Turkey’s largest observatory to operate in 2021

By Fahrettin Gok

ERZURUM, Turkey (AA) - An observatory in eastern Turkey will receive the first light from space by the end of 2021.

Construction of Eastern Anatolian Observatory (DAG), which continues only five months a year due to harsh winter conditions, is nearly complete, Director Cahit Yesilyaprak told Anadolu Agency.

The observatory is located at an altitude of 3,170 meters (10,400 feet) in the Karakaya Hills in Konakli village of eastern Erzurum province.

Construction of the facility began in 2012 with the support of the Turkish Presidency and the Astrophysics Research and Application Center of Erzurum's Ataturk University.

''We will complete the construction [of the observatory] next spring," he stressed, adding that only small installations have remained.

The observatory will have a very delicate mirror, which is hard to transfer, so the roads to the observatory should be as smooth as possible, he said.

Yesilyaprak said factory tests were conducted in Italy where the mirror was built. It will then be delivered to Turkey.

"We hope to receive the first light from space late 2021 through optical tests," he added.

The observatory will have important contributions to the scientific world, Yesilyaprak stressed, and said given its altitude and technical features, it is one of the most accessible, technologically advanced telescopes within its class.

"Moreover, there is not a single telescope with a mirror of this scale in the region, so it also fills a huge observational gap.

"All the other large observatories are around 8-12 hours away. That's why DAG will open a new era of infrared observation in Turkey," he added.

When completed, DAG will be the second-largest space observation center in Europe, and the first to run infrared observations in Turkey.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur