hon Chong. There is Hon Vo. In the middle of the romantic sky and sea, I heard a story about a giant who came to this land to sightsee. He was absent-mindedly watching fairies frolicking in the clear blue water, but slipped and fell, leaving a giant handprint on the rock. Now, Hon Chong not only has rocks and the soul of the mountains and rivers, but also has a new address and destination: Nha Trang Observatory. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thao, Director of Nha Trang Observatory, made an appointment with me at 6 pm on Sunday to observe the moon with a group of tourists. I arrived early, taking the opportunity to visit the area displaying images of the universe. In an area of about 200 square meters, images of stars, phenomena in the universe... are arranged very vividly and scientifically . There are thousands of shapes, each photo is beautiful. A group of students are looking at the photos and listening to their seniors tell mysterious stories about Saturn. The image shows that, seen from Earth, Saturn is one of the brightest celestial bodies in the night sky. Saturn's movement reminded the Greeks of the passage of time, so they named it Cronus, the name of a god of time. Tran Nguyen My Linh, a student at Nguyen Van Troi High School (Nha Trang) observed carefully and took notes very carefully: "I like to learn about the universe, where we are in it. Since I was little, I have liked the stories of our grandparents looking at the stars in the sky to determine direction, time, or looking at the changing clouds, the color of the sky to predict the weather, sunshine, rain, wind and storms. There are very interesting stories, for example, in space science , length and distance are measured in millions of light years. So far! Only the universe has such a length. And the images of the universe are very beautiful, very mysterious!". On time, I went up to the 5th floor, where the 0.5m diameter optical telescope manufactured and transferred by Marcon Company is located. The telescope is equipped with a camera and a spectrum analyzer with high image and spectral resolution in a wide wavelength range. This telescope system helps to study and observe variable stars, thereby conducting atmospheric research; measuring the line spectrum of stars to collect information about the type of star, rotation speed and magnetic field strength on the star's surface; measuring the radial velocity of the host star to search for exoplanets; measuring the rotation speed of some planets; studying the morphology of galaxies; searching for celestial bodies near Earth, supernovae or optical emissions accompanied by fast radio bursts... Full moon night. Full moon, but the sky is a little cloudy. The group patiently waited until the moon appeared clearly. Collaborator Nguyen Thanh Thien instructed how to observe on the telescope. The sky was filled with thousands of stars, sparkling and shimmering. The image was bright, clear and sharp. It was the first time I saw the moon so close, clearly seeing its pockmarked surface. A little girl finished looking at the moon and suddenly asked: "Teacher, why can't I see Hang and Cuoi anywhere?" The instructor had to explain to her in detail that human imagination about space and the universe is extremely rich, sometimes even romantic. |
Nha Trang Observatory is located on the top of Hon Chong hill.
The 10:30 a.m. screening at the planetarium has 61 seats and a floor area of over 340 square meters. Designed like a movie theater, the planetarium screen is dome-shaped, about 9 meters in diameter. Images are projected onto the screen by a system of six high-resolution projectors, installed in four directions, creating a very realistic dome effect of the sky. These are images of the solar system, galaxies, globular clusters; the change in position of celestial bodies in the sky, familiar phenomena such as solar eclipses, lunar eclipses... as well as human explorations in the universe. The images and sounds of the films give the feeling of flying in the overwhelming space of the universe, with countless twinkling stars. What is the universe? Humanity has struggled for centuries to find the answer. The philosopher Lao Tzu once considered the universe to be an existence "without beginning, without end, infinite, and endless". Science is developing rapidly. But the universe still has many mysteries. Here, I saw the instructors had to work very hard to explain to the students about the formation of the universe, about the Big Bang, and even questions like when will the sun stop shining, when will the earth stop rotating... Indeed, this is specialized knowledge, how to convey it so that students can visualize it is not easy. According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Thao, the mission of Nha Trang Observatory is to conduct basic research on optical astrophysics and disseminate knowledge about space science to the community. In addition, it also supports training, teaching, and improving the quality of human resources in the field of astrophysics and space; at the same time, it organizes research cooperation with research groups in the same field at home and abroad. Currently, Nha Trang Observatory has four groups of activities for groups and schools, including: Observation of the sun, geographical objects, and celestial bodies in the sky; sky simulation activities, watching science films in the space projection house; applied astronomical steam activities such as making calendars, learning about the Silk Road, the voyages of Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, observing astronomical phenomena, the solar system, the moon, meteors, comets... and finally technology steam through games such as making water rockets, observation equipment... Here, participants have a comprehensive experience in mathematics, physics and space science. General Director of the Vietnam Space Center, Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Anh Tuan affirmed: Building Nha Trang Observatory is an important first step to meet the needs of learning about the universe; arousing love and passion for space science in the community, especially among young people. This young generation will be an important force contributing to the development of Vietnam's space science industry in the future. "Why choose Nha Trang as the location for the Observatory?", I asked the scientists and learned that the reason was because this place used to be the foundation of an observation station chosen by Russian space science experts as a place to organize many astronomical observation activities since the 1980s. Nha Trang is located near the equator so it is possible to observe both the northern and southern celestial spheres at the same time, the best observation time is from February to September. In fact, they have achieved very good results. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thao said that Nha Trang Observatory has completed its technical facilities and human resources and has been in operation, welcoming visitors to experience since 2020 until now. In addition to organizing scientific research, Nha Trang Observatory coordinates with many localities and units to welcome visitors to visit and experience, explore with many activities such as recognizing stars and constellations; learning how to use personal telescopes; learning the structure and operating principles of rockets; Learn about kaleidoscopes, how to make kaleidoscopes from simple materials; use microscopes... Up to now, many schools in the area have chosen Nha Trang Observatory as an annual destination for extracurricular programs. Astronomy and technology experiences and games help students learn and learn more useful things about the universe. This is an approach that needs to be replicated, so that more and more students can access space science, a field considered quite new in Vietnam. In addition, Nha Trang Observatory is implementing a tour program for visitors of all ages with the following content: Experience in the space projection house simulating the movements of the Vietnamese sky by month and by season: spring, summer, autumn, winter; travel to nebulae, galaxies, star clusters in the universe, introducing some typical constellations; eclipses; day and night phenomena; retrograde motion of planets; Watch movies about space and conquer space every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. I took Marcel, a South African, to visit the Nha Trang Observatory. His family is living and working in Vietnam, traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang. Marcel is undergoing advanced training to become a PADI instructor , teaching advanced scuba diving. He happily said: "Before, I went to Nha Trang to dive and see the ocean floor. The sea floor of Nha Trang is really beautiful. Now, coming to the observatory, I can see the whole sky, our magical universe. It's great! I think there needs to be more promotional activities so that more people know about this place. From here, they can get closer to the universe"
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