BOSSCHA OBSERVATORY

If we plan to spend our holiday with walking around in Bandung, especially in Lembang, West Java, we can visit to Bosscha observatory. At there, beside we can not only walking around and inhale the fresh air in Malabar tea plantation, but also enrich our knowledge about stars, meteors, planets, asteroids, lunar, sun, etc. This observatory located in Lembang, West Java, about 15 km in the Northern city of Bandung with the geographical coordinates 1070 36’East Longitude and 60 49’South Latitude. It was established on the land area of 6 hectares by the Nederlandsch Indische Vereeniging Sterrenkundige ( NISV ), and located at an altitude of 1310 meters above sea level or at a height of 630 m from plato Bandung. It is a circle-shaped building with the fingers 7 m with half a meter of selasar on the side of it. Bosscha observatory established by the Nederlandsch Indische Vereeniging Sterrenkundige ( NISV ) who want to promote Science Astronomy in Dutch East Indies. At the meeting NISV, Karel Albert Rudolf Bosscha, a landowner in the Malabar tea plantation, are willing to become donors of the main building and the purchase of binocular stars. As the award for K.A.R Bosscha’s service, the observatory is the name given Bosscha Sterrenwacht. The development of this observatory took more than 5 years, from the year 1923-1928. Its international publication was in 1933. However, after the World War II, the observatory must close. And can operate again after the war and the renovation because of war damage to it. On October 17th 1951, NISV give this observatory to the government of Indonesia. And after the Bandung Institute Technology ( ITB ) was established in 1959, Bosscha observatory became part of the ITB. And since that time, Bosscha work as research institutions and formal education in Astronomy. The other facilities that we can enjoy in this place are the five large telescopes were installed in Bosscha :
1) The Zeiss double refractor.
This telescope is mainly used to observe visual binary stars, conduct photometric studies on eclipsing binaries, image lunar craters, observe planets ( Mars, Saturn and Jupiter ) and to observe comet details and other heavy bodies. Its tube was made by Carl Zeiss with 1.5 meters diameter. Iside the tube, there are two telescopes which have two objective lenses with a diameter of 60 cm ( 23.6 in ) each and a focal length of 10.7 m ( 35 ft ). Although the size of the telescope’s tube is very large, it still can be moved to any direction by just using a hand.
2) The Schmidt Telescope ( nicknamed : Bima Sakti telescope ).
This telescope is used to study galactic structure, stellar spectra, asteroid studies, supernovae, and to photograph heavy bodies. The main lens diameter is 71.12 cm ( 28 in ), the correcting bi-concave and convex lens is 50 cm ( 19.7 in ) with a spectral prism with a prime angle of 6.10 degrees for stellar spectra, a wedge sensitometer and a film recorder.
3) The Bamberg Refractor.
This telescope is used to determine stellar magnitude, stellar distance, and photometric studies of eclipsing stars, solar imaging, and others. It is equipped with a photoelectric photometer a 37 cm ( 14.6 in ) lens diameter and a 7 m ( 23 ft ) meter focal length.
4) The Cassegrain GOTO.
This was a gift from the Japanese government. This computer controlled telescope can automatically view objects from a database and this was the first digital telescope is also equipped with a photometer and spectrometer-spectrograph.
5) The Unitron refractor.
This telescope is used for observing hilal, lunar eclipse, solar eclipse and sunspot photography, and also other objects. Lens diameter is 13 cm ( 5.1 in) and a focal length 87 cm ( 34.3 in ).

Directors :
1923-1940 : Dr.J.Voute
1940-1942 : Dr.Aernout de Sitter
1942-1946 : Prof.Dr.Masashi Miyaji
1946-1949 : Prof.Dr.J.Hins
1949-1958 : Prof.Dr.Gale Bruno van Albada
1958-1959 : Prof.Dr.O.P.Hok and Santoso Nitisastro
( temporary officers )
1959-1968 : Prof.Dr.The Pik Sin
1968-1999 : Prof.Dr. Bambang Hidayat
1999-2004 : Dr.Moedji Raharto
2004-2006 : Dr.Dhani Herdiwijaya
2006-now : Dr.Taufiq Hidayat

Mount Leuser National Park

If we go to Sumatra Island, we can visit one of tourism place such as Mount Leuser National Park. Mount Leuser National Park is one of the largest national parks in the world, containing over 800,000 hectares of virgin rain forest. The park is home to orangutans, gibbons, monkeys, elephants, tigers, and among the last of the Sumatra rhinoceros. There are research facilities for the study of primates, birds and insects, the orangutans rehabilitation center at Bukit Lawang being the most popular with tourists. The Leuser National Park of Mount Leuser is probably the wildest in Indonesia, located in Southeast Aceh. It can be reached from either Kutacane, or Takengon. Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam ( NAD) Province that consisted in Mount Leuser National Park , Southeast Aceh Regency, South Aceh, Aceh Singkil, Southeast Aceh, Gayo Lues, Aceh Tamiyang, whereas Sumatra Province that consisted in Mount Leuser National Park , Dairy Regency, Karo and Langkat. This national park has three functions : the life support protection system, the various conservation of kinds of plants and animals with their ecosystems, the use eternally biological sources & its ecosystem. This magnificent national park has a wealth of flora and fauna. The Leuser ecosystem has an enormous level of biodiversity. It contains at least 127 mammal species, including the Sumatran elephant, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros, and Sumatran orangutan. About 8500 different plant species grow in the beach, swamp, lowland, mountain and alpine ecosystem of the Leuser ecosystem of the 10.000 plant species recorded in the West Indo – Malayan region, 45% are found in the Leuser ecosystem. Spectacular plants such as Rafflesia ( the largest flower in the world ) and Amorphophallus ( the tallest flower in the world ) are among the plants protected there. The Leuser ecosystem is an outstanding wilderness in Aceh Northern Sumatra. It is one of the richest expanses of tropical rain forest in Southeast Asia. More than 2,5 million hectares in size, it is the last place on earth where elephants, rhinos, tigers, clouded leopards, and orangutans are found within one area. The first official statement of intent to protect the Leuser ecosystem was signed in 1934. The Leuser International Foundation ( a non-profit non-government organization )was established in the late 1990’s when the ecosystem was seriously under threat from illegal logging and wildlife poaching. Geographically, the Leuser ecosystem lies between 3-4,5 North and 96,5-98 East. It covers approximately 2,6 million hectares of tropical rain forest, encompassing 890.000 hectares of designated national park, as well as extensive areas of protection and production forest. The ecosystem contains two major volcanoes, three lakes, and nine major river systems that flow to the East and West coasts of the islands. Actually, it’s a collection of various nature reserves and forests ; Nature Reserve Kappi, Nature Reserve Kluet, Sikundur Langkat Wildlife Reserve, Ketambe Research Station, Singkil Barat and Dolok Sembilin. Most parts of the national park lie in the Southeast Aceh region, other parts are situated in the East Aceh region, South Aceh, and Langkat. Mount Leuser National Park comprises more than 100 kilometers of the Bukit Barisan Mountains. Because of that, the park consist of steep, almost inaccessible mountainous terrain. The altitude ranges from 0 meter, in Kluet ( South Aceh, to 3,381 meter, on top of the mount Leuser ( Southeast Aceh ). The Alas River cuts the park into an Eastern and Western half. Apart from mountains, we find several other ecosystems : beach forest, swamp areas, lowland rain forest. In Bukit Lawang is the orangutan Rehabilitation Station and in Ketambe stands the Ketambe research station. Mount Leuser consist of combination : Mount Leuser Widlife Reserve ( 416.500 hectares ), Kluet Wildlife Reserve ( 20.000 hectares ), West Langkat Wildlife Reserve ( 51.000 hectares ), South Langkat ( 82.985 hectares ), Sekundur Wildlife Reserve ( 60.600 hectares ), Kappi Wildlife Reserve ( 142.800 hectares ), Gurah Tour Park ( 9.200 hectares ), Limited Protection & Production Forest ( 291.707 hectares ). So, are you a true explorer ? Let’s prove it by yourself here.