In Science Alert:
Ethiopia has built a privately funded astronomical observatory, taking the first step towards creating a fully fledged national space agency. With the US$3 million investment, the East African country joins a handful of other African nations, including Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt, that have their own space programs, and the government hopes the move will boost the local agriculture and communication industries.
As you might imagine, the decision has attracted criticism due to the fact that Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, is also battling with malnourishment and poverty among its people. But so far no government money or international aid has been used to establish the observatory, which was built by the Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS) - a body funded by Ethiopian-Saudi business tycoon Mohammed Alamoudi.
The observatory opened a few months ago on top of the 3,200-metre-tall Mount Entoto, and includes two large telescopes and a spectrograph that measures wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. The goal is to provide a facility in which to train local astronomers, scientists, and engineers, and establish a local culture of innovation...[more]
