Star Trek

Stars and galaxies are not just for nerds. These help to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist.

GeoAstro Oman, a new start-up, has been making efforts towards having stargazing sessions in a relaxed and educative manner.

Launched in October 2020, it is the only company in the country to offer a feel of the expensive telescopes of the likes used by Stephen Hawking for stargazing, and geology trips around Oman.

All these have been made possible by the determination of two young Omanis, Mohammed al Kamli and Taher al Rawahi, the main founders of GeoAstro Oman.

The duo strives to share the beauty of the sky and kindle curiosity in us.

Mohammed says that “whether it is the moon or the star formations, they are here to help their clients discover the new world of stars.”

Mohammed is a geologist and full time astronomer from North Al Sharqiyah Governorate. He works in Alila Jabal Akhdar as a geologist and astronomer.

Taher has a Bachelor degree in geology from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and hails from the Al Sharqiyah Governorate. After graduation he worked for several years in different companies related to academic research, mining, oil, and gas and construction.

So far, GeoAstro-Oman has been able to hold over 120 sessions with many customers especially in Muscat, Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, Sama al Wasil, Bahla and Jabreen Castle where the light pollution is minimal to get clear vision for the stars, deep sky objects and planets.

Mohammed is of the view that astrology is seen as the knowledge of how the movements of the planets in the sky affect life on earth. “Astrology is much more scientific than one might think, and in the past you could not call yourself a scientist if you were not trained in astrology. Astronomy is very important and in the future allows us to understand the universe around us, how it evolved and formed.” Taher is of the view that astrology is considered one of the specialties of the future as it is the most important means that provides future prediction.

GeoAstro-Oman uses telescopes of high quality.

These are the Celestron Edge HD11” f10 Aplanatic Schmidt Cassegrain telescope, reflecting telescope (11 inch) 280mm aperture and 2800mm effective focal length.

This enables them to see a huge range of objects in the night sky, star clusters, galaxies and gas clouds.

GeoAstro-Oman also offers different small telescopes to observe the moon which is now used mainly for children to teach them the main composition of the telescope and its function.

By next year they have plans to add an enormous addition by taking in Celestron Edge 16” and will have great additional equipment to observe and enjoy the night sky.

They also use Nikon cameras with lens range (14-24mm) to take beautiful photos with stars and Milky Way galaxy background. In addition is the ZWO-ASI462 camera in the deep sky photography of galaxies, gas nebulas, clusters and planets.

As winter approaches they plan to use screen projectors (cinema under stars) as part of sessions to show the guests space movies.