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Saturday, 28 August 2021 13:54

Fast Facts about the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST)

Fast Facts about the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST)

Sharjah Academy of Astronomy, Space sciences & Technology was inaugurated on Wednesday of May 2015 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah, to crown the celebrations of Sharjah as the Capital of Islamic Culture. The Center aims at developing and promoting education about astronomy and space sciences in the Arab World in general and the UAE in particular in order to be a destination for science, research, heritage, and education.

  • Founder: His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah
  • Inauguration date: May 07, 2015
  • SAASST General Director: Hamid Al-Naimiy – Chancellor of the University of Sharjah / President Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences
  • SAASST Units:
    • Administration Unit: Acting Deputy General Director – Mr. Khalid Al-Raboy
    • Planetarium and Space Exhibitions: Deputy General Director – Mr. Marwan Shawaiki
    • Academic Unit: Deputy General Director – Prof. Mashhoor Wardat
    • Research Unit: Deputy General Director – Prof. Ilias Fernini
    • IT Unit: Director – Mr. Issam Abu Jami
  • Planetarium Unit:
    • Planetarium with 209 seats / Advanced Sky Simulator / MegaStar
    • More than 30 space exhibitions/experiments
    • More than 2,000 planetarium shows since 2015
    • More than 50 Space Camps/Workshops
  • Academic Unit:
    • MSc in Astronomy and Space Sciences
    • MSc in GIS and RS
    • Sharjah Optical Observatory with three telescopes (45, 18, and 10 cm)
    • Sharjah Lunar Impact Observatory – 14 in Meade Telescope
    • More than 100 Open House Astronomical Observations
  • Research Unit:
    • CubeSat Lab. / Cleanroom / VHS-UHF Ground Station
    • Radio Astronomy Lab. / Decametric Radio Telescope (20 MHz) / 40-m Radio Interferometer (1.4 GHz)
    • Space Weather and Ionospheric Lab. / GNSS Station / CADI Ionosonde
    • Meteorite Center / UAEMMN / Meteorite Analysis Unit
    • High Energy Astrophysics Lab.
    • Planetary Sciences Lab.
    • Space Artificial Lab.
    • Publication: More than 50 papers in SCOPUS Q1, Q2, and Q3 since 2018
    • More than 300 General and Specialized Seminars
    • More than 20 Educational/Research Workshops
    • Weekly Astronomy & Physics Newsletter
  • Staff Number: 42
Published in SAASST News