Astronomy in Algeria

Abstract

Astronomy in Algeria is linked to the Algiers Observatory which is the only place where there is any astronomical activity. The Observatory was built in 1889 and was an important contributor to the famous Carte du del project. After independence, because there were so few Algerian astronomers and the site had deteriorated, the activity of the Observatory slowed down significantly.In 1980, the year of the violent El-Ansam earthquake, a decision was taken, on the initiative of the present director (M. Benhallou, Professor of Seismology) to create an Algerian earthquake-surveillance network. This led to the creation of the research centre CRAAG (Centre de Recherche en Astronomie, Astrophysique et Geophysique) in which I’Observatoire d’Alger and the Institut de Physique du Globe have been merged. Thus, the Algiers Observatory has become more and more devoted to geophysical research. Towards the end of the 1980s, a group of Algerian astronomers, educated in foreign universities, joined CRAAG. The most recent recruit came in 1991. Today, the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics contains ten members—nearly half the total number of Algerian astronomers.