Ege Üniversitesi Gözlemevi

About Ege Üniversitesi Gözlemevi

Ege University Observatory (Ege Üniversitesi Gözlemevi Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi) is a working research observatory on Kurudağ hill, on the slopes of Nif Mountain south-east of İzmir. It is one of the few places in the province where the public can look through serious telescopes, through its organised visits and science-and-society events. History The observatory's first observation was a variable star observation on the night of 22 June 1965, and variable stars remain its core research field. In 1967 a 48 cm reflecting telescope donated by NATO arrived for a joint programme with the Nuremberg Observatory and was later moved to its own dome on Yıldıztepe, at about 800 metres. In 2004 and 2005 a new building was added there, with 40 cm and 35 cm Meade telescopes under two domes. Visiting - Visits are accepted only by appointment and permission, with educational institutions given priority. Group visits take up to 40 people. - Apply to the observatory directorate on the Ege University campus, ideally one to two weeks before the planned date. - The observatory also runs public science events, announced on its website, such as guided tours with talks by astronomers. Getting there The observatory is about 18 km from the main campus. The road leaves the motorway at Işıkkent and climbs about 8 km of mountain road that is steep and rough in places. The observatory asks that nobody drives up without permission, and recommends a capable vehicle and an experienced driver.