30 JUNE – 3 JULY 2022 SANDRAS SKY OBSERVATION EVENTS
'Sandras Sky Observation Activities' were held between 30 June and 03 July 2022 in Denizli Beyağaç District Topuklu Plateau. This event was organized in cooperation with Beyağaç Municipality, Kalebey Local Action Group Association and Beyağaç Women's Enterprise Production and Business Cooperative.
The Sky Observation Event, which was held in Topuklu Plateau, where the physical infrastructure was prepared with the alternative tourism project supported by the South Aegean Development Agency, which carries out its activities under the coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Technology in 2012, gave the participants 3 fascinating days in which deep space was explored.
For these events held for the first time in Denizli, Prof. Dr. 22 telescopes were established by Ethem Derman and his team. 21 astrophotographers, who took their places to do special and scientific studies, made their observations until dawn.
450 sky enthusiasts came to the event from many cities of Turkey, set up their tents, participated in day and evening training activities and night sky observations. There were sky-defining acquaintance games for children, an award-winning painting competition and exhibition themed "Space in My Dreams", and a water rocket show in the open area. In addition, while many trainings were given about the sky, on the last day Prof. Dr. Zeynel Tunca gave a seminar about "Dark Sky Parks". In this seminar, which was watched with great interest, very important issues about Topuklu Plateau were explained.
Prof. Tunca said that in the measurements made during the event, the values were higher than other regions, so Topuklu Plateau could receive the title of 'the darkest region of Turkey for sky observations', and that by completing the participation procedures of these measurements and submitting them to the "International Dark Sky Parks Association", "Beyağaç Topuklu Plateau" He stated that Turkey's first Dark Sky Park could be declared and the region could become a favorite of sky enthusiasts around the world.
