KCO Images

From Sunrise at 6:20 a.m. (as seen from the KCO tower) ........

This is the island of Kaashidhoo, seen from an airplane. The picture shows the entire, crescent-shaped island with its own lagoon. Kaashidhoo is a one-island atoll with a reef that quickly drops off to about 500-600 m, as one can nicely see in dark blue on the bottom of the image.

The following is the observatory area seen from an airplane. We're overflying the premises in about 200 m altitude and looking south. The main road leads from the town to the observatory and is not very frequented by locals. Some women come here to go swimming, some kids go fishing or play around. The observatory is about 850 m away from the center of the town, the walk in the blazing sun can be quite a sweaty experience.
The crossway south of the observatory is a walkway that is used by locals to retrieve fruit, wood and herbs, the beach to the right is also used for swimming.
The KCO observatory building is clearly visible with its bright white roof and walls; the tower can be made out to the left of the building. The other buildings are no longer present, these were tents used for the inauguration on 23 February 1998. The concrete basis of the accommodation block is visible in the top left corner, the house was not yet started at that time.

....to sunset around 18:00 (seen from the town).