A two-day ‘Stargazing Camp’ was held at ‘Benu Vita’, the country’s first full-sized private Astro observatory that was established comprising 80 bighas of land encompasses to observe the night sky and moon, at Sreepur in Gazipur.
The biggest stargazing event took place in Bangladesh on November 24 and November 25, organised by Telescope Bangladesh
For this year’s annual campaign, the selected venue was very special as it is a place of attraction to all the astronomers of Bangladesh.
Freedom fighter and businessman Shahjahan Mridha Benu funded the observatory at his own expense. He made new history in the astronomy practice of the country by establishing the country’s first private astronomical observatory in Gazipur. However, a new field of research is being introduced through ‘Benu Vita’.
Shahjahan Mridha Benu intends to make the Astro observatory a space research center with the participation of famous astronomical researchers from home and abroad.
His observatory gave the event participants a great opportunity to observe the winter sky with MEADE LX600 14” Cassegrain, a dream telescope for astronomers.
This was a knowledge-sharing including a visual presentation event about the space, astronomy, and astrophotography. Different types of telescope and binocular exhibitions were arranged and participants at two-day ‘Stargazing Camp’.
Organisers of the event said that they will continue to work to increase and build public interest in Space and Astronomy in Bangladesh. They want to help Bangladesh to advance the subjects Space and Astronomy in the future. They seek private and government sector’s help in this regard.
Since 2019, Facebook group ‘Telescope Bangladesh’ is continuously working and now has more than 10,000 followers. Their mission is to start research and development on Space and Astronomy along with establishing a Deep Sky Observatory where Bangladeshi students/ researchers can come together and study astronomy.
They also said that the present world is progressing fast with space, astronomy, and technology, and Bangladesh should march forward with developed nations like India, China, Japan and UAE.
They also seek government support and cooperation to take this subject forward to the colleges and universities and increase their activities on a large scale. Telescope Bangladesh was established to encourage and educate all space and astronomy enthusiasts in Bangladesh.