Bosscha Observatory at North Bandung

Having a few days in Bandung, why don’t you try to visit North Bandung. Many wonderful places you can visit there. Every part in this place will make you feel amazing and worth it to spend all day. You can see the famous volcano mountain and the nice hot spring plus if still having time to see the Maribaya water fall. The Famous Mountain is Tangkuban Perahu.

How to go there when already in Bandung, By:

• Rent Car
• Used Travel Agent
• Rent Motorbike (If you have International License)
• Public Transportation

Let’s talking the way get to North Bandung with public transportation (angkot). Let’s start from ST Hall to Ledeng Terminal or Lembang Terminal. It depend on what do you want to see first. If you want to go to Bossca Observatory, you don’t need to stop in Terminal Ledeng, just asking a driver to turn you in Bosscha Observatory gate (gerbang Bossca). You just need pay for the transportation 8.000 IDR – 10.000 IDR. The journey from Station Hall Terminal to The Gate of Bosscha need around 45 minutes if not crowded and traffic jam. Don’t worry transportation ST Hall – Lembang easy to get and much transportation to this destination then other transportation to the Luewi Panjang.  Then you just need cross, then you can see ojek (Motor Bike Transportation); you can walk or used ojek. If used ojek just pay 5.000 IDR – 7.000 IDR. But if you want to walk around 4 kilometers with the route little uphill, but when in the middle of route to get to Bosscha, you can see the wonderful view and also the way to get there also comfortable and fresh air. Because this is way do not many cars pass this road.

Normally, the ST Hall-Lembang will pass Bosscha Observatory; Strawberry garden; but if you won’t to visit Bosscha, just want the Tangkuban Perahu Mountain be your first place visit in North Bandung. From ST Hall – Lembang, your turn at Ledeng Terminal. Ledeng Terminal is pass The University UPI (Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia), but the minibus is not entrance in Terminal Ledeng. So you just ask the driver to stop you in Terminal Ledeng. After that you cross and entrance the terminal. Find the transportation elf Ledeng-Subang to get to MT. Tangkuban Perahu.

Bosscha Observatory

Bosscha Observatory is the oldest observatory in Indonesia. The observatory is located in Lembang, West Java, approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) north Bandung. It is situated on a hilly six hectares of land and is 1.310 m (4.300 feet) above mean sea level plateau. The IAU observatory code for Bosscha is 299.

 

Inside Bosscha building, you can see a few large telescopes, they are: Zeiss double refractor and Schmidt telescope or Bima Sakti telescope. Plus many things you could look there. Bosscha Observatory is Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences - Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB). Bosscha Observatory is a research institute with specific programs. Equipped with various support facilities, this Observatory is a research and development center for astronomy in Indonesia.

 This place is open to public only on Saturday, but for the group on Tuesday until Friday. If you just want to see the outside building that’s OK. But you can’t entrance the inside building. But the view is so wonderful. On Saturday to see this place just need pay 20.000 IDR to get entrance inside building.

 What You can do in this place? You can see this tools.

Five large telescopes were installed in Bosscha:

• 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. The telescope has two objective lenses with a diameter of 60 cm (24 in) each and a focal length of 10.7 m (35 ft).

  

• 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 (28.00 in), the correcting bi-concave and convex lens is 50 cm (20 in) with a focal length of 2.5 m (8.2 ft). It is also equipped with a spectral prism with a prime angle of 6.10 degrees for stellar spectra, a wedge sensitometer and a film recorder.

• 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 (15 in) lens diameter and a 7 m (23 ft) meter focal length.

•  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 at Bosscha. The telescope is also equipped with a photometer and spectrometer-spectrograph.

• The Unitron refractor

        This telescope is used for observing hilal, lunar eclipse, solar eclipse and sunspot photography, and also other objects. Lens diameter is 10.2 cm (4.0 in) and a focal length of 150 cm (59 in).

Having fun in this place, so amazing. I will tell you later about my experience in this place.