Scientific Program
Thursday 5 Feb. 2026
| Time | What? | Speaker | Coordinator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:30-11:00 | Registration & Welcome | - | Ms. Shaikha Alshamsi |
| 11:00-11:15 | Opening Remarks | Prof. Hamid Al-Naimiy | Ms. Shaikha Alshamsi |
| 11:15-11:20 | Group Photo with Prof. Hamid | Prof. Hamid Al-Naimiy | Ms. Shaikha Alshamsi |
| 11:20-11:50 | Importance of Studying Binary and Stellar Systems | Prof. Mashhoor Al-Wardat | Ms. Shaikha Alshamsi |
| 11:50-12:45 | Importance of Exoplanets and Sharjah Astronomical Observatory | Prof. Zouhair Benkhaldoun & Dr. Mohammad Fadel Talafha | Prof. Mashhoor Al-Wardat |
| 13:00-14:00 | Lunch Break | - | - |
| 14:00-14:30 | ADQL – Using Gaia Catalogue Query for Eclipsing Binaries | Ms. Shaikha Alshamsi | Dr. Mohammed Hussin Talafha |
| 14:30-15:30 | The theory and design principles of PHOEBE and how to use PHOEBE to model light curves and radial velocity data | Dr. Andrej Prsa | Dr. Mohammed Hussin Talafha |
| 15:30-16:45 | An interactive online tool for studying stellar spectra | Dr. Randa Asad | Dr. Mohammed Hussin Talafha |
| 16:45-17:00 | Break | - | - |
| 17:00-17:30 | Tour around the space exhibition area | - | - |
| 17:30-18:15 | Planetarium Show | - | - |
| 19:00-22:00 | Observations of Eclipsing Binaries | Prof. Zouhair Benkhaldoun | Dr. Mohammad Fadel Talafha |
Friday 6 Feb. 2026
| Time | What? | Speaker | Coordinator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:30-15:15 | Exoplanets (Hands-on) | Dr. Mohammad Fadel Talafha | Prof. Mashhoor Al-Wardat & Ms. Shaikha Alshamsi |
| 15:15-16:00 | Eclipsing Binaries analysis using PHOEBE (Hands-on) | Dr. Mohamed Hussin Talafha | Prof. Mashhoor Al-Wardat & Ms. Shaikha Alshamsi |
| 16:00-17:15 | What parameters of binary system one can and cannot get from light curve | Dr. Mikhail Kovalev | Prof. Mashhoor Al-Wardat & Ms. Shaikha Alshamsi |
| 17:15-18:00 | X-Ray Binaries | Dr. Antonios Manousakis | Prof. Mashhoor Al-Wardat & Ms. Shaikha Alshamsi |
| 18:00-19:00 | Dinner | - | - |
| 19:00-22:00 | Observations of Exoplanets | Dr. Mohammad Fadel Talafha | - |
Saturday 7 Feb. 2026
| Time | What? | Speaker | Coordinator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00-13:15 | How to use PHOEBE to model light curve and radial velocity data | Dr. Mikhail Kovalev | Dr. Mohamed Hussin Talafha |
| 13:15-14:15 | Lunch Break | - | - |
| 14:15-15:45 | Hands-on session using PHOEBE | Dr. Andrej Prsa | Dr. Mohamed Hussin Talafha |
| 15:45-21:00 | The buses will leave SAASST to the STARGAZING Site | - | Prof. Mashhoor & Majid Al-Ali |
Note: The buses will leave SAASST at 15:45.
