Astronomical Knowledge Research Articles

ASTROLOGI SEBAGAI ILMU BANTU EPIGRAFI: SEBUAH PEMIKIRAN

Of the thousands of inscriptions, both stones and metals, there is only small number known as dated. Other parts are damaged, worn, or missing for various reasons. Generally, inscription contains elements of the date, month, and year in the Saka dates. With a particular method, Saka dates can be converted to AD dates. Even through the knowledge of astronomy, the element of hours can be interpreted. These four elements, namely the date, month, year, and hour are absolutely necessary in the analysis of astrology. Originally astrology is used to predict human life. However, with the development of science, it can also predict the non-human aspects, such as the important events in the history of the world. Through incisive analysis, knowledge of astronomy and astrology is very useful for epigraphy, although the time was far behind. There are several types of astrology it is commonly known, the West Astrology or Greek Astrology and East Astrology of India and China. Actually, almost all major civilizations in the world knew astrology. But among the many traditions, currently only popular Western Astrology, Chinese Astrology, Indian Astrology. Since a few years ago the West began to introduce Archaeology Metaphysics, one of them through the analysis of astrology.

Toward an Algorithmic Realism: The Evolving Nature of Astronomical Knowledge in Representations of the Non-Visible

This paper explores the gathering of radio, optical and electromagnetic wavelength data in assembling images of the Crab Nebula (1844–2000). The author considers the expanding fields of astronomical and astrophysical knowledge to which such data analysis has given rise. She suggests that the data that makes such imaging possible moves us further from conventions of the optical real toward an algorithmic realism, alluding to time-scales that delimit and circumvent human time. Thus Cartesian metaphysics is displaced—the human becomes one agent among many in a process of algorithmic inference.

Using Modern Technologies to Capture and Share Indigenous Astronomical Knowledge

Indigenous Knowledge is important for Indigenous communities across the globe and for the advancement of our general scientific knowledge. In particular, Indigenous astronomical knowledge integrates many aspects of Indigenous Knowledge, including seasonal calendars, navigation, food economics, law, ceremony, and social structure. We aim to develop innovative ways of capturing, managing, and disseminating Indigenous astronomical knowledge for Indigenous communities and the general public for the future. Capturing, managing, and disseminating this knowledge in the digital environment poses a number of challenges, which we aim to address using a collaborative project involving experts in the higher education, library, and industry sectors. Using Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope and Rich Interactive Narratives technologies, we propose to develop software, media design, and archival management solutions to allow Indigenous communities to share their astronomical knowledge with the world on their terms and in a culturally sensitive manner.

An astronomical survey conducted in Belgium

This paper presents the results of the first survey conducted in Belgium about the interest in and knowledge of astronomy. Two samples were studied, the public at large (667 questionnaires) and students (2589 questionnaires), but the results are generally similar in both samples. We evaluated people’s interest, main information source and attitudes towards astronomy, as well as their supposed and actual knowledge of the subject. The main conclusion is that, despite poor self-confidence, people do know the basic astronomical concepts. However, that knowledge is not deeply rooted, as reasoning questions show widespread misconceptions and/or misunderstandings.

Astronomy in the Ancient near East

ASTRONOMY IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST Poetic Astronomy in the Ancient Near East: The Reflexes of Celestial Science in Ancient Mesopotamian, Ugaritic, and Israelite Narrative. Jeffrey L. Cooley (Eisenbrauns, Winona Lake, Indiana, 2013). Pp. x + 396. $54.50. ISBN 978-157506-262-4.It is perhaps difficult to imagine the impact the recovery of ancient Mesopotamian culture had on the Western world in the late nineteenth century. In 1872 when George Smith, then an assistant in the British Museum, discovered the Assyrian version of the biblical flood story, it is said he jumped up and rushed about the room in a great state of excitement, and, to the astonishment of those present, began to undress himself.1 Equally momentous was the discovery of Babylonian astronomy, first made public in 1881 by the Jesuits Joseph Epping and J. N. Strassmaier.2 Each of these discoveries fuelled cultural diffusionist ideas about Babylonian origins, not only of stories in the Bible, but of world mythology, astronomy and astrology. Such ideas had a temporary but widespread influence through the school of Pan-Babylonism, a short-lived sport (in the botanical sense) of mostly German nineteenth-century Orientalism.Jeffrey Cooley's Poetic astronomy in the ancient Near East begins and ends with discussion and critique of the Pan-Babylonists, who read Near Eastern mythology as astronomical allegory and anachronistically attributed to those stories great astronomical knowledge, supposedly dating to c. 3000 b.c., but in fact only emerging either in the latter half of the first millennium b.c (the zodiac) or not at all (precession). Some participants in the school (Hugo Winckler) were also involved in the so-called Bibel-Babel controversy which inflamed scholarly opinion and found a formidable opponent in F. X. Kugler, s.j., one of the founding fathers of Babylonian mathematical astronomy. Kugler published an article entitled the ruins of Panbabylonism,3 a clever pun on Claudius James Rich's important memoir On the ruins of Babylon (1818), and followed it up with a monograph, Im Bannkreis Babels: Panbabylonistische Konstrucktionen und religionsgeschicltliche Tatsachen (1910), which demolished all credibility of the pan-Babylonists regarding the history of astronomy.One of the detrimental effects of Pan-Babylonism, besides the dissemination of highly fanciful and erroneous interpretations of natureand star-mythology and claims of the diffusion of such ideas from Babylonia to the rest of the world, was to drive a long-lasting wedge between scholars of Babylonian astral science and those of cuneiform literary texts. After Kugler's demolition of pan-Babylonist claims, the very idea that mythology and astral science might have some intertextual resonance became virtually anathema and no Assyriologist in his or her right mind would touch the subject for nearly one hundred years. This division has been slowly eroding in the last generation, and Cooley's study can be viewed as a culmination of this change in attitude. Poetic astronomy in the ancient Near East removes that wedge, provides a corrective to Pan-Babylonism (p. 87), and considers the cultural continuities between narrative and technical literatures, not only of the cuneiform world, but those of ancient Ugarit and Israel as well. The book's thesis is that contemporary knowledge concerning the heavens is indeed found in ancient Near Eastern literature, thus reflecting a cultural matrix in which science and literature are not separate.Taking up Mesopotamian, Ugaritic, and Israelite traditions in turn, as is laid out methodologically in the first chapter, Cooley surveys each and discusses what is now known about celestial science in these distinct yet not unrelated cultures, and analyses their narrative texts in the light of their particular intellectual backgrounds. Chapter 2 usefully surveys the various classes of astronomical/astrological cuneiform sources, from divinatory to astronomical texts, making critical use of David Brown's PCP (prediction of celestial phenomena) paradigm and EAE (Enuma Anu Enlil) paradigm to bring historiographic structure to the long chronological span of the sources. …

A Newly Documented Whole-Sky Circumpolar Constellation in Alaskan Gwich'in

Traditional approaches to the documentation of indigenous astronomical knowledge often assume a one-to-one or near one-to-one correspondence between indigenous and classical constellation terms. Only a single constellation, equated with the Big Dipper, is robustly attested across the Northern Dene languages. Here we provide evidence from Gwich’in (Dene) that shows that the equation of this single Gwich’in constellation with the classical constellation is only partial. The Gwich’in constellation yahdii is actually a whole-sky constellation that maps nearly the entire sky. The Big Dipper is the tail of yahdii , and the remaining stars in the constellation are identified by other Gwich’in body-part terms, forming a unified functional conceptualization of the sky. Our work demonstrates how observational and cultural biases can prejudice the description of cultural astronomy. Dene astronomy is much richer than has been previously claimed and provides the first well-documented indigenous example of a whole-sky constellation.

TheFasti’s Celestial World and The Limitations of Astronomical Knowledge

The<i>Fasti</i>’s Celestial World and The Limitations of Astronomical Knowledge

A POSSIBLE HARAPPAN ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY AT DHOLAVIRA

Astronomy arises very early in a civilisation and evolves as the civilisation advances. It is therefore reasonable to assume that a vibrant knowledge of astronomy would have been a feature of a civilisation the size of the Harappan Civilisation. We suggest that structures dedicated to astronomy existed in every major Harappan city. One such city was Dholavira, an important trading port that was located on an island in what is now the Rann of Kutch during the peak of the Harappan Civilisation. We have analysed an unusual structure at Dholavira that includes two circular rooms. Upon assuming strategically-placed holes in their ceilings we examine the internal movement of sunlight within these rooms and suggest that the larger structure of which they formed a part could have functioned as an astronomical observatory.

Astronomical Knowledge in the Sacred Architecture of the Middle Ages in Italy

The present work reports the results of the archaeoastronomical examination of sacred buildings in Italy dating from the medieval period. This leads to the problem of understanding the training of the architects in the middle ages, and, in particular, their knowledge of astronomy, a theme which is dealt with on the basis of the analysis. The first section of this paper takes into consideration the astronomical knowledge present in documents of architectural/constructive nature, including astronomical and gnomonic knowledge, geometry, design, the use of both the civil and the liturgical calendar, as well as knowledge of both technical and practical nature, such as measuring techniques and site techniques. The analysis concludes with a database aimed at defining a series of objectives and work methodologies which are scientifically shared and correct.

Knut Lundmark, Meteors and an Early Swedish Crowdsourcing Experiment

SummaryMid twentieth century meteor astronomy demanded the long-term compilation of observations made by numerous individuals over an extensive geographical area. Such a massive undertaking obviously required the participation of more than just professional astronomers, who often sought to expand their ranks through the use of amateurs that had a basic grasp of astronomy as well as the night sky, and were thus capable of generating first-rate astronomical reports.When, in the 1920s, renowned Swedish astronomer Knut Lundmark turned his attention to meteor astronomy, he was unable to rely even upon this solution. In contrast to many other countries at the time, Sweden lacked an organized amateur astronomy and thus contained only a handful of competent amateurs. Given this situation, Lundmark had to develop ways of engaging the general public in assisting his efforts. To his advantage, he was already a well-established public figure who had published numerous popular science articles and held talks from time to time on the radio. During the 1930s, this prominence greatly facilitated his launching of a crowdsourcing initiative for the gathering of meteor observations.This paper consists of a detailed discussion concerning the means by which Lundmark's initiative disseminated astronomical knowledge to the general public and encouraged a response that might directly contribute to the advancement of science. More precisely, the article explores the manner in which he approached the Swedish public, the degree to which that public responded and the extent to which his efforts were successful. The primary aim of this exercise is to show that the apparently recent Internet phenomenon of ‘crowdsourcing’, especially as it relates to scientific research, actually has a pre-Internet history that is worth studying. Apart from the fact that this history is interesting in its own right, knowing it can provide us with a fresh vantage point from which to better comprehend and appreciate the success of present-day crowdsourcing projects.

The Search for Antediluvian Astronomy: Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Astronomers' Conceptions of the Origins of the Science

Many sixteenth- and seventeenth-century astronomers believed that astronomy had existed before the Flood. It existed in God's mind as an eternal plan, according to which celestial bodies were created and their periods of revolution defined. Further- more, the first people, Adam and his descendants, the biblical patriarchs, had engaged in astronomy. However, there was no consensus among early modern astronomers as to the fate of antediluvian astronomy after the Flood and its relation to their own astronomy. In this article, I present an overview of the various conceptions of ante- diluvian astronomy, to illustrate astronomers' opinions regarding the origin of their science, and how their views gradually changed.The majority of astronomers in the Renaissance, like their contemporaries in other disciplines, believed in the existence of knowledge granted to humans by God at the beginning of history, and held that mankind should seek to return to this ancient knowledge. I call this the approach. Later in the seventeenth century, this conception was slowly replaced by the belief that astronomy is gradually improved in the course of history: the approach. Exploration of the differing approaches to the idea of antediluvian astronomy reveals that the process of replacement of the retrograde approach by the progressivist was difficult and slow. The shift to the idea of astronomical progress, as it is known from the eighteenth century, certainly was not a matter of course, and it called for a change in some of the fundamental metaphysical assumptions relating to the nature of astronomy. In other words, the idea of progress in astronomy was closely related to the abandonment of the belief that astronomy is of divine origin.1. The Idea of Antediluvian AstronomyIdeas on the origin of astronomy and other mathematical sciences in the early modern period were derived mainly from reports by classical authors, most of which stated that Greek mathematical knowledge drew on Egyptian mathematics.' However, as early as in the Hellenistic period, Jewish historians objected to these reports by Greek scholars, and they sought to prove that theirs was the most ancient culture and that all knowledge had originated from their spiritual tradition. In particular, Josephus Flavius (1st century a.D.) fiercely criticised the opinion that the Jews had made no contribution to science, and he presented an impressive genealogy of wisdom provided to mankind by the Hebrews, which had been granted by God's grace.In his work Jewish antiquities, Flavius speaks about Adam's son Seth and his descendants:2[T]hey also discovered the science of the heavenly bodies and their orderly array. Moreover, to prevent their discoveries from being lost to mankind and perishing before they became known - Adam having predicted a destruction of the universe, at one time by a violent fire and at another by a mighty deluge of water - they erected two pillars, one of brick and the other of stone, and inscribed these discoveries on both; so that, if the pillar of brick disappeared in the deluge, that of stone would remain to teach men what was graven thereon and to inform them that they had also erected one of brick. It exists to this day in the land of Seiris.To destroy corrupt mankind, God subsequently sent the Flood, which only Noah and his family survived. After the Flood, astronomical knowledge was passed on, apparently thanks to the pillars along with the knowledge of Noah himself, to Noah's sons, who gradually populated the world, as described in detail by Flavius. Of them, Shem's descendants became the ancestors of the Chaldeans.3 According to Flavius, Abraham, who was well versed in astronomy, came from this Chaldean background. When Abraham visited Egypt, Egyptian priests asked him to introduce them to arithmetic and astronomy, because they had no knowledge of these sciences. Flavius concludes that Greek sages subsequently learnt arithmetic from Egyptian priests and brought the knowledge to Greece. …

A STUDY OF THE ASTRONOMICAL KNOWLEDGE-LEVEL AMONG THE STUDENTS OF SOME FACULTIES OF SCIENCES AND SCIENCE OF AL_QORAN IN THE ANBAR UNIVERSITY.

In this study, a focus on astronomical knowledge-level among the students of some faculties of Sciences and Science of al_Koran in the Anbar university through the following points (the axis of the basic concepts, and the axis of Counsel, and the axis of the Koran). The study population consists of students from the Faculty of Islamic Sciences, and Faculty of Education at the University of Anbar and the College of the greatest Imam of the Sunni Endowment, which was adopted in random samples of the two phases above, the first and fourth level school years, the number of its members (245) male and female students. During this study, We collect and analyze data and discuss the results. From the results we found that the level of astronomical knowledge among the students of the sample in general was 42.5% for all axes and paragraphs of the study sample which is much less than the success level. The study also showed that there are significant differences depending on the variables university, specialization in the secondary school level, housing, sex. As it turns out that the general level of knowledge among the students of astronomical study sample was below the level of ambition, and the weak role of the university to raise the level of the astronomical knowledge.

AURORAE IN AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL TRADITIONS

Transient celestial phenomena feature prominently in the astronomical knowledge and traditions of Aboriginal Australians. In this paper, I collect accounts of the <italic>Aurora Australis</italic> from the literature regarding Aboriginal culture. Using previous studies of meteors, eclipses, and comets in Aboriginal traditions, I anticipated that the physical properties of aurora, such as their generally red colour as seen from southern Australia, would be associated with fire, death, blood, and evil spirits. The survey reveals this to be the case and also explores historical auroral events in Aboriginal cultures, aurorae in rock art, and briefly compares Aboriginal auroral traditions with other indigenous groups, including the Maori of New Zealand.

Cosmophobia: Urania's Lament and Lessons Learned

NASA astrobiologist David Morrison coined the term cosmophobia � fear of the cosmos � in response to the plethora of 2012 disaster scenarios that depict Urania, the muse of astronomy, as a wicked destroyer rather than a beautiful inspiration. The purveyors of these scenarios relied on the public�s lack of science literacy and ability to tell the difference between science and pseudoscience, as well as the ubiquitous nature of the Internet and social media, in their effort to sell books, DVDs, and subscription-only web content. Also adding to the public�s inability to critically analyze the veritable flood of 2012 apocalypse suppositions is the lamentable disconnect between the average 21st century citizen and the night sky (in part due to light pollution). The result is a general public who views the astronomical knowledge of ancient cultures as mystical and even supernatural, adding to the fear factor of December 21, 2012. While this date passed with neither the end of the world nor the rash of suicides and murders some feared, the 2012 apocalypse hoax proved to be one of the most important teachable moments in recent memory in terms of science education and outreach

The Ladies’ Diary

Solving mathematical puzzles has always been a fascination for curious minds. Some of the riddles from the 18th century are very challenging and can trigger the readers’ curiosity even today. Published in a periodical titled Ladies’ Diary, these puzzles reflect the astronomical and mathematical knowledge of the readers which included women. Debates on mathematical solutions offered by some famous personalities like Newton and Flamsteed are recorded. A selection of such puzzles is discussed here.

Essay Review: Astronomical Tables in the Middle Ages: A Survey of European Astronomical Tables in the Late Middle Ages

ASTRONOMICAL TABLES IN THE MIDDLE AGES A Survey of European Astronomical Tables in the Late Middle Ages. Jose Chabas and Bernard R. Goldstein (Brill, Leiden, 2012). Pp. xx + 250. euro107. ISBN 97890-04-23058-3.In 1956 E. S. Kennedy published A survey of Islamic astronomical tables which, for more than fifty years, has guided historians of Islamic astronomy in following the evolution of the type of astronomical sources called zijes. Nothing similar has appeared for the parallel history of European astronomical tables; hence, are delighted by the publication of the present book which is most useful survey of Latin and Hebrew astronomical tables produced from the twelfth the beginning of the sixteenth century. Arabic zijes are not treated specifically although they are present everywhere because, after all, the development of European tables during this period is the result of the assimilation of Arabic materials which circulated in alAndalus (Muslim Spain) and which were, therefore, available medieval translators. This is something that the authors have made clear: we emphasize that the Iberian Peninsula was generally the locus from which astronomical knowledge flowed other parts of Europe ... (p. xviii). The clear conclusion one can extract from this book is that the European astronomical tables of the late Middle Ages are the result of an Andalusian influence and this affects the Parisian Alfonsine Tables which appeared after 1320. Originality appears in only few cases, including especially Levi ben Gerson (d. 1344).Two main traditions make their way into the Latin West. The Indian tradition is represented by al-Khwarizmfs ztj in the adaptation prepared by Maslama al-Majriti (d. 1070) and translated into Latin by Adelard of Bath (fl. 1116-50), probably in England using materials brought him from the Iberian Peninsula by Petrus Alfonsi (fl. 1 106). This tradition is also found in sources like the Tabulae Jahen of Ibn Mu'adh (d. 1093) and in the Muqtabas of Ibn al-Kammad (fl. 1116). Both of these latter zijes are extant in Latin translation (only the canons in Ibn Mu'adh's case). The Ptolemaic tradition, as result of the direct influence of the Almagest (the Handy tables seem have been known only indirectly through al-Battâni's zij), entered al-Andalus in the second half of the tenth century. Surprisingly the Preceptum canonis Ptolomei, work directly connected with the Handy tables that seems have circulated in Catalonia in the tenth century, apparently exerted little influence. To this must add the echoes of the Toledan Tables (c. 1065), in which there is confluence of al-Khwârizmi and al-Battâni, and of the extremely popular Alfonsine Tables (c. 1272), in which al-Battanfs influence predominates.The existence of this double tradition suggests the existence of Ptolemaic tables that calculate tropical planetary longitudes; those tables that follow, directly or indirectly, the tradition of al-Khwârizmi give sidereal longitudes which usually can be transformed into tropical longitudes by trepidation tables. When one considers the examples given by Chabas and Goldstein in their analysis of mean motion parameters (pp. 54-9) the obvious conclusion is that the Ptolemaic tradition predominates as result of the success of the Alphonsine Tables from the fourteenth century onward.The purpose of the book, as the authors state, is to classify and illustrate the numerous astronomical tables... (p. xviii) and present a survey of these astronomical tables, not history of (p. xix). Although general draft of such history is presented in pp. 1-10, many readers would be grateful for more detailed treatment of this topic that would allow them not get lost in the great mass of information given in the book which contains classification and many excerpts of the tables studied (see the list in pp. ix-xiv), based mainly on the research of an enormous number of Latin and Hebrew manuscripts (see pp. …

Astronomi Islam Era Dinasti Mamalik (1250-1517)

Astronomy is special scientific discipline in Islam as it relates to daily Muslim worship practices. In the Mamalik era (1250-1517), especially in Cairo and Damascus regions, Islamic astronomy has developed significantly as can be seen in the new discoveries of astronomical instruments. However, Islamic astronomy in the era of Mamalik conceals a very large amount of scientific knowledge that needs further discussion. As mentioned by King, there were a dozen of Islamic schbolars in astronomy whose treatises and ideas are unrevealed. Therefore contemporary astronomical studies run in higher educational institutions, should also seriously be focused on examining classical knowledge in astronomy. This article discusses the history and develop- ment of Islamic astronomy in the era of Mamalik and their contribution to the body of scientific knowledge in as- tronomy in that period

The Experience of Watching: Place Defined by the Trinity of Land-, Sea-, and Skyscape

The interpretation of astronomically-orientated ancient sites has frequently led to the conclusion that an astronomy cast needs to exist: a group that is thought to be highly educated as apparent within discussions and comments with researchers even if never published. This group within an ancient society would have a deeper knowledge of the movements of the Sun, Moon and stars derived through observations and analysis similar to modern day scientific methodology and not accessible to the un-initiated. However, cultural astronomy has started to overcome this mistake by describing such sites not as observatories but as places where a certain phenomenon can be experienced and watched. This paper will discuss this act of watching and how it is closely linked to a definition of place by introducing the notion of the dialectical image. The triad of land-, sea-, and skyscape offers common themes and characteristics that allow the watcher to critically negotiate the surroundings and experience the place by dwelling therein. All three form a trinity and are actually part of one skyscape that invokes feelings, illustrates tensions, and asks for action. Experiencing this unity is essential to watching. At this stage there is no deeper astronomical knowledge required that is only accessible to the initiated few. Cosmic cycles that manifest themselves through the motions of the Sun, Moon and stars as well as seasonal and tidal rhythms become obvious to everyone. Skyscapes at astronomically-orientated sites capture this meaning. When stepping back from observing, and engaging in watching, the meaning can be recaptured in the trinity of land-, sea-, and skyscap

Space luminous environment adaptability of missile-borne star sensor

To solve the problem of stray interference to star point target identification while a star sensor imaging to the sky, a study on space luminous environment adaptability of missile-borne star sensor was carried out. By Plank blackbody radiation law and some astronomic knowledge, irradiancies of the stray at the star sensor working height were estimated. By relative astrophysical and mathematics knowledge, included angles between the star sensor optical axis point and the stray at any moment were calculated. The calculation correctness was verified with the star map software of Stellarium. By combining the upper analysis with the baffle suppression effect, a real-time model for space luminous environment of missile-borne star sensor was proposed. By signal-noise rate (SNR) criterion, the adaptability of missile-borne star sensor to space luminous environment was studied. As an example, a certain type of star sensor was considered when imaging to the starry sky on June 22, 2011 (the Summer Solstice) and September 20, 2011 (August 23 of the lunar year, last quarter moon) in Beijing. The space luminous environment and the adaptability to it were simulated and analyzed at the star sensor working height. In each period of time, the stray suppression of the baffle is analyzed by comparing the calculated included angle between the star sensor optical axis point and the stray with the shielded provided by system index. When the included angle is larger than the shielded angle and less than 90°, the stray is restrained by the baffle. The stray effect on star point target identification is analyzed by comparing the irradiancy of 6 magnitude star with that of the stray on star sensor sensitization surface. When the irradiancy of 6 magnitude star is 5 times more than that of the stray, there is no effect on the star point target identification. The simulation results are identical with the actual situation. The space luminous environment of the missile-borne star sensor can be estimated real-timely by this model. The adaptability of the star sensor to space luminous environment can be analyzed conveniently. A basis for determining the relative star sensor indexes, the navigation star chosen strategy and the missile launch window can be provided.

Lazer e turismo: Visitas ao Observatório Abrahão de Moraes/IAG-USP (SP, Brasil)

Esta pesquisa exploratória, de caráter qualitativo, tem como objetivo analisar as atividades de lazer e de turismo promovidas pelo Observatório Abrahão de Moraes (OAM), situado na região de Valinhos e Vinhedo (São Paulo, Brasil), que o consideram um atrativo turístico. As suas principais atividades são direcionadas às pesquisas científicas em astronomia e astrobiologia. Além disso, abre as suas portas ao público local e turistas, funcionando como relevante difusor de conhecimento astronômico. Objetiva-se, ainda, investigar a relevância do equipamento para a comunidade local, a sua visibilidade, além da hospitalidade ali exercida. A metodologia utilizada foi a pesquisa bibliográfica exploratória com enfoque no lazer, turismo e hospitalidade, e também a coleta documental de dados nos sítios eletrônicos. A pesquisa qualitativa fundamenta-se em entrevistas pessoais entre membros selecionados da equipe do OAM; gestores locais das áreas de turismo e/ou cultura; residentes locais e visitantes. Conclui-se que o equipamento é um atrativo turístico e espaço de lazer com grande potencial a ser mais desenvolvido, em razão da sua reduzida visibilidade, e que o atendimento ao público é muito bem avaliado pelos visitantes.