Givatayim Observatory
The Givatayim Observatory is a public observatory that was founded in 1968 by the Israeli Astronomical Association and the Givatayim municipality. Activities. These are some of the activities taking place in the observatory: The observatory is placed on a hill (87m above sea level) inside a public park in Givatayim (HaAliya HaShniya Garden). Givatayim is a town adjacent to Tel Aviv and part of the Greater Tel Aviv region. Because of this location, the sky is very bright and precludes observation of faint objects. Equipment. The main telescope (16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope) is located in a  dome and is dedicated to imaging and research. The other telescopes are operated on an observation terrace next to the dome. The sky in Givatayim is highly light polluted. The situation deteriorated during the last years due to new skyscrapers (Azrieli Center, Moshe Aviv Tower, new government building etc.), which are illuminated from below by strong floodlights, sending their light cones into the sky. Moreover, during the last years the bad habit of huge advertisement walls, also illuminated by strong spotlights, became widespread. Many of these spotlights are misdirected, sending their light into the sky. Between 1984-2016 Dr. Igal  Patel was the head of the observatory and of the Israeli Astronomical Association. Since 2016 Dr. Diana Laufer is the Scientific Director and Shalom Hananya is the Administrative Director. The observatory staff consists of about dozen people with specialties in different fields, including several young instructors.