Stargazing on the green rooftop

Never underestimate the captivating power of a clear night sky. Since the last Sidewalk Astronomy at Yew Tee MRT station (check out our post here) (which attracted over 300 people in 2 hours), Scobbers headed out for an outreach event again last month. NIE’s Bachelor of Science Club (BSC) invited SCOB on our Facebook Page (Do like it if you haven't done so!) to conduct a stargazing session for the student teachers.

On 25th March 2014, Scobbers Alfred and Kin Guan brought starmaps (you can download them for free as well on SCS website) and a Celestron C8 telescope for the event. The venue was set at NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) building. For those who have been there, the iconic curved rooftop is covered by grass patch completely. More importantly, the unobstructed view of the night sky was terrific. We were thrilled by the excellent choice of the stargazing spot.

Image Credit: NTU School of Art, Design and Media

At the start of the event, Kin Guan gave a short talk on the night sky to the audience who were enjoying pizzas at the same time. A tutorial on how to use the starmap was given as well as easy identification of stars and planets. After that, Alfred and Kin Guan manned the C8 telescope for viewing. We pointed out constellations using green laser pointers as well. At the end of the day, 50 student teachers enjoyed themselves and learnt one or two things about astronomy.

Scobber Alfred setting up the scope.

Alfred preparing the scope for viewing.

Scobber Kin Guan giving a brief introduction to the night sky.

Interested to have a sidewalk session for your club or school? Leave us a comment and we can arrange something together!