Astronomical observatory
The BESELY Campus is proud to have joined forces with the Société Astronomique de France (SAF) to launch the observatory.
It is the first robotized astronomical observatory in Madagascar, built in collaboration with Haikintana - Astronomy, Ecoles du Monde - Madagascar, Uranoscope de l'Ile de France, Antoine Cailleau (Astromecca), Africa Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences and Université Paris-Saclay.
The observatory is located in the bush, an hour from Mahajanga in north-west Madagascar, at the heart of the BESELY Campus.
The rolling-roof observatory and the C14 telescope on EQ8 will be remotely controllable and soon accessible to SAF members.
"It's pretty amazing! This galaxy, with this nebula, I'd never seen anything like it!" Sylvain Bouley, President of the French Astronomical Society, tells RFI.
"Besely was the ideal location, in the southern hemisphere and in a place where the sky is black. We set up the observatory on land where there's electricity and fibre," he explains. And that means we can operate and control it remotely, open the roof, move the telescope.
This makes the telescope accessible to everyone, from amateur astronomers to professionals in France, Africa and Madagascar. So we want it to be as usable as possible for everyone," adds Sylvain Bouley.
"The observatory will be used mainly to help university students practice taking good photos. And also for the members of our association to take photos and popularize the world of astronomy through these photos", Andoniaina Rajonarivelo, President of the Madagascan Haykintana-Astronomy Association and Director of the BESELY Campus Observatory, explains to RF1.
For him, free access to this telescope, the only one of its kind on this longitude, is a tremendous opportunity for the country's young people.
