Observing history

The ruins of the observatory in San Paolo church in Lop Buri

You may know a good deal about space, the planets and the stars, but on Earth do you know when the first observatory was built in Thailand and where it's located? 

Siam has a long history in studying astronomy. Records show King Narayana the Great supported a group of French astronomer-priests by building an observatory 324 years ago in Lop Buri for them to study the sky and the stars, according to Phuthorn Bhumadhon, president of the Society for Preserving Antiquities, Ancient Monuments and the Environment.

1685 eclipse

The King ordered authorities to build a church named San Paolo together with an observatory inside the church's compound in Lop Buri on December 11, 1685 - the day he watched a lunar eclipse with the astronomer-priests from Kraison Siharat Hall, commonly known as Phra Thinang Yen or Thale Chup Son Hall in the province, Phuthorn said.

Another important record was found in faraway Paris. It is a painting of the King watching a partial solar eclipse with the astronomer-priests on April 30, 1688, at his palace in Lop Buri.

"Not many people know the valuablehistory behind our first observatory and that astronomy was studied so long ago in our country. As a result some people have devalued important historical sites by intruding into some of them," said Phuthorn.

In an attempt to make the public more aware of the significance of the sites and promote the country's astronomical history, the society teamed up with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Thai Astronomical Society,

the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand and tambon Thale Chup Son in Lop Buri to organise an event earlier this month at Phra Thinang Yen.

Celebrating astronomy

The April 4 event was held to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy, four hundred years after the "Father of Modern Astronomy" Galileo Galilei used a telescope to tudy the sky.

"The event featured a discussion about our astronomical history in Lop Buri together with a performance showing what happened at Phra Thinang Yen and in the observatory in San Paolo church at that time.

"This helped the audience to not only imagine past occurrences but come to know what clearly happened then," Phuthorn said.

He added that staff members were also on hand at both historical places to inform visitors about the history and the importance of each place.