Arab conference on space sciences opens in muscat

The 10th Conference of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences (AUASS) launched its activities Sunday morning at Sultan Qaboos University\'s Cultural Center, under the slogan \"The role of astronomy and space in the development of modern societies\". The event is held under the auspices of the President of the State Council of Oman Yahya bin Mahfouz Al Muntheri, with the participation of 600 representatives of 39 countries. The Vice President of Oman Astronomical Society Saleh Bin Nasser Al-Shuaibi said, in remarks to the media following the opening ceremony, that this four-day conference is considered an important scientific event. The conference will discuss several topics including astronomy projects and technology, space observatories, new methods to study and document Arab astronomy heritage, besides monitoring the Earth from outer space, he stated. It will also tackle educational programs to encourage interest in astrology, besides leading environmental programs and astronomy tourist attractions, he said.