The link between you and the sky

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The Atlaskies team’s efforts have led to an increased interest in the field of astronomy and a better understanding of the universe for many people. They are also fostering a sense of community and collaboration among scientists, students, and amateur astronomers, and promoting the importance of preserving dark skies for future generations. The team’s goal is to continue to inspire and educate others about the beauty and wonder of the night sky and the vast universe beyond our planet.

Atlaskies Observatory is hosted by his partner O.U.C.A astronomical Complex ( Observatoire Universitaire Cadi Ayyad).

Where we are

The observatory is located in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.. The site was previously shortlisted by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) for the Very Large Telescope (VLT) project, making it an ideal location for stargazing and astronomical research. The observatory is located in the future biggest dark sky reserve in the world, which is bigger than the Mont-Mégantic reserve. The site benefits from about 250 clear nights per year with a median seeing of 0.84 arcseconds and it is located in a Bortle 1 location which is considered an ideal location for stargazing as it has minimal light pollution.

What we do

The team's efforts to promote scientific astronomy are not limited to just observing and studying the night sky. They are also actively involved in public outreach, holding regular events and workshops to educate the local community and visitors about astronomy. These events include lectures, stargazing sessions and telescope viewings, which are open to the public and allow people of all ages to learn more about the universe and our place in it.

In addition to their public outreach activities, the team is also working closely with a number of scientific institutions, including the Institute of Astrophysics of Paris (IAS), the Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics of Grenoble (IPAG) and universities in Paris and Marrakech. They will also be in collaboration with the Association Française d'Astronomie and the magazine Ciel&Espace in order to promote activities in the field of collaboration between professionals and amateurs.

Who we are

Mehdi ABED

Expert Engineer in Mechanics in the field of Energy, Astrophotographer since 2017, Co-founder of the AGT observatory within the OUCA and Initiator of the Team Atlaskies project. Mehdi considers himself an aggregator of personalities, his idea is to consider astrophotography as a tool in the service of science and no longer as an end in itself. Of course the pleasure of beautiful astrophotography is a precious moment that he continues to seek and cherish.

Team StDr

Xavier Strottner from France and Marcel Drechsler from Germany are two amateur astronomers dedicated to finding as-yet-unknown planetary nebulae – bright, colorful clouds of gas that mark the end of stars similar to our Sun. Since 2018, they have been working as a team to find, photograph, and analyze unknown nebulae. The result is a new list of objects that bears their initials: the StDr catalog. Their search has been so successful that the StDr catalog now contains more than 160 planetary nebulae and candidates, as well as 33 additional objects, making it possible to find a StDr object in every region of the sky. Together, the two amateur astronomers have been involved in more than 350 important scientific discoveries in recent years.

Richard GALLI

Richard has been passionate about astrophotography since the age of 16, the conditions of the family garden in the Hautes-Vosges mountains in France being conducive to contemplation
of the night sky.
Specialist in astronomical equipment (and in particular of the TAKAHASHI brand) , DSLR modding, he is a founding member
from the APO_Team with which he remotely shoots the Southern sky from Chile.
The APO_Team object catalog (DeGaPe for Demange, Galli, Petit) has 78 entries to date.
Co-founder of AGT ( Astronomique Gérard THERIN) , Richard is an avid astrophotographer and perfectionist, what interests him the most is to fine tune his instruments well in order to obtain the quintessence regardless of their diameter.

Yann SAINTY

Yann fell in love with astronomy in 2020.
First of all through astrophotography that he practices directly and during every clear night.
His practice took a turn when he met the StDr team to shoot a new planetary nebula for them.
This project gave him a taste for research and experimentation. This will lead him with Xavier and Marcel to discover the [OIII] emission arc of M31 (Strottner-Drechsler-Sainty Object 1).
His ambition is now to push the research with the Atlaskies team and to put astrophotography at the service of future discoveries while sharing the wonders of the sky with as many people as possible.

Amaury DE POTTER

Amaury, a Belgian resident in Luxembourg, was caught up in the passion for astronomy at the age of 7 when Apollo 11 started its journey to the Moon.
Later, his other fields of interest being photography and optics, it was only natural that he headed towards the infinite and complex world of astrophotography. Despite a busy schedule as a finance professional, he never misses an opportunity to take out one of his telescopes to shoot the gems of the universe.
The quest for clear skies and the encounter with Mehdi and Richard led him to accompany them in the adventure of setting up an observatory in a place that can be best qualified as an astronomy paradise on earth, Oukaimeden (Morocco)

SOME DISCOVERIES MADE BY TEAM MEMBERS

STROTTNER-DRECHSLER-SAINTY OBJECT 1
The M31 [OIII] Emission Arc
STROTTNER-DRECHSLER OBJECT 32
The Joëlle's Nebula
DeGaPe 49 / 51 / 64 + DeGaPeKn 1
APO-Team's PN