Stargazing in Turkey: Observatories, Peaks and ... Current section:
0% 11 min left

Stargazing in Turkey: Observatories, Peaks and Dark Skies

TÜBİTAK’s sky observation event and where it moved each year, the TUG and Karakaya observatories, and a star wheel for four places.

ByAbdullah Habib
11 min read Updated: October 21, 2026
Summarize with:
Illustration: the Milky Way arching over a valley of rock cones with small doorways, a last orange glow on the horizon
Illustration: the Milky Way over a valley of rock cones.

In August 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, TÜBİTAK, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye, held its sky observation event, each time in a different place. TUG, its national observatory, stands 2,500 m up on Bakırlıtepe. ATASAM, the astrophysics research centre of Atatürk University, has a project for a 4 m telescope on the Karakaya Hills (3,170 m) above Erzurum. The star wheel below shows the sky over four of these places on any night of the year, with a short answer for when to look.

The short version

A sky camp that moves every year,
two summits and a star chart for any night.

  • The event: the 28th TÜBİTAK sky observation event was held 12–15 August 2026 at Emre Gölü in Afyonkarahisar. It was free, and participants were chosen by lottery (TÜBİTAK, checked 21.10.2026). Earlier venues: Saklıkent in Antalya (2023), Kirazlı Yaylası on Bursa Uludağ (2024) and Konaklı in Erzurum (2025).
  • The star wheel: pick one of four places and any night. It tells you when the sky is fully dark, when the Moon is up and where the Milky Way’s bright centre stands.
  • The summits: TÜBİTAK’s observatory, TUG, is at Bakırlıtepe, 2,500 m, with a 150 cm telescope. ATASAM’s project for a 4 m telescope is on the Karakaya Hills, 3,170 m.
  • Mount Nemrut: the Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists 09:00–18:00 every day, and says the hours can shift with sunrise and sunset.
  • National parks: since a law of March 2026, the national parks authority (DKMP) sets the visitor fee, and entering without paying brings a fine of four times the fee (DKMP, 23.03.2026).

The Star Wheel

Pick a place, then turn the date and the hour

A turnable star chart drawn on the page: 641 of the brightest stars, the constellation figures, the Milky Way, the Sun’s path (dotted) and the Moon at its true phase. Under the sliders, a short answer gives the best time to look, when the Moon is up and where the Milky Way’s bright centre stands in that time. North is up, east is to the left, and the middle of the disc is straight overhead.

Four fixed skies, each at 22:00 Türkiye time on the 21st, seen from central Türkiye. North is up, east is to the left, and the centre of each disc is straight overhead.

21 January, 22:00
Orion, Taurus, Canis Major, Perseus, Cassiopeia
21 April, 22:00
Leo, Ursa Major, Boötes, Virgo, Gemini
21 July, 22:00
Lyra, Cygnus, Ophiuchus, Boötes
21 October, 22:00
Pegasus, Andromeda, Cygnus, Capricornus, Pisces

When the sky is fully dark

TUG Bakırlıtepe2,500 mKarakaya3,170 mKirazlı YaylasıEmre Gölü
Jan19:41–06:3718:56–05:5719:44–06:4619:40–06:39
Feb20:10–06:1219:28–05:2920:17–06:1820:11–06:12
Mar20:37–05:3219:59–04:4520:48–05:3320:40–05:30
Apr21:11–04:4120:39–03:4921:29–04:3621:18–04:36
May21:49–04:0021:22–03:0122:13–03:4821:59–03:51
Jun22:13–03:4621:50–02:4422:41–03:3122:25–03:35
Jul21:59–04:1021:33–03:1122:23–03:5822:09–04:01
Aug21:15–04:4720:43–03:5521:32–04:4221:22–04:42
Sep20:23–05:1819:45–04:3220:34–05:2020:26–05:17
Oct19:40–05:4518:58–05:0219:47–05:5119:41–05:46
Nov19:15–06:1218:30–05:3319:18–06:2219:14–06:15
Dec19:18–06:3418:31–05:5619:19–06:4519:16–06:37

Fully dark means the Sun is more than 18° below the horizon. Times are Türkiye time (UTC+3) on the 21st of each month, from the same formulas as the wheel above.

Sunrise, sunset and twilight times agree with US Naval Observatory data to within a minute, moonrise and moonset to within two minutes, and Moon phase times to within half an hour. Each place is a point near the venue, so times at the exact spot can differ by a few minutes. Star positions come from the Hipparcos catalogue, through d3-celestial; checked 21.10.2026.

A sky event that changes venue four editions, four places

TÜBİTAK’s sky observation event began at Saklıkent in Antalya in 1998, and its 25th edition was held there in 2023. It has moved every year since: to Kirazlı Yaylası in 2024, to Konaklı in Erzurum in 2025 and to Emre Gölü in Afyonkarahisar in 2026.

The Venue Constellation

Four editions, four stars, one shape

Each year’s venue is a star on the map. The line joins them in the order they were held. Tap a star or a year to read about it.

2023Saklıkent2024Kirazlı Yaylası2025Konaklı, Erzurum2026Emre Gölü

  1. 2023 · 25th edition

    Saklıkent, Antalya

    Height
    about 2,000 m
    Length
    4 days, 3 nights
    People
    more than 1,000

    The event began at Saklıkent in 1998. In 2023 visitors went up by shuttle to TUG, TÜBİTAK’s observatory on Bakırlıtepe (2,500 m), to see its 150 cm telescope, the RTT150.

    TÜBİTAK, 14.08.2023

  2. 2024

    Kirazlı Yaylası, Bursa Uludağ

    Applications
    14,506, from 81 provinces
    Chosen
    1,047 people, by lottery
    Telescopes
    39

    The minister said studies of air and light pollution pointed to Kirazlı Yaylası. The event fell on the days when the Perseids, a yearly meteor shower, are at their peak.

    TÜBİTAK, 11.08.2024

  3. 2025 · 27th edition

    Konaklı Ski Centre, Erzurum

    Dates
    28–31 August
    Applications
    more than 33,000, from 81 provinces
    Chosen
    1,000 people, by lottery, from 79 provinces
    Telescopes
    35

    The third day, 30 August, was a public day.

    TÜBİTAK, 01.09.2025

  4. 2026 · 28th edition

    Emre Gölü, Afyonkarahisar

    Dates
    12–15 August
    Applications
    about 19,000, from 81 provinces
    On site
    36 professional telescopes, 69 astronomers
    Public day
    Friday 14 August

    Free, with participants chosen by lottery. Ages ran from one month to 75. The nights fell at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.

    TÜBİTAK, 06.07.2026 and 16.08.2026

Venue positions are drawn on the outline of Türkiye and are not to survey accuracy. Checked 21.10.2026.

Illustration: a calm lake under the Milky Way with one bright meteor streak, three dome tents on the shore, one glowing orange from inside
Illustration: a lakeshore camp under a meteor.

What the 2026 announcement asked people to bring

  • A tent and a sleeping bag of your own. Meals were served in a catering area, with shared toilets and showers.
  • A telescope, binoculars, camera or laptop, if you have one: bringing them was encouraged.
  • A headlamp or torch with a red light, so that other people’s night vision and instruments are not disturbed. TÜBİTAK strongly recommended it.
  • A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen for the day, and a fleece or thick clothing for the night.
  • Applications ran 6–19 July 2026 (until 23:59) at gge.tubitak.gov.tr, and people were chosen by lottery.

Two summits and their mirrors TUG and the Karakaya Hills

TUG, TÜBİTAK’s National Observatory in Antalya, stands on Bakırlıtepe at 2,500 m. Its RTT150 is a 150 cm telescope, built in a Turkish–Russian partnership. ATASAM, the astrophysics research centre of Atatürk University, describes the Eastern Anatolia Observatory (DAG) project: a 4 m telescope for visible light and near-infrared light (just beyond red, which the eye cannot see) on the Karakaya Hills.

Summits and Mirrors

Four heights, two mirrors, drawn to scale

The heights are the ones the sources give. Tap a summit to read its line.

~2,000 mSaklıkent2,150 mNemrut2,500 mTUG3,170 mKarakaya
metres above sea level
  1. Karakaya Hills, 3,170 m. Palandöken, beside it, is 3,175 m. Both rise above Erzurum (ATASAM).
  2. TUG, Bakırlıtepe, 2,500 m. TÜBİTAK’s National Observatory in Antalya, home of the 150 cm RTT150 telescope (TÜBİTAK, ATASAM).
  3. Mount Nemrut, 2,150 m. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, open 09:00–18:00 every day; the Ministry of Culture and Tourism says the hours can shift with sunrise and sunset.
  4. Saklıkent, about 2,000 m. The home of TÜBİTAK’s sky event from 1998; its 25th edition was held here in 2023 (TÜBİTAK).
150 cm RTT150, TUG
4 m ATASAM’s project
7 × 150 cm together give about the same area

A mirror collects light in proportion to its area. A 4 m mirror is 400 ÷ 150 ≈ 2.7 times as wide as a 150 cm one, so it collects about 2.7 × 2.7 ≈ 7 times as much light.

After TÜBİTAK, ATASAM and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Checked 21.10.2026.

Illustration: a white observatory dome with a lit slit on a pine ridge, a gravel track, and star trails circling the pole above
Illustration: an observatory dome on a pine ridge under star trails.

Bakırlıtepe, as TÜBİTAK describes it

  • During the 2023 event, visitors went up from Saklıkent by shuttle to TUG, at 2,500 m, and looked closely at the RTT150 telescope.
  • Astronomers told them about the observations being made there (TÜBİTAK, 14.08.2023).
  • ATASAM calls the RTT150 the 150 cm telescope of TÜBİTAK’s Antalya observatory, built in a Turkish–Russian partnership.
Illustration: an open observatory dome on a snowy summit at night with a large telescope tube visible inside, the Milky Way arching above
Illustration: an open dome on a snowy summit, a large telescope inside.

The Karakaya Hills, as ATASAM describes them

  • The hills are about 20 km in a straight line from Erzurum’s centre and its airport, and about 10 km from the Atatürk University campus.
  • The road to the top is asphalt except for the last few kilometres, a two-lane stabilised-gravel mountain road. Two four-person gondola lines run up from the Konaklı ski centre.
  • Hills about 2,500 m high stand between the site and the city, so the city is not in direct view.
  • The telescope in the DAG project is 4 m, for visible light and near-infrared light, which lies just beyond red.

Quick answers

How do I join TÜBİTAK’s sky event?

For the 2026 event, you applied online and names were drawn by lottery. It was free. The application ran 6–19 July (until 23:59) at gge.tubitak.gov.tr, and about 19,000 people applied from 81 provinces. Participants camped in their own tents.

How did visitors get up to the TUG observatory?

During the 2023 event at Saklıkent, TÜBİTAK took participants by shuttle to TUG on Bakırlıtepe, 2,500 m up, where they looked closely at the RTT150 telescope and heard from astronomers about the observations.

When is Mount Nemrut open?

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s page for the Mount Nemrut Archaeological Site lists opening at 09:00 and closing at 18:00, every day, with the ticket office also closing at 18:00. It adds that opening times can change with sunrise and sunset. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site at 2,150 m, and the page names the Adıyaman Museum as the contact.

What does the March 2026 national-parks law say about visitors?

Under the law of 19 March 2026, DKMP, the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, sets the fee for visitors to national parks. Entering without paying brings a fine of four times the entry fee.

Where can I check the forecast?

The Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) publishes forecasts by province and district at mgm.gov.tr.

Related: Cappadocia valleys: sunsets, hikes and fairy chimneys · Cappadocia hot air balloon prices · The Antalya city guide

Sources

Open the source list
  1. Gökyüzünün Derinliklerinde Bilinmeyeni Keşfettik — TÜBİTAK, 14.08.2023, the 2023 event at Saklıkent and the visit to TUG, checked 21.10.2026
  2. Gökbilim Meraklıları, Uludağ’ın Eteklerindeki Kirazlı Yayla’da Buluştu — TÜBİTAK, 11.08.2024, checked 21.10.2026
  3. Erzurum’da Türkiye’nin En Büyük Gökyüzü Gözlem Etkinliği Gerçekleşti — TÜBİTAK, 01.09.2025, checked 21.10.2026
  4. Rotamız Gökyüzü, Durağımız Afyonkarahisar — TÜBİTAK, 06.07.2026, the 2026 call, checked 21.10.2026
  5. Afyonkarahisar’da Köklerden Göklere Uzanan TÜBİTAK Gökyüzü Gözlem Etkinliği Sona Erdi — TÜBİTAK, 16.08.2026, checked 21.10.2026
  6. DAG Özet — Atatürk University Astrophysics Research and Application Centre (ATASAM), the Eastern Anatolia Observatory project and the Karakaya Hills, checked 21.10.2026
  7. Mount Nemrut Archaeological Site — Ministry of Culture and Tourism, hours and height, checked 21.10.2026
  8. Milli parklara yönelik düzenlemeler — DKMP news item, 23.03.2026, checked 21.10.2026
  9. Forecasts by province and district — Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM), checked 21.10.2026
  10. Astronomical Applications Department data services — US Naval Observatory, the Moon phases and the Sun’s rise and set times the wheel’s formulas were tested against, checked 21.10.2026
  11. d3-celestial — Olaf Frohn, BSD-3-Clause licence: Hipparcos-based star positions, constellation figures and names, and the Milky Way outline, checked 21.10.2026
  12. Admin 0 – Countries, 1:50m — Natural Earth, public domain: the outline of Türkiye, checked 21.10.2026

Article Information

Written by: Abdullah Habib
Published: April 11, 2023
Category: Culture

Similar Posts