Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over the opening ceremony of an astronomical observatory in Songkhla, the first of its kind in the country's southern region next Thursday, according to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Narit).
Narit's director, Saran Poshyachinda, said the observatory will open for the public next month and will be the country's third regional observatory. The observatory is located in a prime location to view and study objects in the southern celestial sphere.
The Songkhla Regional Observatory has outstanding characteristics when compared to other regional sites because it is located on a hill surrounded by the Gulf of Thailand and Songkhla Lake, Mr Saran said.
Because of its location, visitors will be able to see objects in the southern celestial sphere much more clearly than what is possible from other locations.
Furthermore, they will also be able to observe astronomic phenomenons in the northern region during the rainy season.
"Narit is now 11 years old and we have been focusing on the growth of the astronomical sector in the country. The latest observatory is our pride since it will help stimulate interest in the astronomical world and help religious scholars in their work," he said.
He said the observatory would allow Chularatchamontri -- the country's Muslim spiritual leader -- look up to the stars which play an important part in religious ceremonies in Islam.
The Songkhla Regional Observatory is located on 25-rai land in Muang district. The 52-seat full-dome digital planetarium has a 0.7-metre calibre telescope with 360-degree turn and five smaller telescopes along the corridors.
Chaloemchon Wannathong, director of the observatory, said the observatory will charge a 30-baht admission fee for children and 50-baht for adults for full access to the planetarium's display.
However, he added that no entrance fee would be charged to those who only want to use the telescope to look at the sky.
The observatory expects to welcome about 500 visitors every day and will be open from Tuesday to Friday and closed Saturday through Monday.