tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82692642384465130582024-03-14T21:19:28.978+08:00SCOB - Science Centre OBservatoryUpdates and adventures from science educators/scobbers at Science Centre Singapore and the Science Centre OBservatory (SCOB).Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-47400675730834448122015-05-07T18:20:00.001+08:002015-05-07T18:20:28.574+08:00AnnouncementWe are currently not maintaining our blog here. Please go to our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SCOBservatory">Facebook Page</a> for latest updates!Kin Guanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839689999103315137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-7879676011899357702014-09-06T21:31:00.001+08:002014-09-08T09:03:15.936+08:00Rise of the Harvest Moon<span id="docs-internal-guid-1cb4993a-44c0-ac31-b3a0-84c33494f820"></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;">On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, i.e., 8 September 2014, many in
Asia will be enjoying mooncakes and parading lanterns at night in celebration
of Mid-Autumn festival, an annual celebration for the year’s harvest. Parents
and teachers will also share tales of Chang’e’s ascension to the full moon
during this night. While under the moonlight, observe if there’s anything
different about the moon. Does it seem to be bigger, brighter and fuller? </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIljt76ZQ8luOhx4JxOjEk3strlu9qwslnAyYW6CgqpkXnhyphenhyphenPu3XYrVqcehCC72SMqFzarEULQhSLgpzdWliDcebuDdNFkfQ4FoSb8itsfDxJbxwLfSltjuYRazch3o7ppiZFyGrphhY/s1600/harvest_moon_lake-earthsky-lee-capps.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIljt76ZQ8luOhx4JxOjEk3strlu9qwslnAyYW6CgqpkXnhyphenhyphenPu3XYrVqcehCC72SMqFzarEULQhSLgpzdWliDcebuDdNFkfQ4FoSb8itsfDxJbxwLfSltjuYRazch3o7ppiZFyGrphhY/s1600/harvest_moon_lake-earthsky-lee-capps.jpeg" height="292" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Photo credit: EarthSky</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This is the rise of the Harvest Moon. </span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfJzhGUOS2kyR8VzsuNiwzwkdwr8OEnpUexbEZIovOBSnVlrU6uY3OGR_T067ajV8ytMyoI4JlF0-ivc-3STW9sLY0CEMR0KdBC8k_PsBwJl99ZFHS3q_lSBcTvGyNowBzKFA-fhu-NM/s1600/puzzled-kid-harvest-moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfJzhGUOS2kyR8VzsuNiwzwkdwr8OEnpUexbEZIovOBSnVlrU6uY3OGR_T067ajV8ytMyoI4JlF0-ivc-3STW9sLY0CEMR0KdBC8k_PsBwJl99ZFHS3q_lSBcTvGyNowBzKFA-fhu-NM/s1600/puzzled-kid-harvest-moon.jpg" height="259" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No, it is still the same, loyal moon that shows up on most nights. So what’s so special about this moon you ask? The Harvest Moon is the full moon that appears nearest to the autumnal equinox, a day in September when the length of day and night is the same, i.e., 12 hours, all over the world. But what makes the Harvest Moon so special is its coincidental occurrence with the other rare astronomical phenomena.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On average, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. But when a full moon (aka Harvest Moon) occurs near the autumnal equinox, the moon rises quicker at about 30 to 35 minutes later daily for several days before and after the Harvest moon. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGV6gLNt0gTRCA2RvKNkyuW183Bo-FZzeX26P3loemFDb-Zi8n-FTz5x_sZiE7NbG44qhn5fMEEiHNOghyphenhyphenXt1kUCIapctsONDFHxdCm-YmhcK_ALc67N6-fttE7lOX5IJcrqAK8lOnAc/s1600/harvest_moonrise_ecliptic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGV6gLNt0gTRCA2RvKNkyuW183Bo-FZzeX26P3loemFDb-Zi8n-FTz5x_sZiE7NbG44qhn5fMEEiHNOghyphenhyphenXt1kUCIapctsONDFHxdCm-YmhcK_ALc67N6-fttE7lOX5IJcrqAK8lOnAc/s1600/harvest_moonrise_ecliptic.jpg" height="102" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1cb4993a-44c5-b9bf-7fdf-71621347c967" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photo credit: EarthSky</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The narrow angle of the ecliptic causes the moon to rise farther north on the horizon on </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">consecutive nights, </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">resulting in the perception of a few full moons on consecutive nights. </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1cb4993a-44c5-2e16-890e-b5698f01ffc4" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the northern hemisphere, the ecliptic, aka the moon’s elliptical orbital path, makes a narrow angle with the evening horizon around the time of autumn equinox. As a result, successive moonrises around the full Harvest Moon have shorter rising time, and are seen to rise farther up north. The period between successive moonrises drops to a minimum, and thus seem as if there are several full moons for a few nights in a row. </span><span style="line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">The full Harvest Moon will appear in the northern hemisphere on 9 September 2014. However, for countries at the equator such as Singapore, the Harvest Moon cannot be observed. One needs to be really up north or south of the Earth's equator in order to appreciate the extended moonlit nights. </span></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment--><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%;">So why name it the ‘Harvest Moon’ then? As it takes lesser time for the moon to rise during this period, the dark period between sunset and moonrise shortens. </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to </span><a href="http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/minor-lunar-standstill-minimizes-harvest-and-hunters-moons" style="line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">EarthSky</a><span style="line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the name might have been of European origin as northern Europe is much closer to Arctic than to the tropics.</span><span style="line-height: 115%; white-space: pre-wrap;"> For farmers, the earlier moonrise provided more light after sunset, enabling them to continue harvesting their crops. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As for you, do look out for the big and bright full moon in the night sky
this Mid-Autumn festival period. <span style="line-height: 1.15;">Have a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival and do join
us for our special planetarium shows featuring stories about the Moon and many
others, every Friday night from 5 September to 3 October 2014 (excluding 12 September).</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-80610393751563981562014-06-17T12:33:00.000+08:002014-06-17T12:33:04.326+08:00Solar Observation on Summer Solstice Week <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When in Singapore, everyday feels like summer - mostly hot ( average of 24- 32</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">°</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">C) and humid. We do not experience the transition of the environment through the 4 different seasons. However, if you were in the northern part of this world, e.g. America, you would be looking forward to this weekend as Summer hits the region. During Summer, the warmest season of the year, the sun will stay up in the sky for longer, resulting in a longer day time and hotter days as compared to the rest of the year. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-bf2ae9bb-98fc-1f0d-2e88-72f3f0000c9d" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What happens during Summer Solstice? </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The summer that people in the Northern region will be experiencing is a result of the Earth’s position in relation to the Sun. Happening from June to September, the hottest season begins with the Summer Solstice celestial event which happens around 21 June every year. The word 'solstice' comes from the latin words, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>s</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>ol</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (which means 'sun') and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>stitium</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (which means ' to stand still') as the sun appears to stop moving. On this day, the northern region will experience the longest day of the entire year. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyday, the Earth faithfully revolves around the Sun, as well as rotate about its own axis. As the Earth does not spin around a vertical axis, i.e., it has a tilted axis (23.4 degrees towards the plane of Earth’s orbit), the amount of Sunlight that reaches the different parts of the Earth changes as it orbits around the Sun. During this 3-month Summer period, the Earth’s axis tilts towards the Sun, and as a result, the northern hemisphere receives more direct sunlight rays than the southern hemisphere. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPSCIYn6FBP3k5X8311UO-Ftz2swDNE0ZAjEv9Thiky9MltMkTQxvoI9ISVpCpqFAOMhzB0zH25yEQM_sth4uLz6L1FbazEhXDomPLZFF_WXDHm_f6PpRE474LDzuK8tTWPpAocwGPj8/s1600/Seasons-solstice.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPSCIYn6FBP3k5X8311UO-Ftz2swDNE0ZAjEv9Thiky9MltMkTQxvoI9ISVpCpqFAOMhzB0zH25yEQM_sth4uLz6L1FbazEhXDomPLZFF_WXDHm_f6PpRE474LDzuK8tTWPpAocwGPj8/s1600/Seasons-solstice.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: BBC Science</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Summer in America is Winter in Australia </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While people in the Northern hemisphere are donning on their bathing suits and getting ready to hit the beach, people in the Southern hemisphere, such as Australia, are putting on extra layers to brace themselves for the chilly winter. As the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun and receives more direct light, the Southern hemisphere, which is at the opposite side, receives less sunlight and experiences shorter daytime. Hence, regions at the opposite poles experience extreme differences in weather and different seasons. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Meanwhile in the South...</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58v01XJwzQWxd9DNut5tpUZ_tN2o5aNppI7oHXYjn6H9X_M0tmVuxPqokomHYx4XKWbl2BQOLmfgsV9tEYOR00r5p_0HzIWvqJIBE49RQuLr-n6neEkyYxp0-Awag-d5U6uKRt7bG4kI/s1600/winter-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58v01XJwzQWxd9DNut5tpUZ_tN2o5aNppI7oHXYjn6H9X_M0tmVuxPqokomHYx4XKWbl2BQOLmfgsV9tEYOR00r5p_0HzIWvqJIBE49RQuLr-n6neEkyYxp0-Awag-d5U6uKRt7bG4kI/s1600/winter-meme.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">View the Sun on International Sun Day! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have you been avoiding direct eye contact with the Sun because your parents or teachers have told you the Sun’s bright rays are damaging to your eyes? They are definitely right! Staring at the sun for too long is damaging to your retina and may even cause partial blindness. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We know you are curious about how the Sun looks like (and itching to look at it even for just a few seconds!). Here’s your chance to view the Sun directly and safely on International SUN-Day, which is held on 22 June 2014, the Sunday nearest to the Summer Solstice. The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) will be setting up some specially outfitted telescopes for solar observation at the Observatory for public viewing. Through these modified telescopes, you will be able to observe sunspots, prominences as well as the sun’s corona. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So make this SUNday a meaningful one by joining us to marvel at the beauty of the big flaming star. Everyone’s invited!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>SUN-Day Solar Observation </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">22 Jun 2014 (Sunday)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Time: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3.00pm - 6.00pm</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Venue: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Science Centre Singapore Observatory</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cost: FREE for everyone! </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-1385177431383137852014-04-25T09:01:00.001+08:002014-04-25T09:01:26.697+08:00Stargazing on the green rooftopNever underestimate the captivating power of a clear night sky. Since the last Sidewalk Astronomy at Yew Tee MRT station (check out <a href="http://scobbers.blogspot.sg/2014/02/sidewalk-astronomy-at-yew-tee.html">our post</a> 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 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SCOBservatory">Facebook Page</a> (Do<span style="color: purple;"> </span>like it if you haven't done so!) to conduct a stargazing session for the student teachers.<br />
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On 25th March 2014, Scobbers Alfred and Kin Guan brought starmaps (<span style="background-color: white;">you can download them for </span>free as well on <a href="http://www.science.edu.sg/events/Documents/Stargazing/2014%20Singapore%20Star%20Maps.pdf">SCS website</a>) 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.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.adm.ntu.edu.sg/AboutADM/Facilities/PublishingImages/Building/building-(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.adm.ntu.edu.sg/AboutADM/Facilities/PublishingImages/Building/building-(1).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: NTU School of Art, Design and Media</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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<span style="color: purple;"> </span>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.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86b_i0wSES5dhGr17mrJ51i2QO0x69SoWE1K6KZY1cBD0N5tz7zF643RjWdyy4cZ-3t8zNGQaGA06sswcrWZJEocNp36CV-gQ9sV9z1obL6o568fQPtpLtGCvwjp-eZlIn0xG3GzDkNRW/s1600/DSC08057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86b_i0wSES5dhGr17mrJ51i2QO0x69SoWE1K6KZY1cBD0N5tz7zF643RjWdyy4cZ-3t8zNGQaGA06sswcrWZJEocNp36CV-gQ9sV9z1obL6o568fQPtpLtGCvwjp-eZlIn0xG3GzDkNRW/s1600/DSC08057.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scobber Alfred setting up the scope.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tE-ngenY9dPnZwmgZTa_NotxBEyQFLJ6guJT_Ne7E6gkONZYthKcJUOb4cxk2Aik-we48cFe3iNudRTS01dsXlEoHBcd9XYtEeD3V9IRBhLdNCH1ABdh5mOG7pvEGv3iwDWVH58w3hyV/s1600/DSC08059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tE-ngenY9dPnZwmgZTa_NotxBEyQFLJ6guJT_Ne7E6gkONZYthKcJUOb4cxk2Aik-we48cFe3iNudRTS01dsXlEoHBcd9XYtEeD3V9IRBhLdNCH1ABdh5mOG7pvEGv3iwDWVH58w3hyV/s1600/DSC08059.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alfred preparing the scope for viewing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5D7dPbvOl9DLGBXo6EsUcv781AHLkQ0P93NFE8ZOec0l9E-2eJwVUO1N_LgYuNlXMDJrt2RMjOrfySi9mtxrRjYAqBKTNZlPvG6Tr17Oa9diak2sHm6B4-a6eNxijzD5uXfHigL5jQegT/s1600/DSC08074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5D7dPbvOl9DLGBXo6EsUcv781AHLkQ0P93NFE8ZOec0l9E-2eJwVUO1N_LgYuNlXMDJrt2RMjOrfySi9mtxrRjYAqBKTNZlPvG6Tr17Oa9diak2sHm6B4-a6eNxijzD5uXfHigL5jQegT/s1600/DSC08074.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scobber Kin Guan giving a brief introduction to the night sky.</td></tr>
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Interested to have a sidewalk session for your club or school? Leave us a comment and we can arrange something together!<br />
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<br />Kin Guanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839689999103315137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-28926136130403633972014-02-26T09:03:00.000+08:002014-02-26T09:54:37.388+08:00With Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson & Ann Druyan<div class="MsoNormal">
On 13<sup>th</sup> and 14<sup>th</sup> February 2014,
Scobbers Danny and Kin Guan were invited by National Geographic Channel to
follow Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson around in Singapore.</div>
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Yes, you heard it right. The sexiest astrophysicist in the
world, the guy who made many kids cry by demoting Pluto to a dwarf planet, the
frequent guest on <i>The Daily Show </i>and <i>The Colbert Report</i>, and the meme
immortalized online.</div>
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<a href="http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/198/020/BRTky.jpg?1320962111" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/198/020/BRTky.jpg?1320962111" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: knowyourmeme.com</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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He came to Singapore to promote his newest TV documentary
series <i>COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey</i>. This
13-part series, combining drama, fantasy and stunning natural reality, is the
follow-up of Carl Sagan’s classic <i>COSMOS:
A Personal Voyage</i> produced thirty years ago. Covering a wide range of
scientific topics such as the origin of life and the universe, Sagan did a
terrific job in communicating science to a wide public audience. The programme
has been broadcast in more than 60 countries and seen by over 500 million
people.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/Cosmos_spacetime_odyssey_titlecard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/Cosmos_spacetime_odyssey_titlecard.jpg" height="136" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: Wikipedia</td></tr>
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It was such a precious legacy left by Sagan to us. Since his
death in 1996, his widow Ann Druyan has been trying to create a new version of
the series. Together with Dr Tyson and Seth MacFarlane (yes, the <i>Family Guy</i>), she managed to secure
funding and TV channel (Fox TV) for the show.</div>
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In Southeast Asia, the first episode <i>“Standing Up In the Milky Way”</i> will premiere on simulcast across
National Geographic Channel (NGC), NGC HD, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo People, as
well as FOX, FX, and FOXCRIME. Danny and
Kin Guan, along with other media representatives, had the privilege to watch it
during the press conference and media preview on Thursday (13<sup>th</sup>
February) held at ArtScience Museum.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AiuLhOZjweqRp9O9UIgceP5NoqL2JGpdAv5jzb3tqYhkArVcO4jSANBqb06xFKiPy3OykhuyGXXtu74S7fX5zVpEWZEMYhwFMo9Emz-ybyjPy7TzKqdNCpSR5djvW__6z3G_WXtOSkRC/s1600/%5BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%5D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AiuLhOZjweqRp9O9UIgceP5NoqL2JGpdAv5jzb3tqYhkArVcO4jSANBqb06xFKiPy3OykhuyGXXtu74S7fX5zVpEWZEMYhwFMo9Emz-ybyjPy7TzKqdNCpSR5djvW__6z3G_WXtOSkRC/s1600/%5BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%5D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++(11).jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: National Geographic Channel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck6m0-fTiJn6r8L_Su3kbcDb2QEtxnl7pyLQQ4bgsJDHwUkZT-XDUG-4anSkZ4dC8ivNfu0uo2BdraT1RhPmy6R93uFWm0_CXvMrcbXOBsFzUz31y20wnmUkDMTMaCbFGphIx2idUdbzM/s1600/%5BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%5D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++(15).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck6m0-fTiJn6r8L_Su3kbcDb2QEtxnl7pyLQQ4bgsJDHwUkZT-XDUG-4anSkZ4dC8ivNfu0uo2BdraT1RhPmy6R93uFWm0_CXvMrcbXOBsFzUz31y20wnmUkDMTMaCbFGphIx2idUdbzM/s1600/%5BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%5D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++(15).jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: National Geographic Channel</td></tr>
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Free from the shackles of time and space,
Neil tells us the story of humankind and universe in his signature Ship of the
Imagination. We were all amazed by the stunning visual effects and the
splendorous views. The concept of compressing the whole history of the universe
into one year opens up our eyes and mind – Human is so insignificant when
placed in such a long scale of time. This is what Neil calls a “Cosmic Year”.
For example, in the last second of the Cosmic Year (31 December, 23:59:59),
human firstly observed the Moon in telescope and landed on it (which spans 400 years in real time)!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQSy_bl9Kez8szTBSqX-DGny7qxizsT_Y4tHzNylpVORDsecWWj0TNJJlvsEb_-KlhGVIoZOc8pxrTGl8-0cGduSZCaSD-LOuP7KcV6fZVf-uFknWUTFKcqocrOuyNWaDsnYtAK9BxJAd/s1600/%255BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%255D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++%252866%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQSy_bl9Kez8szTBSqX-DGny7qxizsT_Y4tHzNylpVORDsecWWj0TNJJlvsEb_-KlhGVIoZOc8pxrTGl8-0cGduSZCaSD-LOuP7KcV6fZVf-uFknWUTFKcqocrOuyNWaDsnYtAK9BxJAd/s1600/%255BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%255D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++%252866%2529.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: National Geographic Channel</td></tr>
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Ann Druyan pointed out that the major differences between
the old and new series are the cinematic experience and elements of skepticism.
She mentioned that one 9-minute scene where the viewers are plunged into the
heart of Titan, Saturn’s largest Moon. She believes that this new addition to
the series will surely amaze the generations and beyond.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9-rIOmBWGOx5Lz9lCmJsIVzXwuQU0MFUUIroxVZ0oXQK4dDOUzC03R44jYaXTDsr6DnZscOX5RT5XCIpLLjjXhy5l-VeCLe9cXjeGc3Sthc36LtHjVs4luIjWex69YYhyphenhyphenwPa1PM_cYpK/s1600/%255BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%255D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++%252825%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9-rIOmBWGOx5Lz9lCmJsIVzXwuQU0MFUUIroxVZ0oXQK4dDOUzC03R44jYaXTDsr6DnZscOX5RT5XCIpLLjjXhy5l-VeCLe9cXjeGc3Sthc36LtHjVs4luIjWex69YYhyphenhyphenwPa1PM_cYpK/s1600/%255BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%255D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++%252825%2529.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: National Geographic Channel</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBRPjal9iVn-WrN8kFVr2ouhSJmXmJM4HEiGmiG-44Xs5WaDYRwOZt6y28Oy5ytTOHI6ris5cHTdxhZaVQfB8BYu9nYaG3FLrr1WBlqxakiDe0u9kPrRhO8gxKRpvhNI3i6_EQOLwuCdX/s1600/%255BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%255D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++%252855%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBRPjal9iVn-WrN8kFVr2ouhSJmXmJM4HEiGmiG-44Xs5WaDYRwOZt6y28Oy5ytTOHI6ris5cHTdxhZaVQfB8BYu9nYaG3FLrr1WBlqxakiDe0u9kPrRhO8gxKRpvhNI3i6_EQOLwuCdX/s1600/%255BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%255D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++%252855%2529.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: National Geographic Channel</td></tr>
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When asked how the rise of social media affects the science
education for young generation, Neil was not worried over the phenomenon. Being
an avid user of Twitter having 1.6 million followers, he found that the social
media is not distraction at all. On the contrary, the power of visual splendour
and storytelling bestowed by social media is staggeringly huge and provides an
uplifting force to the society. </div>
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The last question asked was on his wrestling stint in
Harvard: If he chose the road not taken and became a wrestler, what would be
his ring name? The answer, of course, is related to astronomy. One very special
property about the Moon is that it always faces the Earth with the same side.
This effect, called “<a href="http://scobbers.blogspot.sg/2013/10/happy-belated-mid-autumn-festival.html">tidal locking</a>”, can be true in the other way too! When the
Earth faces the Moon with the same side, the phenomenon is called “double tidal
lock”. Voilà, that’s Neil’s ring name and signature move.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLHPxsj7o90iQrjmD7kZg8aG4KXCacNSuUe4HkXs16HpX7sqaplZB-5uSzHNFBi7SEYOdMmmz4YmUTi8uMZ9tz_lOWbkToX8y5hyphenhyphenfmdylaDpGxVRArxxrpv3RfRk2DJ35j5QnHfIRkgSJ/s1600/%255BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%255D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++%252879%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLHPxsj7o90iQrjmD7kZg8aG4KXCacNSuUe4HkXs16HpX7sqaplZB-5uSzHNFBi7SEYOdMmmz4YmUTi8uMZ9tz_lOWbkToX8y5hyphenhyphenfmdylaDpGxVRArxxrpv3RfRk2DJ35j5QnHfIRkgSJ/s1600/%255BPress+Conference+and+Media+Screening+in+Singapore%255D+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey++%252879%2529.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a menacing move from Neil the wrestler! "Double Tidal Lock"<br />
Image Credit: National Geographic Channel</td></tr>
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For a more detailed Q & A, please check out the <a href="http://blog.science.edu.sg/index.php/2014/02/a-cosmic-encounter/">blog post</a> (<a href="http://blog.science.edu.sg/index.php/2014/02/a-cosmic-encounter/">link</a>) on Science Centre website written by Danny!<br />
<br />
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey premieres on 15th March, 10pm (SG time), on the National Geographic Channel (SingTel mio TV Ch. 201 & StarHub TV Ch. 411). Don’t miss it!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqjqK3zUDtXwbUJB3ZmpI_ql6-nFxr0kkHtZVHSfFGq8fSGibvAyzvHZ2B0AL6_ik1YaT8_5oesA0GusoljqOwioPZM5b-RBAgwbU7ZMuQe6Oeo0bnIUz4pjA0-FVjAmomfTT0t5c_abW/s1600/Host+of+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey%252C+Neil+deGrasse+Tyson++%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqjqK3zUDtXwbUJB3ZmpI_ql6-nFxr0kkHtZVHSfFGq8fSGibvAyzvHZ2B0AL6_ik1YaT8_5oesA0GusoljqOwioPZM5b-RBAgwbU7ZMuQe6Oeo0bnIUz4pjA0-FVjAmomfTT0t5c_abW/s1600/Host+of+Cosmos+-+A+Spacetime+Odyssey%252C+Neil+deGrasse+Tyson++%25283%2529.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: National Geographic Channel</td></tr>
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Kin Guanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839689999103315137noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-22198740014823540232014-02-13T17:26:00.000+08:002014-02-13T17:26:31.820+08:00Sidewalk Astronomy at Yew Tee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last Friday (7th February 2014), Scobbers Alfred, Everlyne and Kin Guan showed the wonders of the night sky to the public in Yew Tee for the first time this year. This was a collaboration between Science Centre Singapore and Yew Tee RC Zone 10.<br />
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We brought our C8 Celestron telescope out and set the venue up with the help of RC volunteers. The venue was Yew Tee MRT Open Space (In between Yew Tee Square and Yew Tee Mall). (<a href="https://www.google.com.sg/maps/preview/@1.397562,103.746822,3a,75y,90.31h,87.17t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sJRr-4o05CnWgUii2WmhZ4w!2e0">Google Street View</a>)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloudy weather around 7pm on Friday. What could we see?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scobbers having a briefing with RC volunteers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting up the banner. </td></tr>
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We started the telescope viewing at 8pm and the queue was already forming:</div>
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Thanks to the clear sky (the clouds kindly made way for us), we were able to observe first quarter Moon (it's a <a href="http://earthsky.org/moon-phases/first-quarter">half-lit moon</a> from Earth's perspective) and Jupiter. Alfred manned the telescope and introduced some fun facts about Jupiter and Moon:<br />
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Everlyne interacted with the public in the queue and handed them <a href="http://www.science.edu.sg/events/Documents/Stargazing/2014%20Singapore%20Star%20Maps.pdf">Star Map</a>. It is a handy tool to identify the objects in the night sky!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>We were glad to share the beauty of the night sky with <b style="text-decoration: underline;">321</b> patient public members -- that's a very good response! From the heartwarming comments and praises received, we believe that this sidewalk astronomy event was a success and look forward to working with RCs again to bring astronomy to you :)<br />
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Science befriends and transforms the minds of millions, and astronomy is one of the best subjects to start with. Please follow us on this blog and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SCOBservatory">Facebook page</a> for updates and news at SCOB!<br />
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<br />Kin Guanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839689999103315137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-51613983183402431152013-12-09T15:31:00.000+08:002013-12-17T11:12:47.367+08:00Look, a shooting star! (and what happened to Comet ISON?)Our Solar System is an amazing place. There are a bunch of objects whizzing around the Sun including planets, asteroids and comets. Comets, often called "shooting stars", are very interesting. They are strikingly beautiful, relatively rare and worth studying.<br />
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Comet ISON, called the "Comet of the Century" on various media, has been a popular topic since its discovery on 21 September 2012. Below we explain some basic features of comets, illustrated with the example of Comet ISON.</div>
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<b><u>What is a comet?</u></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Great_Comet_of_1882.jpg/388px-Great_Comet_of_1882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Great_Comet_of_1882.jpg/388px-Great_Comet_of_1882.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Comet of 1882.</td></tr>
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In simple term, a comet is a dirty ice ball moving around the Sun. When passing close to the Sun, it evaporates and displays a thin cloud and sometimes a tail. In scientific terms, the ball is called <i>nucleus </i>and the cloud <i>coma</i>.</div>
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Originated from Kuiper belt or Oort cloud, a comet mainly consists of rock, dust, ice, and solid gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. Its dimensions are from few hundreds metres to few kilometres. </div>
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<i><b>Comet ISON:</b> </i>It is around 2 kilometres long according to Hubble Telescope observation. </div>
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<u><b>How do we name a comet?</b></u></div>
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Many naming systems have been used to name comets, therefore many comets have more than one name. </div>
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Comets are named after the year of discovery...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Comet of 1680. Isaac Newton used it to verify Kepler's Laws.</td></tr>
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Or after the names of discoverer...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Halley's_Comet,_1910.JPG/220px-Halley's_Comet,_1910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Halley's_Comet,_1910.JPG/220px-Halley's_Comet,_1910.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halley's Comet. Discovered and predicted by Edmond Halley, it can be seen every 76 years.</td></tr>
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Or according to IAU (International Astronomical Union) system. Comets are designated by the year of the discovery, followed by a letter indicating the half-month, and a number indicating the order of discovery. Prefixes are used to describe the nature of the comet as well.<br />
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<i><b>Comet ISON:</b></i> Comet ISON was discovered in Russia by International Scientific Optical Network (ISON). Its formal name is C/2012 S1:<br />
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<li>C/ means that it is non-periodic. It is not likely to revisit the Solar System. Even if it comes back to the Sun next time, it will be another 400,000 years at least!</li>
<li>2012 denotes the year of discovery.</li>
<li>S denotes the second half-month of September.</li>
<li>1 indicates it is the first comet discovered in that period.</li>
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<b><u>What is the fate of a comet?</u></b></div>
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A comet can end up in very drastically different outcomes. The possible fates are:</div>
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<li>It comes back regularly, for example Halley's comet (period of 76 years).</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The orbit of Halley's comet. The next visit is in 2024.</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>The nucleus evaporates by the Sun's immense heat and radiation. The comet is said to fade or extinct. </li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/3552Don2-LB4-mag15.jpg/170px-3552Don2-LB4-mag15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/3552Don2-LB4-mag15.jpg/170px-3552Don2-LB4-mag15.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3552 Don Quixote.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>The nucleus may break up under the Sun's gravity or radiation. The remnants are still spectacular.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Schwassman-Wachmann3-B-HST.gif/220px-Schwassman-Wachmann3-B-HST.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Schwassman-Wachmann3-B-HST.gif/220px-Schwassman-Wachmann3-B-HST.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15.828125px; text-align: left;">Breaking up of 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15.828125px; text-align: left;">in 1995. This animation covers three days.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<ul>
<li>It may fall into the Sun or smash into another planet. Comet Shoemaker-Levy broke up and collided with Jupiter in July 1994.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Jupiter_showing_SL9_impact_sites.jpg/220px-Jupiter_showing_SL9_impact_sites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Jupiter_showing_SL9_impact_sites.jpg/220px-Jupiter_showing_SL9_impact_sites.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brown spots indicate the crash sites of Comet Shoemaker-Levy on Jupiter in 1994.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<i><b>Comet ISON:</b></i> According to NASA Comet ISON Observing Campaign, it is very likely that Comet ISON does not survive the trip. Most of the nucleus has been disintegrated by the Sun's gravity pull and intense radiation. All hopes are not lost yet, as a very diffused remnant emerged after the passage. The following short clip shows the time-lapsed images on the NASA STEREO spacecraft. </div>
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<div>
<b>(Big animated gif, please be patient... it is worth it!)</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.isoncampaign.org/files/images/blogpics/cor2a_anim.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.isoncampaign.org/files/images/blogpics/cor2a_anim.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div>
We may have been denied the opportunity to observe a bright comet in the night sky, but the scientific data collected is highly valuable. Scientists will know more about the behaviour of comets when they are very near to the Sun, and are able to predict such comets (called Sungrazing comets) better in the future. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Reference:</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/comet_ison/blogs/measuring-the-size-of-ison-s-nucleus-point-spread-function">http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/comet_ison/blogs/measuring-the-size-of-ison-s-nucleus-point-spread-function</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.isoncampaign.org/karl/a-trail-of-questions">http://www.isoncampaign.org/karl/a-trail-of-questions</a></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Kin Guanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839689999103315137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-79748453427147781102013-10-30T14:25:00.001+08:002013-10-30T14:25:22.402+08:00Halloween Special: Spirits in Space<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NHbJAE5b76YUksel4qg8P8jp6ORnCm6HVdreTIeg3q0mFPcDUGicIUkAhxup2pxgvAti5TeygcCVvQ9dPJHPcSrGhc0OSNKY4gu48q5JJ1ixtfGdELooCP62cFzUkChMTJtlFdsuc0g/s1600/spooky_nebula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NHbJAE5b76YUksel4qg8P8jp6ORnCm6HVdreTIeg3q0mFPcDUGicIUkAhxup2pxgvAti5TeygcCVvQ9dPJHPcSrGhc0OSNKY4gu48q5JJ1ixtfGdELooCP62cFzUkChMTJtlFdsuc0g/s320/spooky_nebula.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a spooky halloween! Pictured above is an eerie nebula (SH2-136) that is <br />located about 1,200 light years away from us.<br />Photo credit: Adam Block, NOAO, AURA, NSF</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you have watched the recent sci-fi space movie, ‘Gravity’ (starring
George Clooney and Sandra Bullock), you would have realised the extremely risky
nature of space expeditions. When things go seriously wrong up there, death is
almost inevitable.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">For the Celtic people who lived 2000 years ago, Halloween falls
on the eve of their new year, which happens on 1 November. On Halloween (31
October), it is believed that the boundary between this world and the next becomes unclear. This is when the ghosts of the dead start to return to
earth. As we prepare to dress up in our spookiest costumes this Halloween
night, let us take the time to remember the heroes who have sacrificed
their lives up in space...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before Neil Armstrong became the
first human to conquer the moon, there had been hundreds of animals that were
sacrificed in the name of space exploration. Animals such as monkeys,
chimpanzees, dogs, mice and other animals were used as test subjects in space
to analyse the effects of space environment such as microgravity and radiation
exposure on human during spaceflight.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7YjtmuSeYhal7jFe_D2aOLIBjIbxylEyYmiYiKQ3BYAWjFCz1sRD4JT8BmEVX95h3Xkmht51KOvCiXna849zDpd5vMZhwsy22NbI94BHJOfzI6m2SGzECyhbMpjOwcXI1-infEWJOWM/s1600/laika_space_dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7YjtmuSeYhal7jFe_D2aOLIBjIbxylEyYmiYiKQ3BYAWjFCz1sRD4JT8BmEVX95h3Xkmht51KOvCiXna849zDpd5vMZhwsy22NbI94BHJOfzI6m2SGzECyhbMpjOwcXI1-infEWJOWM/s320/laika_space_dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laika, the space dog, was the first animal in space. Unfortunately, <br />she never return as a re-entry plan had not been worked out.<br />Photo credit: NASA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unfortunately, the earlier designs for spacecraft construction
were still in the experimental phase. As a result, many animals that were sent
for spaceflights died from starvation or dehydration during flight and in
explosions while on board the shuttle. In some cases, the spacecraft in which
the animals flew in were never recovered. This has led to speculations of
abandoned ships that might be drifting in orbit together with their animal
astronauts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It is not just animal deaths that happened during space travels.
In 1971, three Soviet crew members of the Soyuz 11 spacecraft, Georgi
Dobrovolski, Viktor Patsayev and Vladislav had died in space as a result of
space decompression during preparations for re-entry. Technically speaking,
these are the only human fatalities that occurred in space (100km above sea
level) so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEOn9u2K7CYfsYE9W2-A9ib75AGLevqddJo1JyMQiM_DHY0uyKuT9IlW34S_iF3xGgqefFjyC1oUfYo-m8n3zIyWC-hnEyzUD0GF-Ns6cB-mTyp7uVDpQmkTwWrt10oM67ELfdGQpd-Q/s1600/soyuz11_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEOn9u2K7CYfsYE9W2-A9ib75AGLevqddJo1JyMQiM_DHY0uyKuT9IlW34S_iF3xGgqefFjyC1oUfYo-m8n3zIyWC-hnEyzUD0GF-Ns6cB-mTyp7uVDpQmkTwWrt10oM67ELfdGQpd-Q/s320/soyuz11_jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The unfortunate crew members (from left to right: Georgi Dobrovolski, Viktor Patsayev and Vladislav Volko) <br />of Soyuz 11 were the first men to occupy the world's first space station.<br />Photo credit: Joachim Becker/ SpaceFacts</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks to the sacrifices of these animals, astronomers are now
able to better understand the requirements of bringing a living being into
space and also what lies in the universe out there. So the next time you wish
upon a shooting star or wonder what that mysterious looking object in the night
sky may be, remember that there is more than meets the eye... </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-52132318790832932562013-10-01T11:01:00.001+08:002013-10-01T11:02:18.726+08:00Happy Belated Mid Autumn Festival!Scobbers were so busy that we forgot that Mid Autumn Festival has past! Other than filling ourselves with mooncakes and playing with sparklers, we found out some amazing facts about the Moon that you might not know.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>1. The Moon was created in a huge impact event by a Mars-like object</u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOzAh-zqR-4tYYwJFmrK8NE6DLCbwE0nJGXnwQg2yxrhlemoSc-irR22anWqHxZjj74yzhAwnlAggmRx1apWmYgDRDdnrNJnUxZLgO1fTitc7839BIL6ZkW6zMJl5pad7dw17m1YZIxrZ/s1600/Giantimpact.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOzAh-zqR-4tYYwJFmrK8NE6DLCbwE0nJGXnwQg2yxrhlemoSc-irR22anWqHxZjj74yzhAwnlAggmRx1apWmYgDRDdnrNJnUxZLgO1fTitc7839BIL6ZkW6zMJl5pad7dw17m1YZIxrZ/s1600/Giantimpact.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist's Impression of Giant Impact event (Source: Wikipedia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
Termed as "Giant Impact Hypothesis", most scientists think that the Moon was formed after a great collision between the Earth and a Mars-sized object 4.5 billion years ago. It explains why the Earth and the Moon spin in similar ways. Scientists also did some calculations to show that if the post-impact Earth revolves in a 2-hour period, i.e. a day is 2 hours instead of 24 hours, we can explain some of the observations.<br />
<br />
After the direct impact, the cores of the Mars-sized object and the young Earth fused. The collision made the post-impact Earth spin so fast that a significant portion of the Earth's mass was ejected to form the Moon. By the conservation of angular momentum (a quantity to describe an object's rotation), the Earth-Moon system has similar spin directions.<br />
<br />
Also, if the Moon was created from the Earth's material we can explain the fact that the Earth and the Moon have similar chemical compositions. For example the isotopes of oxygen and titanium were found to have identical ratios in both lunar and terrestrial rocks.</div>
<div>
<br />
The Mars-like object is commonly known as Theia. In Greek myth, Theia is a titan who gave birth to Selene the Moon, Helios the Sun and Eos the Dawn. That's why we use <i>Selen- </i>(or <i>lunar) </i>and <i>Helio- </i>to describe stuff related to the Moon and the Sun respectively.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>2. We are always looking at the same side of the Moon</u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tvpUdko9Hsv7Ty6J1mEqzMySmJWanHDZu4MlPbxM28F2NP1jPatx8ex55jNs9RivqFIyEqfpN6SeKaeXZ3mJV3UofRfdDeasD6oLI50qDbSCzxMEniVOUaRKHEQBcgNNZh9NWHFuoOjd/s1600/FullMoon2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tvpUdko9Hsv7Ty6J1mEqzMySmJWanHDZu4MlPbxM28F2NP1jPatx8ex55jNs9RivqFIyEqfpN6SeKaeXZ3mJV3UofRfdDeasD6oLI50qDbSCzxMEniVOUaRKHEQBcgNNZh9NWHFuoOjd/s320/FullMoon2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near side of the Moon (Source: Wikipedia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucyBNENVEAkBbeTdAUWrklBYKv6FybOpVhN8WVCseIcdd_lOK2TMiagWjvsaCPZTsUQyAxJO9QVk5sd3XlCz6-nkVip0ag9znv6eQCc_M6mldecR9kzgRrR3BppzFI3-i11tZI4E9oOcY/s1600/Moon_Farside_LRO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucyBNENVEAkBbeTdAUWrklBYKv6FybOpVhN8WVCseIcdd_lOK2TMiagWjvsaCPZTsUQyAxJO9QVk5sd3XlCz6-nkVip0ag9znv6eQCc_M6mldecR9kzgRrR3BppzFI3-i11tZI4E9oOcY/s320/Moon_Farside_LRO.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Far side of the Moon (Source: Wikipedia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Readers may have known this fact a long time ago. The "dark" side of the Moon has also been depicted in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers:_Dark_of_the_Moon">movie </a>as well. Of course, there are neither giant robots nor military bases located at the far side of the Moon, as shown in the <a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130916.html">NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day on 16 September 2013</a>. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNUNB6CMnE8">Direct YouTube link</a>)<span id="goog_322374248"></span><br />
<span id="goog_1449368990"></span><span id="goog_1449368991"></span><br />
There is nothing hidden behind the Moon as shown in photos taken by lunar probes. There are only craters at the far side of the Moon (the side that is not facing us). On the other hand, the near side of the Moon (the side that is facing us) has more interesting features. Apart from the craters there are valleys, mountains and <i>maria </i>(meaning Sea in Latin). Maria appear dark as they mainly contain iron compounds that are less reflective. People in ancient times made up stories for the observed patterns, such as the Moon rabbit legend in Chinese culture. Do you see it in the following picture?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm47xqeT_IAawYwnZUjdoZKcGEtryyR8L6uXSEPMc1_l6DqeD9nSm-HdjLF9Dx-gczMRbbd00FS-ymKEwcKyLaRvufvyi5Io4isoF_ttVr9rdjxNRq8g4E2pCXfeAbFflRsUAx1Dm0znPD/s1600/Rabbit_in_the_moon_standing_by_pot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm47xqeT_IAawYwnZUjdoZKcGEtryyR8L6uXSEPMc1_l6DqeD9nSm-HdjLF9Dx-gczMRbbd00FS-ymKEwcKyLaRvufvyi5Io4isoF_ttVr9rdjxNRq8g4E2pCXfeAbFflRsUAx1Dm0znPD/s320/Rabbit_in_the_moon_standing_by_pot.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did you see the Moon Rabbit? (Source: Wikipedia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Regarding why the Moon always faces with the same side, we need to know how gravity works. Every massive object in the universe attracts each other with a force called gravity. For instance, an apple drops to the ground due to the Earth's gravity (the apple also attracts the Earth, but the effect is very negligible due to the Earth's much larger mass). The strength of the gravity depends on the distance between two objects, so in this case the near side is more attracted than the far side is, making the Moon face towards the Earth with only one side. This effect is called "<b>Tidal Locking</b>".</div>
<div>
<br />
<b><u>3. One day, we will lose the Moon</u></b><br />
<br />
The Moon exerts a gravitational force on the Earth (and vice versa), pulling the water nearer to itself and causing high tide on the Earth. As the Earth rotates underneath the water (we can imagine Earth being a solid rocky ball covered by water), it tugs the tides and loses some of the rotational energy. As a result, the Moon picks up some of the energy and then speeds up, ascending from its orbit. On average, the distance between the Earth and the Moon increases by around 4 cm every year.<br />
<br />
It has an interesting side effect: as the Earth loses rotational energy it will rotate slower and slower. The length of a day will increase as a result, amounting to 2 millisecond per century. Wish to have 48 hours per day? Perhaps if you're still around after 4 billion years!<br />
<br />
Reference:<br />
<ol>
<li><i>Wikipedia</i>. Moon. Retrieved 20 September 2013, from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon</a></li>
<li><i>Geology 5835 - The Moon - Fall 2006.</i> University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved 20 September 2013, from <a href="http://lasp.colorado.edu/life/GEOL5835/Moon_presentation_19Sept.pdf">http://lasp.colorado.edu/life/GEOL5835/Moon_presentation_19Sept.pdf</a></li>
<li><i>A New Model for the Origin of the Moon. </i>Harvard University. Retrieved 24 September 2013, from <a href="http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~planets/sstewart/Moon.html">http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~planets/sstewart/Moon.html</a></li>
<li>M. <a class="name-search" href="http://www.sciencemag.org/search?author1=Matija+%C4%86uk&sortspec=date&submit=Submit" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline-style: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Ć</a>uk, S.T. Stewart (2012). <i>Making the Moon from a Fast-Spinning Earth: A Giant Impact Followed by Resonant Despinning</i>. Science Vol. 338 no. 6110 pp. 1047-1052.</li>
</ol>
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Kin Guanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839689999103315137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-50977070636000006162013-09-13T15:29:00.000+08:002013-09-16T12:13:41.890+08:00A small upgrade at SCOB<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUezF9CmarKRzKUrq_An_mCNmIsyXsqYpRSk2NHfZZyJ78gkwoJNy9NH6EpLWKT9rIo6gXmFPSSnrORdDkMrQ4Jd6zEvXm-r43l-gae3fvZvOAYNqeCOMCFhS8WpzKHYMKz2B0mMyAGEs/s1600/Science_Centre_Observatory_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUezF9CmarKRzKUrq_An_mCNmIsyXsqYpRSk2NHfZZyJ78gkwoJNy9NH6EpLWKT9rIo6gXmFPSSnrORdDkMrQ4Jd6zEvXm-r43l-gae3fvZvOAYNqeCOMCFhS8WpzKHYMKz2B0mMyAGEs/s400/Science_Centre_Observatory_2.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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We have recently upgraded our observatory step by step! (pun intended) We have placed anti-slip strips on every step of the stairway to the Observatory. <b>Scobbers </b>Chua, Li Fei and Joanna have been busy under the hot weather :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zRm-ly6DuhV_O4laJknwCaLUunuk05PJ0-UDucQew9h_NzDs-Huogun_rni-8bk85aGR2vGcWafxr6M_mLzl8OK9V3z_B6U0oFU7zNWnll4vN54Q5UyhCCKbrmRpjy1CEpXEDj0PDLYx/s1600/IMG_20130911_103013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zRm-ly6DuhV_O4laJknwCaLUunuk05PJ0-UDucQew9h_NzDs-Huogun_rni-8bk85aGR2vGcWafxr6M_mLzl8OK9V3z_B6U0oFU7zNWnll4vN54Q5UyhCCKbrmRpjy1CEpXEDj0PDLYx/s400/IMG_20130911_103013.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrMbiMkrlfxw3f1GXbh0lgFrebUukKKZspphmRKpEl6r1FTWAEK_CModGRhjN84wq8gfL386fR-tAELu8Ik0g3_ucKFXzIRDsTupVQlfWpyHBkmUv1i2Sp4CxeNXLCXWc7i8I6tOcLAoS/s1600/IMG_20130911_104134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrMbiMkrlfxw3f1GXbh0lgFrebUukKKZspphmRKpEl6r1FTWAEK_CModGRhjN84wq8gfL386fR-tAELu8Ik0g3_ucKFXzIRDsTupVQlfWpyHBkmUv1i2Sp4CxeNXLCXWc7i8I6tOcLAoS/s400/IMG_20130911_104134.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Now the steps will not become as slippery as before when it rains. Still, please go up the stairway one step at a time carefully :)</div>
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Kin Guanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839689999103315137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-62141527711946496282013-08-30T18:18:00.002+08:002013-08-30T18:18:53.769+08:00Venus: A Hostile PlanetIt has been over one year since we witnessed Venus travelling in front of the Sun. We had <a href="http://scobbers.blogspot.sg/2012/06/transit-of-venus-pictures.html">an event last year</a> to observe this rare phenomenon. Did you come?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBx2FbcjPvRVsuGtdQGY_7ywxEaR3wYvOg_m02ctTwGmzU5moZNrGgq_vo-UukvLTpQKTp2aBGxpJDI4cTS5_Ny0hMIOsDiH-xB11hQq4ZC7VM3x6TW73t94ciFBanJHPSBns7N5eAPb8/s1600/1265649_10151649804366589_575486042_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBx2FbcjPvRVsuGtdQGY_7ywxEaR3wYvOg_m02ctTwGmzU5moZNrGgq_vo-UukvLTpQKTp2aBGxpJDI4cTS5_Ny0hMIOsDiH-xB11hQq4ZC7VM3x6TW73t94ciFBanJHPSBns7N5eAPb8/s400/1265649_10151649804366589_575486042_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venus spotted in front of Science Centre's entrance.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venus spotted in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.</td></tr>
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In these few months we can observe Venus when we look towards the western sky. Often mistaken for a star, Venus appears as a very bright speck in the sky. It is so bright that it can actually <a href="http://www.digitalsky.org.uk/venus/shadow-of-venus.html">cast shadows</a> on Earth. </div>
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Here are some short facts about Venus:</div>
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<li><b>It is Earth's Twin Sister</b>. It is the closest planet to Earth, and similar to Earth in terms of size and mass.</li>
<li><b>It is the only planet in the Solar System that is named after a female figure</b>.</li>
<li><b>On Venus, a day is longer than a year</b>. One Venusian day is 243 Earth days, and one Venusian year is 224.7 Earth days.</li>
<li><b>It is the hottest planet in the Solar System</b>. The average surface temperature on Venus is 462 °C.</li>
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The last statement comes from the fact that Venus is shrouded by a thick atmosphere which consists of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid. These gases form highly reflective clouds, preventing us from observing the Venus surface directly. In other words, the pictures we see are actually the Venusian atmosphere instead of the surface. Active volcanic activities happen on the surface of Venus, as evident in the radar image below. These make Venus an extremely hostile place for us to go!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venus. The surface is obscured by thick clouds. (Wikipedia)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craters on the surface of Venus. (Wikipedia)</td></tr>
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Fortunately for us Earthlings, we can observe Venus from a safe distance (1.7 x 10^8 kilometres, or 17 followed by 7 zeros). Around 7pm to 9pm, we can observe Venus now until end of November. Look towards the Western sky and say hello to Venus! Science Centre Observatory opens every Friday from 7:45pm to 10pm, come and join us!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHOwpjUZYJtV2G8PI4qBUFwQPwXXNSGoRf-sd0A31sHrs9DtlWG_E8xku_INNtUWHi-LoPJFv7lDCxw8jVkaMWryo6sbHxvt6ViesCX08AQ_KyJb9a2B6R-0F0ZG7xeFuAivFIzrPG_ex/s1600/Venus_Aug13_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHOwpjUZYJtV2G8PI4qBUFwQPwXXNSGoRf-sd0A31sHrs9DtlWG_E8xku_INNtUWHi-LoPJFv7lDCxw8jVkaMWryo6sbHxvt6ViesCX08AQ_KyJb9a2B6R-0F0ZG7xeFuAivFIzrPG_ex/s320/Venus_Aug13_2.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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Kin Guanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839689999103315137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-89706665889642702642013-06-20T12:00:00.001+08:002013-06-20T14:47:54.769+08:00June 2013 - Venus, Mercury, Solstice, Supermoon and HAZE!!!June got off to a pretty good start with clear nights and some great views of Saturn.<br />
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Planets Venus and Mercury also made an appearance shortly after sunset. Mercury was at its highest on 12th June, about 24 degrees high at sunset. Its gradually getting lower each day before disappearing by end June.<br />
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I took this picture on 10th June, when a thin waxing crescent Moon was near Venus. Mercury is the dimmer object above Venus near the top edge of the photo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSBf-Jf2Sts58doGxB7UonHJQbcTn30yKuK_zRqpBV7D58aVBU0lZaHeL6vXr6TqTg0YJUaGiRAOCHqWHq7n0QD_PnvGNLVB9L-9rOL2bEchwCAv5llBulrEZzkOrJ743KBGMzMyCfSqG/s1600/Moon+Venus+Mercury+June+10+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSBf-Jf2Sts58doGxB7UonHJQbcTn30yKuK_zRqpBV7D58aVBU0lZaHeL6vXr6TqTg0YJUaGiRAOCHqWHq7n0QD_PnvGNLVB9L-9rOL2bEchwCAv5llBulrEZzkOrJ743KBGMzMyCfSqG/s640/Moon+Venus+Mercury+June+10+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Venus will get higher each day from now until November as it makes its way closer to Earth.<br />
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<b>Mercury-Venus Conjunction</b><br />
On 20th and 21st June, Venus and Mercury will appear close together (about 2deg apart). Due to their low position in the western part of the sky, they will only be visible from 7:30pm-8pm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0PPRB1WPg1cKiPMfHEhm-SP6p96b08PgGthf1t8qhswi5aUDBdzkRSzCnUcby0KJOvKi5m6tzwr3bMHRorjAAd-zSOPJbIxnfQQnLMd5TIKd9lAx13vtXEFoT0KbHmGOUNpq_LSZCc8x/s1600/june+20+2013+venus+mercury.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0PPRB1WPg1cKiPMfHEhm-SP6p96b08PgGthf1t8qhswi5aUDBdzkRSzCnUcby0KJOvKi5m6tzwr3bMHRorjAAd-zSOPJbIxnfQQnLMd5TIKd9lAx13vtXEFoT0KbHmGOUNpq_LSZCc8x/s640/june+20+2013+venus+mercury.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot from Stellarium planetarium programme - posted on Singapore-Sky Facebook page by Dr KK Cheong.</td></tr>
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Sadly, the haze that has currently enveloped the island will make these planets almost impossible to see.<br />
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<b>Northern Solstice</b><br />
June 21st is the time when the Sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky due to the tilt of the Earth. This also causes warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours in the Northern parts of the world.<br />
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In Singapore, expect the Sun to rise from the north east and set in the north west. Daytime will also be <i>slightly</i> longer than usual, <b>12 hours 11 mins 43 secs</b> to be more exact. Sunrise: 7:00am, Sunset: 7:12pm.<br />
For more info on Solstice see last year's post: <a href="http://scobbers.blogspot.sg/2012/06/june-solstice-in-singapore.html" target="_blank">Solstice in Singapore</a><br />
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<b>Supermoon Returns</b><br />
23rd June 2013 is Full Moon in Singapore. Its also the Moon's closest perigee (the Moon's closest point to Earth), resulting in a larger than normal Full Moon, known as a Supermoon.<br />
Even at its closest point the Moon is still 356989km away, therefore the difference in size is hard to notice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnADC3yhCmOW3v3vwny0a80Kg8yV4TwMlJfLQlVobavSuNUWph6j7I9vWAwc1QSQMdd3qtQq0v2itDgzey5s9lyN-iYcSQcuhJCsBBsmq-8-VQzMlb_hYbASoddfDsEktZtAUqEUM-2u9/s1600/apogee-perigee-NASA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnADC3yhCmOW3v3vwny0a80Kg8yV4TwMlJfLQlVobavSuNUWph6j7I9vWAwc1QSQMdd3qtQq0v2itDgzey5s9lyN-iYcSQcuhJCsBBsmq-8-VQzMlb_hYbASoddfDsEktZtAUqEUM-2u9/s640/apogee-perigee-NASA.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Size difference of Full Moons at closest position to Earth (perigee) and furtherest distance (apogee)</td></tr>
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Usually the Moon looks bigger when its lower in the sky due to an illusion where are brain perceives objects near the ground closer than those high in the sky.<br />
The June Supermoon is actually closer than other supermoons that occur in the year but once again it will be difficult to notice unless you compare photos of other full moons.<br />
More on supermoon: <a href="http://earthsky.org/tonight/is-biggest-and-closest-full-moon-on-june-23-2013-a-supermoon" target="_blank">Earth and Sky - Most "Super" Supermoon</a><br />
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<b>Haze</b><br />
These three astronomical events are quite subtle and can be missed if you don't know what you're looking for. Visibility is made worse by the haze blowing over Singapore from Sumatra.<br />
The air quality/Pollutant Standards Index is currently in the unhealthy-hazardous range, so its not the best time to be going outside looking at the sky.<br />
Took a picture of the hazy Sun setting behind Science Centre on the way home last night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3793kAP3er6ryVGWW6B54tX38y8H2S3ChbPnwuTOP3ApRREp2bu6B-X_n10Q0Qw8AU4ST0jYTK8jlixC5ANkQKbSGrf8msyMrrYtlDCanwcLPS_QzNO4QcB_rKx9kNyccAcC1Dj4akRk/s1600/SCS+sunset+haze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3793kAP3er6ryVGWW6B54tX38y8H2S3ChbPnwuTOP3ApRREp2bu6B-X_n10Q0Qw8AU4ST0jYTK8jlixC5ANkQKbSGrf8msyMrrYtlDCanwcLPS_QzNO4QcB_rKx9kNyccAcC1Dj4akRk/s640/SCS+sunset+haze.jpg" width="356" /></a></div>
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Someone commented that it looked a bit like Lord of the Rings, i.e. the eye of Sauron above the Dark Tower Barad-dur. A few minutes later I saw a post from SGAG with the exact same idea:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KYMdnyG4eh3gIc3wIhKTewJfdhdl5AzUaWFdy_t6pEfFkNMcGMDkGzWZsn7B5XSCvw9VyoT5EbB0Yo7VCgO-kMQJvM8hCVBYsVXXa7fJLvq4aZ69WHnx15csJNsTkMxefWLhj46OW1kP/s1600/Barad-dur+SCS+Haze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KYMdnyG4eh3gIc3wIhKTewJfdhdl5AzUaWFdy_t6pEfFkNMcGMDkGzWZsn7B5XSCvw9VyoT5EbB0Yo7VCgO-kMQJvM8hCVBYsVXXa7fJLvq4aZ69WHnx15csJNsTkMxefWLhj46OW1kP/s640/Barad-dur+SCS+Haze.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original picture submitted by Jonathan Chong. Posted on SGAG facebook and www.sgag.sg</td></tr>
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<br />Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-37599880745185318662013-05-03T17:30:00.003+08:002013-05-03T17:36:43.156+08:00Return of Saturn<b>Saturn at Opposition</b><br />
Every year as Earth makes it way around the Sun, it reaches a point where it is in line with an outer planet like Saturn. This is called opposition.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oMWz4lryU3V8-apsxiWX-ecv1XIe75Y8MS1T_W8WBbLaPnEioUji8SjOsKVF6O7fIv0IvePI8A_QCPmTGKZdptkWsASUi5fAfOe6x2ev2r7CCbbEKrT1FBSDdudcxGW-ieUcqbzRJREa/s1600/Sol+System+-+Saturn+Opp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oMWz4lryU3V8-apsxiWX-ecv1XIe75Y8MS1T_W8WBbLaPnEioUji8SjOsKVF6O7fIv0IvePI8A_QCPmTGKZdptkWsASUi5fAfOe6x2ev2r7CCbbEKrT1FBSDdudcxGW-ieUcqbzRJREa/s640/Sol+System+-+Saturn+Opp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This year Saturn was at opposition on Sunday 28th April 2013. This means that Saturn has now started to appear in the eastern part of the sky during the early evening and appears at its brightest and biggest over the next few weeks.<br />
Here's a photo of Saturn, which I snapped through our main telescope at the end of last Friday's stargazing session:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturn on 26th April 2013 at 10:20pm. - Taken with a HTC One X+ phone camera through a 16 inch cassegrain telescope with a 13mm Nagler eyepiece.</td></tr>
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I was quite impressed at how this photo turned out, considering it was take with a phone camera held in front of the eyepiece. The fact that I was using an expensive, high power eyepiece lens (13mm Nagler) also helped.<br />
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Each year Saturn's opposition occurs about two weeks later than the previous year's. By the time Earth's returns to its previous position after its 365 day orbital journey, Saturn has also moved about 1/29th of the way around its own orbit.<br />
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As a result we see Saturn slowly drift in font of the the more distant star and constellations. Currently Saturn is making its way through the constellation Virgo. At next year's opposition it will be closer to Libra.<br />
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<b>Saturn's tilt</b><br />
Observing Saturn each year, you may begin to notice a change in the appearance of its rings. That is, some year you see more of them than others.<br />
Like the Earth, Saturn is tilted. Its poles are tilted by about 26.7 degree. Depending on Saturn's position along its orbit we sometimes see Saturn tilted towards us or tilted away from us.<br />
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Back in 2009, Saturn was not tilted towards us at all, resulting in an edge-on view of the rings, making them appear very thin.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrf2YXXztoexlhy7UDl3Rjsd9aRhlWSASWy3klSTXsu7nRajLmCaJDQXE2k0UoU5311I1SLjKHMe4_RtXVcmYQ9o1F1-MSMBOIInSY3X6pbCrgowM7cJIHAm1dArHToj-hiuzMRCm8PLdE/s1600/Saturn+2010+(2)-+Taken+with+Nikon+D70+DSLR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrf2YXXztoexlhy7UDl3Rjsd9aRhlWSASWy3klSTXsu7nRajLmCaJDQXE2k0UoU5311I1SLjKHMe4_RtXVcmYQ9o1F1-MSMBOIInSY3X6pbCrgowM7cJIHAm1dArHToj-hiuzMRCm8PLdE/s640/Saturn+2010+(2)-+Taken+with+Nikon+D70+DSLR.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturn in 2009 - a thin edge on view of the rings, as seen from Singapore on 20th March 2009, looking East through our main telescope (16 inch cassegrain), with a Nikon D70 DSLR camera.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>A brief sidetrack</b><br />
Note that the vertical orientation of the rings in this photo has nothing to do with Saturn. It's because of our position on Earth. Here in Singapore, we are standing almost 90 degree from the north pole, thus we are standing sidewise relative to Saturn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfUHsIhVEhCjc16RgrB6_zy8E7ce8-jb3InmFIGBsWBa343Ia5PQOg4GeWZzQkDF4mI63CTJ6hlwNnQgyEcaR2N2A6HXq9ys938qofl_IZ5b56v8Axa2qc7vTuPefivi2qWeqiMo6y_Ou/s1600/Saturn+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfUHsIhVEhCjc16RgrB6_zy8E7ce8-jb3InmFIGBsWBa343Ia5PQOg4GeWZzQkDF4mI63CTJ6hlwNnQgyEcaR2N2A6HXq9ys938qofl_IZ5b56v8Axa2qc7vTuPefivi2qWeqiMo6y_Ou/s640/Saturn+side.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Late last year I was informed of a video (on youtube) that was using this very photo (amongst others) to falsely claim that Saturn has been knocked completely off its axis, signalling the end of the world. The video has since been removed and the world is still here.<br />
Due to the curved surface of the Earth, observers in different locations and time periods will see Saturn at different angles.<br />
Of course, I could have just rotated the camera or the photo to match Saturn's actual orientation.<br />
<br />
<b>Back to Saturn's tilt</b><br />
Over the last few years, Saturn's "natural tilt" has resulted in its north pole facing more towards the Earth, resulting in the rings appearing wider and wider each year.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyh56RKv8yULdtBhjB6qjry3aIVHwPrDqKlnTq1lkHRfU-m5PClYUvJowjF0aecSvAnl1bl6Rb6r-tnOl_Q0mJNHur-EZH7_QYfERibcWyCJvjXIIdr2bGwmxhIJRr3AOAwm4jzGnE-TCo/s1600/Saturn+2011+-+Taken+with+Nikon+D70+DLSR+-+through+16+inch+cassegrain+telescope+-.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyh56RKv8yULdtBhjB6qjry3aIVHwPrDqKlnTq1lkHRfU-m5PClYUvJowjF0aecSvAnl1bl6Rb6r-tnOl_Q0mJNHur-EZH7_QYfERibcWyCJvjXIIdr2bGwmxhIJRr3AOAwm4jzGnE-TCo/s640/Saturn+2011+-+Taken+with+Nikon+D70+DLSR+-+through+16+inch+cassegrain+telescope+-.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturn in May 2011 - taken through our 16 inch cassegrain reflector using a Nikon D70 DSLR camera.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaQ1f6Pc4fkEnHyvqaPkMA1L7Tn7WWNQKvbtx4_5Z3EyYu1EYqIaX2eq4w9AD3jtVTQPsb8XniS_oYzbK_fLz-biZbBLSgHroraONA3x2uRkFod7Tq3tLAw6W_-pixs571FWLy3sKytrd/s1600/Saturn+2012+May+(3)+-+Taken+with+Nikon+D70+Camera+through+16inch+Cassegrain+telescope.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaQ1f6Pc4fkEnHyvqaPkMA1L7Tn7WWNQKvbtx4_5Z3EyYu1EYqIaX2eq4w9AD3jtVTQPsb8XniS_oYzbK_fLz-biZbBLSgHroraONA3x2uRkFod7Tq3tLAw6W_-pixs571FWLy3sKytrd/s640/Saturn+2012+May+(3)+-+Taken+with+Nikon+D70+Camera+through+16inch+Cassegrain+telescope.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturn in 2012 - taken through our 16 inch cassegrain reflector with a Nikon D70 DLSR camera. Rings look slightly wider than in the photos from 2009 and 2011.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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By 2017 we will have the widest possible view of the Saturn's rings. After 2017 the rings start to appear smaller again as Saturn's north pole begins to turn away from us.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmdEmmQEdBXM5BeuOyanqfO_lJdDNpymno_8HxXRBj1FGGtMiderU2f5kkevkJcxwIKhiORGe7hqPwxZ_r4IflToW8FiZHQI4lC65LcF2vvmovqBCZnjFUdCaVFDh80f-v1vT5f6dqjAF/s1600/Saturn+2017+11+jun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmdEmmQEdBXM5BeuOyanqfO_lJdDNpymno_8HxXRBj1FGGtMiderU2f5kkevkJcxwIKhiORGe7hqPwxZ_r4IflToW8FiZHQI4lC65LcF2vvmovqBCZnjFUdCaVFDh80f-v1vT5f6dqjAF/s640/Saturn+2017+11+jun.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturn Rings in 2017 - Screen capture from astronomy software Starry Night Pro Plus.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Finally, Saturn is bright enough to see without the aid of the telescope as a bright yellowish dot in the sky, just slight east of the a bright whitest star in called Spica (part of Virgo). Each night over the next few months, its will gradually shift more towards the western part of the sky before disappearing from view around September/October time.<br />
Each month the Moon will pass by Saturn in the sky. Look out for Saturn beside the Moon on 23rd May and 19th June.<br />
<br />Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-13108061683710648372013-04-05T18:04:00.000+08:002013-04-06T14:25:02.142+08:00What's up for April 2013<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Stars and Constellations</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the past few months we've been focused on the bright stars and constellations of Orion, Taurus, Canis Major, Gemini, etc. During the early evenings of April, these stars are getting lower and lower towards the West </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">each day</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bright reflected light of Jupiter is still visible in this part of the sky close to Taurus. By next month most of these stars will begin to disappear from view.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbYZY-YDQZwsM31DJkEfpROJiAG8VPn1ZoA9Fy7lv2q4eBjZnIxVJeqgp0J3-dOj60fTn5B6tRSErFBAJoJiSQXnL-ozweMAnb8xFpcvPnGxM0umnQ4YS4iaPz_auAIFsPTdWcm9vo8bO/s1600/April+Stars+west.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbYZY-YDQZwsM31DJkEfpROJiAG8VPn1ZoA9Fy7lv2q4eBjZnIxVJeqgp0J3-dOj60fTn5B6tRSErFBAJoJiSQXnL-ozweMAnb8xFpcvPnGxM0umnQ4YS4iaPz_auAIFsPTdWcm9vo8bO/s640/April+Stars+west.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From April onwards, we start to shift our attention to the bright stars of the South, including the second brightest star in the night sky, </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Canopus,</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> part of the constellation Carina. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Canopus</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">was also </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">known in China as “Old Man of the South” for its southern location and sometimes red appearance in hazy or cloudy conditions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The constellations <span style="font-weight: bold;">Puppis</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Vela</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Carina</span> form the ancient
star pattern of the Argo Navis, representing the
sailing ship from an Ancient Greek legend. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The asterism (star
pattern) the <span style="font-weight: bold;">False Cross</span> is sometimes confused for the Southern Cross (Crux),
located nearby to the east. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lying close to a
dense part of our Galaxy, The Milky Way, several star clusters can be found
when scanning the area with binoculars.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAu5VW0naDHFqe21ajSQaF9lTEvXA3wcse4kqCaS5J-sfBo2631X3-PoulbAorcFWVmTNEDt7P0QvPS5HG2MQHewYZJZn8gHKIL7PBPJrJ_RzkxJf-07eY5ch-7c0BHCCmTR5-O2a3vjt3/s1600/carina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAu5VW0naDHFqe21ajSQaF9lTEvXA3wcse4kqCaS5J-sfBo2631X3-PoulbAorcFWVmTNEDt7P0QvPS5HG2MQHewYZJZn8gHKIL7PBPJrJ_RzkxJf-07eY5ch-7c0BHCCmTR5-O2a3vjt3/s640/carina.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) & 2) M46, M47 </span>–
Two faint open clusters, east of bright star Sirius. M47 is the closer and
brighter of the two. Small telescopes maybe required.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">3)
M93 – </span>Faint wedge-shaped
star cluster over 3000 light years away but visible in binoculars.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">4)
IC2391 – </span>large open cluster of
50 stars surrounding the star Omicron Velorum. Best viewed using binoculars<span style="font-weight: bold;">. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5), 6) ; 7) IC2581, NGC3293 NGC3114 </span> Three fainter
open star clusters located in front of the rich spiral arm of the Milky Way. Binoculars and small telescopes required.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">8)
Eta </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Carinae</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">
Nebula (NGC 3372) – </span>a
gas cloud surrounding the explosive variable star Eta Carinae. Several more stars
are visible through binoculars and telescopes.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">9)
NGC3532 - </span> A large bright open cluster containing more
than 100 stars forming an elliptical shape, 1300 lightyears away.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">10)
IC2602 (The Southern Pleiades) </span> Large open
cluster of around 60 stars surround star Theta Carinae. Easy to spot with binoculars .
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Saturn</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every year planet Saturn makes it appearance in the sky when it approaches opposition, i.e. when the Earth moves into alignment with both Saturn and the Sun. This period results in the closest distance between Saturn and Earth and the brightest and biggest view of Saturn in the sky.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbt9j121GZRr-l6HuEvwzneQtEPZcUxksq1rgUBwwFAMlqjeIUy7YRUBO6zdkJlYUFPp6v1Bcg4xm-27QFj693jiNZGSyGzg7Wq9pay6iF0nqSZPoveFEIW07RInr5GZesMaoimw91_se/s1600/Saturn+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbt9j121GZRr-l6HuEvwzneQtEPZcUxksq1rgUBwwFAMlqjeIUy7YRUBO6zdkJlYUFPp6v1Bcg4xm-27QFj693jiNZGSyGzg7Wq9pay6iF0nqSZPoveFEIW07RInr5GZesMaoimw91_se/s640/Saturn+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Opposition occurs on 28th April 2013. So can we can expect to be observing Saturn at SCOB during the later part of the month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Moon</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the dates for the main moon phases this month. We will be observing the Moon at our Friday night stargazing sessions on Friday 19th April and Friday 26th April.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Nx0lLT__I5ts3Xi9kvPnZ5NZRoYrZ0NwmxNNJoxKsbEFJ7RK_oilouh2nhay_Q3zASqGCmBrzoKTiTQ-xHD-S698c9DFam7F1E4jsSjhwSz6rXhlqExtMduiYun7ej1gV3ZCq1xJXnw8/s1600/Moon+date+april+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Nx0lLT__I5ts3Xi9kvPnZ5NZRoYrZ0NwmxNNJoxKsbEFJ7RK_oilouh2nhay_Q3zASqGCmBrzoKTiTQ-xHD-S698c9DFam7F1E4jsSjhwSz6rXhlqExtMduiYun7ej1gV3ZCq1xJXnw8/s640/Moon+date+april+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Full Moon on 25th/26th April 2013 will result in a Partial Lunar Eclipse over Singapore, when the Moon enters the outer edge of Earth's shadow (the penumbra). However, this is only a very small eclipse, therefore the Moon will only darken slightly during 2am-6am on Friday 26th April, (Singapore time).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We will not be holding any eclipse viewing event at SCOB.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It may be difficult to notice any change in the moon's brightness.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fRroC8PFFEyVuF2MAc9wWHvaSpCvzYLgi-tFiaGt3rSY7Ej3VkvQoAt5O2F5RB_fMvfX5ZOPqrDb2d2cyPt4Xgd2nPD1HxZvT2353lUpwewsso4XmFwq5GUvVHOxltaGq5p0btA-oD8D/s1600/April+2013+-+lunar+eclipse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fRroC8PFFEyVuF2MAc9wWHvaSpCvzYLgi-tFiaGt3rSY7Ej3VkvQoAt5O2F5RB_fMvfX5ZOPqrDb2d2cyPt4Xgd2nPD1HxZvT2353lUpwewsso4XmFwq5GUvVHOxltaGq5p0btA-oD8D/s640/April+2013+-+lunar+eclipse.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Lyrids Meteor Shower</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, 21st/22nd April is the annual Lyrids Meteor Shower,<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"> one of the brightest showers of the </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">year. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">We will not be organising any meteor shower events because most meteors cannot be seen in a bright urban environment like Singapore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">You can increase you chance of seeing a few meteors by going to a wide open area such as a sports field, beach or reservoir, but the frequency of meteors may only be about one or two per hour.</span><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Meteor showers are best observed from midnight til dawn. Lyrid meteors originate from the north-east direction but can appear in any part of the sky.</span></span></div>
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Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-82447734339198609872013-03-07T12:20:00.000+08:002013-03-07T18:07:05.824+08:00First week of March 2013Last Friday 1st March, the sky cleared for our first stargazing session of the month.<br />
At first it was mostly cloudy with lightning in the distance so we delayed our start time to allow the weather to improve. Whilst waiting we had time to watch the dramatic sunset.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKOiZjxBmjujyM0Oy1_XhXNA0k_qYCFwThfYwzEYKV-dapUTsB-AHL05k38viQP1ztFBtKT8giP00KoKq1bqfNU30Yw6VdbNiruPwfuUpQtR_7sJkMjEEEVEgEJ2qTUMwUoMOxv2EsMe-F/s1600/IMAG0297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKOiZjxBmjujyM0Oy1_XhXNA0k_qYCFwThfYwzEYKV-dapUTsB-AHL05k38viQP1ztFBtKT8giP00KoKq1bqfNU30Yw6VdbNiruPwfuUpQtR_7sJkMjEEEVEgEJ2qTUMwUoMOxv2EsMe-F/s640/IMAG0297.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyRDbGnII-mXswvOk8rpv57t_tFcqRnVPJsdnv76pr0H6BCeuj7kUmerOk5cDLARaULTdMt21k5TIyHcOSP4kq91GZhzKmljp3t071t4Ns7NoAWepwO3WRBD3HsTa6z3CkdO-3-8OE_rg/s1600/IMAG0294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyRDbGnII-mXswvOk8rpv57t_tFcqRnVPJsdnv76pr0H6BCeuj7kUmerOk5cDLARaULTdMt21k5TIyHcOSP4kq91GZhzKmljp3t071t4Ns7NoAWepwO3WRBD3HsTa6z3CkdO-3-8OE_rg/s640/IMAG0294.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset 1st March 2013 - Science Centre Singapore Observatory.</td></tr>
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After 8pm the sky was clear. As usual, <b>Jupiter</b> was the main target for most of the first hour. Just like the previous week, the Great Red Spot (a giant storm) was faintly visible amidst one of the equatorial cloud belts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3LHCf9d2zUcMJTKhyphenhyphenhzcr-Zlpkqg2W7y3kwYRvCnbfmgXg3rfytk7R3gq3KF4gmspyr9Yok60IERRr63SAnjloq86Ctkl4X8yUanfGm_0ejXUcryT7MG5bE3o2IgkoTA7FjQl_-HbBM2/s1600/DSC_1674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3LHCf9d2zUcMJTKhyphenhyphenhzcr-Zlpkqg2W7y3kwYRvCnbfmgXg3rfytk7R3gq3KF4gmspyr9Yok60IERRr63SAnjloq86Ctkl4X8yUanfGm_0ejXUcryT7MG5bE3o2IgkoTA7FjQl_-HbBM2/s640/DSC_1674.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jupiter - Taken on 22nd Feb 2013 - from Science centre Singapore, through a 16 inch Cassegrain using a Nikon D70s. The great red spot is just visble on the left, beside the southern equatorial belt (lower dark band).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_q0fTgRsm_fHtcfBfBHZaW9pcnwRZMm9hJeCginxjVjchWJdAUGwbVtJsWlqrTiTe2D7TnVlUVfImNC1zdmhcPj6yC4G8S8pZ0yyiWRVe4BA27UTJZMCDAvsChH7GlUlxCFIT4KoZD23/s1600/DSC_1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_q0fTgRsm_fHtcfBfBHZaW9pcnwRZMm9hJeCginxjVjchWJdAUGwbVtJsWlqrTiTe2D7TnVlUVfImNC1zdmhcPj6yC4G8S8pZ0yyiWRVe4BA27UTJZMCDAvsChH7GlUlxCFIT4KoZD23/s640/DSC_1678.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jupiter - taken on 22nd Feb 2013 - through a 6 inch refractor. Sidewise orientation due to position of Jupiter in the sky (towards the west) and the position of the camera.</td></tr>
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Later in the evening we turned are attention to the bright stars and constellations of <b>Taurus, Orion</b> and <b>Canis Major</b>. The great <b>Orion Nebula</b> (M42) was particularly stunning in the main 16-inch telescope, especially as there was no moonlight around.<br />
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After closing time, a few of us stayed back to take some photos of constellations:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmim92iPq-6On_1CYNNuMLnJyZ1SpPVaOx_gx1BkUtHfeH8EGn-lQs5TZdktuc1guXZbAVsiTVFNLJsYs6qOA_jCVUVC7SSeepUVK22OLL9kliWTB_mVe3JhZZv5nEBvc4YiNKMRrb2dEO/s1600/DSC07718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmim92iPq-6On_1CYNNuMLnJyZ1SpPVaOx_gx1BkUtHfeH8EGn-lQs5TZdktuc1guXZbAVsiTVFNLJsYs6qOA_jCVUVC7SSeepUVK22OLL9kliWTB_mVe3JhZZv5nEBvc4YiNKMRrb2dEO/s640/DSC07718.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion (top) and Jupiter (brightest, below) next to bright star of Aldebaran (in Taurus) - taken facing west - 1st March 2013.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FsjPOirRm6BgvcASuOE7PRV3WHyDKybLJUhkb3GOyOAWfBk-d3d7L_stFWjWoYANea6h2RTrgAMGWCV65M07XwQsYYVaHaYRe-Odk6JGr3UG13CxSxmzdELl5Ai-DOv4NyV9K6HUHS8k/s1600/DSC07719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FsjPOirRm6BgvcASuOE7PRV3WHyDKybLJUhkb3GOyOAWfBk-d3d7L_stFWjWoYANea6h2RTrgAMGWCV65M07XwQsYYVaHaYRe-Odk6JGr3UG13CxSxmzdELl5Ai-DOv4NyV9K6HUHS8k/s640/DSC07719.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rectangular constellation of Gemini - bright stars Pollux (on top) and Castor (below). Facing North.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM30dglisialVk-rzl80_-rJjC8X_1mF07AykvRqptn5T4vD3yiBaZGnOtxhCwjL500n-R9aB8O0GzfvpIeRaMoDvIanLyMCsQiwZ3n0iIZoUOtHtF_g3k1s3Mbs8JV_xrrmnJf_NAdmUH/s1600/DSC07723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM30dglisialVk-rzl80_-rJjC8X_1mF07AykvRqptn5T4vD3yiBaZGnOtxhCwjL500n-R9aB8O0GzfvpIeRaMoDvIanLyMCsQiwZ3n0iIZoUOtHtF_g3k1s3Mbs8JV_xrrmnJf_NAdmUH/s640/DSC07723.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of Orion</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKUGERIYVKXW2AijhQFH2gpQlbBnd1WRG4G6Gma4njlcq6zLQtWWCvzO5DUgh50xusqr7cWYZsjLLZFFCoURyXl6GnG9Rop_yADAkOHQd50ApfoSn9Yyn1ml6hpKHvFLz9wkLKPNBA8CN/s1600/DSC07724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKUGERIYVKXW2AijhQFH2gpQlbBnd1WRG4G6Gma4njlcq6zLQtWWCvzO5DUgh50xusqr7cWYZsjLLZFFCoURyXl6GnG9Rop_yADAkOHQd50ApfoSn9Yyn1ml6hpKHvFLz9wkLKPNBA8CN/s640/DSC07724.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of Canis Major - brightest star Sirius (top right).</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRbkwlzqVqEQrOsOmzeiEySXObA2FWzvxWnOij7AmR4xZtq-Lxb9kfBD7fmlBvy1gLpscMGYgnoPnKCHDSc3VurEgCJ0fUJOoXkJcydPZSY82TyLE_iddEiEPjt12ZXivKdjPr45s0XsY/s1600/DSC07725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRbkwlzqVqEQrOsOmzeiEySXObA2FWzvxWnOij7AmR4xZtq-Lxb9kfBD7fmlBvy1gLpscMGYgnoPnKCHDSc3VurEgCJ0fUJOoXkJcydPZSY82TyLE_iddEiEPjt12ZXivKdjPr45s0XsY/s640/DSC07725.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canis Major & Sirius (top right) with Carina & Canopus (below) - facing South</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5CikvefojnMQzBzrrbb1Q38p_edxSq6VGAGNiSVRcgGFbAY4hYA-BAud8OdfKOV4HPaqR6uFQGisURDulXvtKbTsZHaOxHppGXeohNeB_pk3Bxq-a580r7P5tX9jzadNAVlKt7RsR-KK/s1600/DSC07730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5CikvefojnMQzBzrrbb1Q38p_edxSq6VGAGNiSVRcgGFbAY4hYA-BAud8OdfKOV4HPaqR6uFQGisURDulXvtKbTsZHaOxHppGXeohNeB_pk3Bxq-a580r7P5tX9jzadNAVlKt7RsR-KK/s640/DSC07730.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waning Gibbous Moon rising from the East - 1st Mar 2013 10:45pm</td></tr>
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Back at home, on Sunday evening (3rd Mar) there was was a bright flyby of the <b>International Space Station (ISS)</b> over Singapore. It would have made a nice photo as the ISS passed right next to Jupiter and through Orion. However, 10 minutes before the flyby, a big patch of cloud blocked that part of thesky. ISS was visible for a few seconds through gaps in the clouds but all I got on camera was a faint streak as it approached Jupiter:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c2yWP_nykDP1OJ9J4lb9mNyHq3514WIsHFc5OOHOgH8LxiHyGeaEj0IOObOlmsGGX9pI93v_v85ZDvPqaw1SOPg3XM9ccmpBy0x9c_fNkWeaM-fMGPpZqlJGs3uZ1rV6mCS2kcqeMDKy/s1600/ISS+Jupiter+3-3-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c2yWP_nykDP1OJ9J4lb9mNyHq3514WIsHFc5OOHOgH8LxiHyGeaEj0IOObOlmsGGX9pI93v_v85ZDvPqaw1SOPg3XM9ccmpBy0x9c_fNkWeaM-fMGPpZqlJGs3uZ1rV6mCS2kcqeMDKy/s640/ISS+Jupiter+3-3-13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faint trail of ISS passing by Jupiter on a cloudy night - 3rd March 2013 - Singapore </td></tr>
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Finally, the Moon is currently going through its waning phases as it moves around the morning side of the Earth. I've seen it every morning this week as I walked to the MRT to get to work. Every day getting closer and closer to the Sun as it approaches New Moon, resulting in its phase changing from a Large bright Gibbous to a half and then just this morning a thin crescent Moon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDpNbt6uqJ_79pn17OSiXx5iMjMqGqsD_yT-nsUs8CpsMINfuLTvXjEkvgs3c9Po197zWWwqZ8P8L1JyqIjZ6fliMLQNL8Vw718Rw30_AALC7YGlUnJjVMlWar2l_fadiFP8guEXoKMyl/s1600/IMAG0285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDpNbt6uqJ_79pn17OSiXx5iMjMqGqsD_yT-nsUs8CpsMINfuLTvXjEkvgs3c9Po197zWWwqZ8P8L1JyqIjZ6fliMLQNL8Vw718Rw30_AALC7YGlUnJjVMlWar2l_fadiFP8guEXoKMyl/s640/IMAG0285.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waning Gibbous Moon - 28th Feb 2013 - 7:30am - Singapore</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBffWpPZtRjmRALIKakFj6FXPtb0FKiONBqJc-M2Xvr5lZ6EIzOJWj2v61uf8OdaTekp2Q8G6ru99v6336bzMZksG6w9K6e-N9FoI7pfy4GlCaP4af8Kw5xSDde4w-NOvqy1gi1o465UOJ/s1600/IMAG0348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBffWpPZtRjmRALIKakFj6FXPtb0FKiONBqJc-M2Xvr5lZ6EIzOJWj2v61uf8OdaTekp2Q8G6ru99v6336bzMZksG6w9K6e-N9FoI7pfy4GlCaP4af8Kw5xSDde4w-NOvqy1gi1o465UOJ/s640/IMAG0348.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last Quarter Half Moon - 4th March 2013 - 7:40am - Singapore</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpFKnlmKlODtx_am7ete_TN8kllxnyAxC4l1vmRkk4eSrnWHShROzfXGFyYw9Aft6MsFDAaNdt_BiBUakSGWZwPx2AIfD7eHGgCqwGfR0hZVBQPLgxgcmDLK6-4yFabU9DOf0zJsPjhnH/s1600/IMAG0352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpFKnlmKlODtx_am7ete_TN8kllxnyAxC4l1vmRkk4eSrnWHShROzfXGFyYw9Aft6MsFDAaNdt_BiBUakSGWZwPx2AIfD7eHGgCqwGfR0hZVBQPLgxgcmDLK6-4yFabU9DOf0zJsPjhnH/s640/IMAG0352.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waning Crescent Moon - 7th March 2013 - 7:45am - Singapore</td></tr>
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New Moon occurs on Monday 11th of March, which means it will not be visible this weekend as it will be too close to the Sun to see. By the end of next week it will return to the evening sky as a crescent Moon around 13th-15th March.<br />
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To see the Moon at SCOB this month I would recommend either Friday 15th March or Friday 22nd March.<br />
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Also we've seen no sign of <b>Comet PANSTARRS</b> C/2011 L4, which is at its brightest this week. However, its extremely low in the sky between 7pm and 7:30pm, almost exactly west after sunset. So far, its been cloudy every day in that direction so it will be challenging to spot it.Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-89122108230750601292013-02-28T09:59:00.000+08:002013-02-28T10:00:25.628+08:00Galaxy Forum 2013 - 9th March<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Saturday 9th March, Science Centre Singapore is hosting the first Galaxy Forum in South East Asia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">Organised by the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) the forum features a series of space-related presentations and discussions on the theme of Ga</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; line-height: 18px;">laxy Education, Exploration and Enterprise.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPl4Nazj5XdUFt9ft1CYBMsvTiPgFKxkNydNSqeT9_UWZ_60g3tGqKty6aNy0Shy-YKr0xRn-_MOocW2IkMpNJI2k8CKnpU-I8FbB_I55cGsau3RSxrm_-92gaxSNnxGgpLbjb1M3ZF6vV/s1600/GalaxyForum2013Poster_580px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPl4Nazj5XdUFt9ft1CYBMsvTiPgFKxkNydNSqeT9_UWZ_60g3tGqKty6aNy0Shy-YKr0xRn-_MOocW2IkMpNJI2k8CKnpU-I8FbB_I55cGsau3RSxrm_-92gaxSNnxGgpLbjb1M3ZF6vV/s640/GalaxyForum2013Poster_580px.jpg" width="456" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">More details here: <a href="http://galaxyforum.org/future-galaxy-forums/#sea13" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://galaxyforum.org/future-galaxy-forums/#sea13</a><br />Register via:<a href="http://www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/GalaxyForum.aspx" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/GalaxyForum.aspx</a><br />Enquiries: enquiries-tnc@science.edu.sg</span>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-72123054932172737562013-02-01T17:34:00.001+08:002013-02-01T17:34:12.226+08:00February 2013<b>ISS</b><br />
February starts with a bright International Space Station (ISS) pass over Singapore on Sun 3rd Feb 7:38pm-7:45pm.<br />
<br />
During this time the ISS will pass almost directly overhead, from <b>south-west </b>to <b>north-east</b> between the bright stars of Orion and the planet Jupiter.<br />
The only things that will interfere with its visibility will be clouds or the bright evening sky at this time of year.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwjQ9IFellRRWwwJCZDQKhk5FGkVeVp0CXUXURwOcXSVqyHICgP1GQIKs69tzqVCBD62dFt8X11TH3YwuTmwX1Ek4VLZKhVRKwveYiGKogpmtz0fkS-VxxAygO9RXeFOvcY8GRysXiFv3/s1600/ISS+3-2-13.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwjQ9IFellRRWwwJCZDQKhk5FGkVeVp0CXUXURwOcXSVqyHICgP1GQIKs69tzqVCBD62dFt8X11TH3YwuTmwX1Ek4VLZKhVRKwveYiGKogpmtz0fkS-VxxAygO9RXeFOvcY8GRysXiFv3/s640/ISS+3-2-13.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star map showing the path and timings of ISS pass on 3rd Feb in Singapore.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Sunrise-Sunset</b><br />
You may have noticed that mornings remain darker for longer and early evening (ard 7pm) is brighter than usual.<br />
Every year in February, Earth is halfway between its Solstice(21st Dec) and Equinox(21st Mar) position, resulting in the latest sunrise and sunset of the year in equatorial regions like Singapore.<br />
Around 10th Feb the Sun rises at 7:17am and sets at 7:21pm.<br />
Therefore the late sunset may impede ISS visibility.<br />
<br />
<b>Chinese New Year!</b><br />
Its no coincidence that CNY also occurs on 10th Feb this year.<br />
The date of Chinese Lunar New Year is also related to the position of the Sun at this time of year.<br />
In China, the Sun's position around 3rd-4th Feb traditionally signifies the start of spring or Lichun <b style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;">立春.</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The New Moon closest to Lichun, is the start of the lunar new year.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Moon dates for Feb 2013</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZBypWcmqQJ4lXSJQxNtsz-d3gzvPSCgsuvfS3XEs0-gqpPMq4Opw0lVC6zsdBmAmF5t5WPbYji09Kl3oVH8KTzXciG42oBHh0OKNyCHxvBdb7YNzCtOFyX8FTR3Ffqyxy5mt5temt0aN/s1600/moon+dates+feb+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZBypWcmqQJ4lXSJQxNtsz-d3gzvPSCgsuvfS3XEs0-gqpPMq4Opw0lVC6zsdBmAmF5t5WPbYji09Kl3oVH8KTzXciG42oBHh0OKNyCHxvBdb7YNzCtOFyX8FTR3Ffqyxy5mt5temt0aN/s640/moon+dates+feb+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obviously, during new moon, the moon is facing towards the Sun and is obscured from view. You can expect to see the Moon in the evening from 14th Feb to 26th Feb.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PAh6pAMt8oVX7hA6EgIHf2Vd37Z2AKZWTtRDE05DU_g6ByG0RIBrwygcikFTu1G06-ZyHg7Bbyeqjv6zv9J1ByBE4LyyTPtY30kF8YixtKHdM02N9nL_FVDPtrCc8huGwOefAIKEOSPv/s1600/starchart+-+feb2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PAh6pAMt8oVX7hA6EgIHf2Vd37Z2AKZWTtRDE05DU_g6ByG0RIBrwygcikFTu1G06-ZyHg7Bbyeqjv6zv9J1ByBE4LyyTPtY30kF8YixtKHdM02N9nL_FVDPtrCc8huGwOefAIKEOSPv/s640/starchart+-+feb2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Position of the Moon in the early evening sky during Feb 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Jupiter's Moon</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jupiter remains the brightest planet in the night sky. During Friday's at SCOB we'll be able to see the following arrangement of its four biggest moons:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAw5_jMyUqkUXBnGQBZE8k6_wjQAEJuhXEbCjoeko43ksjm7mG7th5UdzcbU0QeDG9VNP8-wsRodZHgMcLDKsqM8hvm3LyOKtQykvWVnYRbo6XUDdvYOsU1WzmXeq-fKK3dZ5Wfc1mP-3L/s1600/Jupiter+feb2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAw5_jMyUqkUXBnGQBZE8k6_wjQAEJuhXEbCjoeko43ksjm7mG7th5UdzcbU0QeDG9VNP8-wsRodZHgMcLDKsqM8hvm3LyOKtQykvWVnYRbo6XUDdvYOsU1WzmXeq-fKK3dZ5Wfc1mP-3L/s640/Jupiter+feb2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Mercury</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;">The closest planet to the Sun, reaches its maximum elongation </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;">(18deg) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;">east of the Sun, meaning Mercury is at is highest position, towards the West direction shortly after sunset on 14th Feb (around 7:30pm). Ideal weather conditions (clear sky) are required to see it, but it is just visible to the naked eye.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Constellations</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;">Finally, at least 8 of the brightest stars in the sky are visible in February. This includes Sirius, Canopus, Procyon.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.078125px;">One of our most common targets is of course Orion, reaching his highest point in the sky in the early evening this month, which should give us some pretty good views of the Orion Nebula.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrckbLlvlnFPUwK29Czm9IlgDzItprtYK1xzA9tv0YERZLan3f57CATnXRqS_qH0KzXUI5Z6P6LLAgMsEO_elVlifa5LMsyGs5W9Q3pkpXOZC8gjR_wcuSftigL-omXAZHWNnkSVcZK0bl/s1600/Orion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrckbLlvlnFPUwK29Czm9IlgDzItprtYK1xzA9tv0YERZLan3f57CATnXRqS_qH0KzXUI5Z6P6LLAgMsEO_elVlifa5LMsyGs5W9Q3pkpXOZC8gjR_wcuSftigL-omXAZHWNnkSVcZK0bl/s640/Orion.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diagram of the brightest stars in the constellation Orion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-43421927763831703482013-01-17T17:58:00.001+08:002013-01-24T15:48:52.397+08:00Astronomy talk 25th January<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>UPDATE! - **VENUE CHANGE** - THIS TALK WILL NOW BE HELD AT MAXWELL AUDITORIUM IN SCIENCE CENTRE'S MAIN BUILDING.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Due to larger than expected response. Same time: 8pm-9pm</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Thanks for your support!!</span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Next week (25th Jan) we are hosting a free talk by A*STAR scholar and Harvard PhD student in astronomy, Mr Eddie Chua:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">25th Jan 8pm-9pm at SCOB, in addition to our regular Friday night Stargazing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Seats are limited, pre-register via upstream@science.edu.sg</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYoVyOLdywIzeexlb7LOTNASZKW31G_c38sEZhPObMaK7c01Qpzl6R4XNme4bGZZSgtSsFxPUGRB0vb54gFDUPUyN0nm8Kext2XQQyrczoVzguylniLhi7Lspi3812zkPzuscSJ1H-EOX/s1600/Astronomy+Talk+25-1-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYoVyOLdywIzeexlb7LOTNASZKW31G_c38sEZhPObMaK7c01Qpzl6R4XNme4bGZZSgtSsFxPUGRB0vb54gFDUPUyN0nm8Kext2XQQyrczoVzguylniLhi7Lspi3812zkPzuscSJ1H-EOX/s640/Astronomy+Talk+25-1-13.jpg" width="442" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Programme:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7:45pm – Registration<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8:00pm – Talk: “What
is the universe made of?...” by Eddie Chua<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8:45pm – Q&A and
interaction with the speaker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9:00pm – Friday night
stargazing – Jupiter and the Moon (weather permitting)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10:00pm – Observatory
closed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>“What is the universe made of? .... a
walk through the dark side of the universe”</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The talk “What is the universe
made of? .... a walk through the dark side of the universe”<b> </b>gives
an overview of the origins of the universe (big bang), the discovery of
the accelerating expansion of the universe (Nobel Prize in Physics 2011),
constituents of the universe (dark energy, dark matter + ordinary
matter), large scale structure of the universe (cosmic web) as well as a
simulation of the evolution of the universe and the formation of galaxies such
as our Milky Way. These are not ordinarily encountered in school classes but
serve as a stepping stone to get more interested in the science which aids in
our understanding of the universe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Eddie
Chua</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...is
a second year PhD student in Astronomy at Harvard. He works with Professor Lars
Hernquist, using computer simulations to understand the formation of
large-scale structure in the universe as well as the properties of galaxies
such as the Milky Way.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-3943335302551951802013-01-08T16:52:00.000+08:002013-01-08T17:15:56.150+08:00January 2013 - Happy New Perihelion!Our first stargazing session of the new year turned out to be very cloudy indeed, not a single thing to see. The same was also true during our attempts to see ISS fly over Singapore on 2nd & 3rd Jan.<br />
However, as the weather is much clearer and hotter this week, I put a solar filter on our 6-inch refractor attached to the main telescope and took a look at our parent star, the Sun.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66QPASZ6pprLXYjnD6szsqFWD7U8YcwqLtUZ5uouMkbcLqXSncoHRJHvyNsGVCEi0HFqMryfJ5UegBBTTNbdYD9ZD7aJsGMQohITTnmwM9cbT-LpBqt4UOHadUHzKCwPwBToLWPih07MI/s1600/408661_10151241759591589_648530712_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66QPASZ6pprLXYjnD6szsqFWD7U8YcwqLtUZ5uouMkbcLqXSncoHRJHvyNsGVCEi0HFqMryfJ5UegBBTTNbdYD9ZD7aJsGMQohITTnmwM9cbT-LpBqt4UOHadUHzKCwPwBToLWPih07MI/s640/408661_10151241759591589_648530712_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Sun ans sunspot 7th Jan 2013 4:15pm - taken through 6 inch refractor with Samsung SII phone camera. Image is rotated 90deg counter-clockwise, north is on the left, south on the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsszqRk20Z-CHhfj8lFfDBTIrE6PWwwL7wovUFe5nYwV0meI4lioNg4BRHRxvCcCGiZ1baf_l8buPvmRwhS8Sjls5_L8qVNdxV4JWU20Rbd-amlt8owdehjq18y1O84c_BmdBL1TqYIGh/s1600/sunspot+-+SDO+7th+Jan+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsszqRk20Z-CHhfj8lFfDBTIrE6PWwwL7wovUFe5nYwV0meI4lioNg4BRHRxvCcCGiZ1baf_l8buPvmRwhS8Sjls5_L8qVNdxV4JWU20Rbd-amlt8owdehjq18y1O84c_BmdBL1TqYIGh/s640/sunspot+-+SDO+7th+Jan+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of the Sun from NASA satellite SDO (Solar Dynamic Observatory) showing the numbers/names of the sunspots on 6th Jan. The highlight area produce a M-class Solar flare on 5th Jan. This image is in the correct orientation with north at the top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
January is the month when the Earth reaches its closest position to the Sun, (perihelion), which was actually on 2nd Jan. The difference between Earth's perihelion (closest) and aphelion (furthest) distance is only 3% so it doesn't look any different than usual. There were several sunspots visible on the Sun's surface, areas of magnetic instability and high activity, usually associated with solar flares.
2013 is expected to be the year in which the Sun reaches its solar maximum, the peak of its 11 year natural activity cycle.<br />
<br />
For the remainder of January here's what we can expect to see:<br />
<br />
<b>Constellations</b><br />
Most of the brightest stars in the sky are visible during the first part of the year. This includes Orion, Taurus and Canis Major, with the brightest star in the night sky Sirius, lower towards the south-east.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGhVX673f2DI-8U4sO73KXwOw44z4eBBPL445GqLhUiCK9wVOdKki5-8Q7IrQdY5mGIcqCCSBA6_FJ7SZfXJjzLNFHp2sMdEyQU6_sNmNIiOkFQJsbhFrkRlC6swmyL6P86J4LsMTFLrU/s1600/Jan-Mar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGhVX673f2DI-8U4sO73KXwOw44z4eBBPL445GqLhUiCK9wVOdKki5-8Q7IrQdY5mGIcqCCSBA6_FJ7SZfXJjzLNFHp2sMdEyQU6_sNmNIiOkFQJsbhFrkRlC6swmyL6P86J4LsMTFLrU/s640/Jan-Mar.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Planets</b><br />
We've been observing Jupiter for over a month now and its still shining brighter than all the stars. This month its alot higher in the sky, so we should get some nice clear views of its bands of clouds and its 4 Galilean Moons. 64 moons have been discovered around Jupiter, but only its four biggest moons, Io, Europa Ganymede and Callisto are visible through most telescopes.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD_9j0JJwmwC98y40dKoj0CI3YBXagySC31ZeyA9IgUcrUtHjzxdb6pBpbSgaW6gtf2QMD5BiXysWb0IboY43AI8ujrwa5iiIJpqqe-GApUUawBk4qxePYb0oiOgv3skgxGQ-WveiQ4dY/s1600/Jupiter+Moons+-+Jan+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD_9j0JJwmwC98y40dKoj0CI3YBXagySC31ZeyA9IgUcrUtHjzxdb6pBpbSgaW6gtf2QMD5BiXysWb0IboY43AI8ujrwa5iiIJpqqe-GApUUawBk4qxePYb0oiOgv3skgxGQ-WveiQ4dY/s640/Jupiter+Moons+-+Jan+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Position of Jupiter's four biggest moons during Friday night stargazing at SCOB (8pm-10pm).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As a planet orbiting around the Sun, Jupiter appears to move in front of the constellations. Currently, its making its way through Taurus. Since October 2012, Jupiter has been in apparent retrograde motion, meaning its moving backwards in the opposite direction of its original path (prograde)<br />
This apparent retrograde is due to the position of the Earth.<br />
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As Earth is closer to the Sun, it travels faster than Jupiter. Both planets are travelling in the same direction but as Earth comes closer to Jupiter and eventually overtakes it, the giant planet appears to move backwards. This current retrograde will last from Oct 2012 until 30th January 2013.<br />
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<b>Moon</b><br />
The Moon moves close to Jupiter on 21st Jan and 22nd Jan. Look out for the bright planet next to the Gibbous moon on these two evenings.<br />
On Friday nights at SCOB, we'll be observing the Moon on 18th Jan (crescent/half moon) and 25th Jan (gibbous moon).<br />
The other significant Moon dates are as follows:<br />
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Happy skywatching!<br />
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<br />Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-48816443648969342002012-12-20T17:44:00.000+08:002012-12-21T16:23:47.659+08:00Solstice on Doomsday!December 21st is a significant date for a few reasons.<br />
Every year around this date the Earth reaches a position around the Sun that causes the south pole to lean/tilt towards the Sun at its greatest extent. This is known as Solstice, which means "Sun-stationary".<br />
This could mean its an ideal time to buy lots of nice pens, pencils and rulers illustrated with smiley-face suns for Christmas or.... that the Sun, having gradually shifted more toward the South each day for the past few months, has now reached its Southern-most point in the sky. Therefore with each new sunrise after 21st December, the Sun appears to reverse course and shift back towards the Northern half of the sky.<br />
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The effects of the Solstice are the related to the seasons, as the intensity of sunlight varies at different places on the Earth.<br />
Commonly known as Winter Solstice, it also results in the shortest daylight hours and longest night of year in northern hemisphere countries. At the same time, southern hemisphere countries experience their Summer Solstice or longest daylight hours/shortest nights.<br />
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Naturally there are lots of cultural events and festivals around this time. In Singapore, some of those of Chinese ancestry celebrate with family and friends by eating a dessert known as tangyuan <span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">湯圓</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJ7dAHPlQ52NCI8H1c_14lhFpOdPUYxWQ8i0ML-zYxgQUuoEkMXr0_MmGn2leXYtCHywtSseapgJIOKWADYEchVS6eDP50cVLZw3W2wxtHJiYw08tRx_JaOgWN4GhIGiiAlddGvwtPevB/s1600/tangyuan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJ7dAHPlQ52NCI8H1c_14lhFpOdPUYxWQ8i0ML-zYxgQUuoEkMXr0_MmGn2leXYtCHywtSseapgJIOKWADYEchVS6eDP50cVLZw3W2wxtHJiYw08tRx_JaOgWN4GhIGiiAlddGvwtPevB/s320/tangyuan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The region that receives the most intense sunlight at this time of year is known as the Tropic of Capricorn. This is because the Sun's position in the sky during this time (i.e. its southernmost point), used to be directly in front of the constellation Capricornus.<br />
However, the Earth's tend to wobble as it rotates and over thousands of years this wobble (known as precession) resulted in the Sun's southern solstice position shifting into the neighbouring constellation of Sagittarius. I guess someone should go re-label all those globes and maps and replace the Tropic of Capricorn with "Tropic of Sagittarius". At the same time they should also change the northernmost position of the Sun as well (i.e. Tropic of <strike>Cancer</strike> Gemini).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviSE5obiCreoOhEqATj1OEsW5m1bl6vmmBI1uqSin1rCqoPyJZHFEW62d0H_1oyjn-w9YFMkn9MOI2_LPm2Pynw1aqlBBnwtPvqssVh6fkKbJc2yBk0WHCsLnI33QKmXKLkYoMQQrruYl/s1600/Solstice+-+December3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviSE5obiCreoOhEqATj1OEsW5m1bl6vmmBI1uqSin1rCqoPyJZHFEW62d0H_1oyjn-w9YFMkn9MOI2_LPm2Pynw1aqlBBnwtPvqssVh6fkKbJc2yBk0WHCsLnI33QKmXKLkYoMQQrruYl/s640/Solstice+-+December3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Solstice in Singapore</b><br />
As mentioned in my previous post during the June Solstice, the effects on equatorial regions, such as Singapore, are much more subtle.<br />
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Slightly north of the equator, Singapore also experiences its shortest daylight hours, roughly <b>12hrs 3mins 2secs</b> from sunset to sunrise, but this does not coincide with the latest sunrise, which occurs during February in the tropics.<br />
Solstice marks the time when Singapore sunrise becomes later than 7am (i.e.7:01am). From now until February, sunrise will gradually get later and later, so you can enjoy a few extra minutes of darkness in the morning.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyRr2vN9M2bj0ca_WRroNJb0b7SWzMfH9qDldzTBvaZT99MfSxMRFTERECvbc8Nd_uhEeJAuJ7_KKaysrDQI0mUHeVHkR9JB355cibtPP3jw_19qOvq2pM4lz2T5rytzlklNBbs1cBcJV/s1600/2012-06-20+09.24.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyRr2vN9M2bj0ca_WRroNJb0b7SWzMfH9qDldzTBvaZT99MfSxMRFTERECvbc8Nd_uhEeJAuJ7_KKaysrDQI0mUHeVHkR9JB355cibtPP3jw_19qOvq2pM4lz2T5rytzlklNBbs1cBcJV/s640/2012-06-20+09.24.46.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun's position 9am June - Facing east, Sun rises from North-East (left)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dvzfjFsCyHysDkucdntyH3mkQJk8AM92uTN1ScPkju4aBRIpHl51fLETFkagjY7xmkKuZw2e8hE2ZXZLVVWd05svXc7moLMrP0koBmJ2ph0MUmMICHFYB7JyN2Yqnkh7yBnqkGP5Y1bd/s1600/2012-12-19+08.45.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dvzfjFsCyHysDkucdntyH3mkQJk8AM92uTN1ScPkju4aBRIpHl51fLETFkagjY7xmkKuZw2e8hE2ZXZLVVWd05svXc7moLMrP0koBmJ2ph0MUmMICHFYB7JyN2Yqnkh7yBnqkGP5Y1bd/s640/2012-12-19+08.45.54.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Sun's position 9am December - Facing east, Sun rises from South-East (right)</td></tr>
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At June/Northern Solstice the Sun rises from the North-East direction and sets North-West.<br />
In December, sunrise is from South East and sunset South-West. Therefore, those with south-facing windows can expect more sunlight at this time of year, while north-facing window enjoy more shade. However, in December its raining most of the time, so it probably won't make much of a difference.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcW0NKcXxz0EkkGWBmpRIL6mcFxqsGGqPQ1tgtdYHSdbfA-8d0uypY1gyPxlvhBJzsC0dO-ra12KdYr4R-9hl5DhSD5DrCtHIgVwenTEldiY3U10ubfLWDh9ND68rV3snUWqH1BdFAHD1t/s1600/Solstice+-+December2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcW0NKcXxz0EkkGWBmpRIL6mcFxqsGGqPQ1tgtdYHSdbfA-8d0uypY1gyPxlvhBJzsC0dO-ra12KdYr4R-9hl5DhSD5DrCtHIgVwenTEldiY3U10ubfLWDh9ND68rV3snUWqH1BdFAHD1t/s640/Solstice+-+December2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>End of the <strike>year</strike> <i>world</i></b><br />
Finally, 21st December 2012 is now more well known for its association with the ending of an ancient Mayan calendar.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCDghGKftVqyEJnuw8NpprZO9md8M5pOiy7XIZlRiWMVqCWA-wazzHq_fTNt0rttC7V3pB8Ftsu6i7KGI6JymHCpy0AX9sc44VGgRV_ZghsbU14EfoRj40_S85Gt6MyfPh_IHqUBVnyUF/s1600/Figure+2+-+Mayan+Pyrimid+of+the+Moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCDghGKftVqyEJnuw8NpprZO9md8M5pOiy7XIZlRiWMVqCWA-wazzHq_fTNt0rttC7V3pB8Ftsu6i7KGI6JymHCpy0AX9sc44VGgRV_ZghsbU14EfoRj40_S85Gt6MyfPh_IHqUBVnyUF/s640/Figure+2+-+Mayan+Pyrimid+of+the+Moon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayan Pyramid of the Moon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These ancient Central
Americans kept track of the days in the following way:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 day is
called a k’in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">20 days is
referred to as 1 winal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">360 days is
called 1 tun.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A period of
20 tuns is called 1 k’atun</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">20 k’atuns
are grouped into 1 b’ak’tun, which is equal to 144,000 days.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This so called <span style="line-height: 115%;">Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar ends after a cycle of 13 b'ak'tuns, which when translated to our modern Gregorian Calendar finishes on 21st December 2012. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Many scholars and scientists think that after this date the calendar simply repeats itself or starts again, similar to how we always start back at January every year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">However, there are many other ideas out there that have developed over time, referring to doomsday and the end of the world. Many are based on scientific findings and events like asteroid collisions, planetary alignments and solar storms but have been extremely </span><span style="line-height: 17px;">exaggerated</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"> and highly unlikely.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I think its all just a great excuse to make tonnes of movies, documentaries, write books and articles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">I guess we will find out soon!</span>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-47067324320894524592012-12-19T17:56:00.000+08:002012-12-19T17:59:59.614+08:00December Updates - Part 2It was a fascinating night last Friday, with one of the clearest skies we had at SCOB in several weeks. A large patch of cloud drifted by in the early evening but towards the end of the session, things cleared up again and, with no Moon around, many of the familiar December stars were free to shine as best they could in our light polluted sky.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4M2iqogVCLSXi68MxmjDia58HfHTmoXN-JeMlkN5soPFTyCl_gLP75NCv-dnrZzhzwiaYu6lXfhhQlIMauFi3Kpx_xhlT9WLYqMcPh9wUxp5kHwISPyh3VlPsuu_qNIVsDi7aShvG1Zv/s1600/DSC07209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4M2iqogVCLSXi68MxmjDia58HfHTmoXN-JeMlkN5soPFTyCl_gLP75NCv-dnrZzhzwiaYu6lXfhhQlIMauFi3Kpx_xhlT9WLYqMcPh9wUxp5kHwISPyh3VlPsuu_qNIVsDi7aShvG1Zv/s640/DSC07209.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of the constellations Orion (top), Canis Major with Sirius (right), Canis Minor and Procyon (below in cloud) and parts of Gemini (lower left).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Initially, most of our attention was focused on Jupiter. During the most crowded period we were watching as Jupiter's moon Io gradually appeared out from the giant planet's shadow.<br />
Didn't have a camera handy at that point but after closing time I took a few snaps of the Jupiter and the surrounding area of Taurus, including the Pleiades (M45) star cluster.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSGMxS1lMysNES0-Whv7XsyM-m95FRRLV27QL9z72sYm-pzvE3wHbBv8Ly9HUCeWuQcXaeyxgx0irkUt59ljcXNVCc0ySv3CZbDTLJxwGotZzqr41D_GCm1nRJQifpLljH1Vibgy_GbH1/s1600/DSC07181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSGMxS1lMysNES0-Whv7XsyM-m95FRRLV27QL9z72sYm-pzvE3wHbBv8Ly9HUCeWuQcXaeyxgx0irkUt59ljcXNVCc0ySv3CZbDTLJxwGotZzqr41D_GCm1nRJQifpLljH1Vibgy_GbH1/s640/DSC07181.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long exposure photo of Taurus (v-shaped) with Jupiter (brightest object) and Pleiades Star Cluster (centre).</td></tr>
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To finish the evening we had a last look at the great Orion Nebula (M42). I attached the camera to our main 16 inch telescope but didn't manage to reach the correct focal point, so switched to the 6 inch refractor for a "quick" 30 second exposure before the battery went flat. Next time, must remember to be more prepared and get all this photograph stuff ready early. I'm still new to astrophotography and with all the other things going on it tend to be last on my mind.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzGV6zI7BXE8XZp8ALdyXAzhaNYDEsaxc5t3xAk1ke6_gWMk6YkJdH0qYRBSIBXP6F0MXK7849HWErRptKbiKMkleB_kV3SVjfmdV7EMfspQhyo-S7mS96tUxTYhxENGRE5ccXtOKyvYd/s1600/DSC_1621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzGV6zI7BXE8XZp8ALdyXAzhaNYDEsaxc5t3xAk1ke6_gWMk6YkJdH0qYRBSIBXP6F0MXK7849HWErRptKbiKMkleB_kV3SVjfmdV7EMfspQhyo-S7mS96tUxTYhxENGRE5ccXtOKyvYd/s640/DSC_1621.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion Nebula M42 through 6 inch refractor telescope using a Nikon D70s camera. The central collection of stars is known as the Trapezium, because of the four brightest stars but if you look closely there are actually 6 stars. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;">The central collection of stars is known as the </span><span style="text-align: center;">Trapezium, because of the four brightest stars but if you look closely there are actually 6 stars. Many visitors often confuse the three stars at the bottom with Orion's Belt. I guess its easy to form a connection between the two as the telescope is roughly pointing in the same direction as the belt, which makes it harder to grasp the concept that what we're looking at only occupies a tiny speck of sky and cannot be fully observed by the eye alone.</span></span><br />
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At one point that night we tried pointing our telescope at the Andromeda Galaxy M31, with an experienced eye I could make out the faint glow of its core but to many of our visitors it was almost invisible, I recall seeing a few blank expressions as I tried to explain about using averted vision :/<br />
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That's all for now!Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-12992987552879445292012-12-12T18:00:00.000+08:002012-12-12T18:00:32.768+08:00December updateIts's 12-12-12, and I haven't done any update yet for December.<br />
As expected the weather is still very cloudy and rainy. There were a few clear nights last week so once again I was out with my camera to take a few shots of this month's bright celestial highlights.<br />
In particular Jupiter, Taurus and Orion. The Bull and Hunter always appear in the East during the early evening in December. This year, they are accompanied by the largest (and second brightest) planet, Jupiter.<br />
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Over the next few weeks, Jupiter will slower move away from Taurus's bright star Aldebaran (the follower). Later in the evening and toward the end of the month, Sirius, the brightest star in the sky will also appear, shining brightly south-east of Orion.<br />
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December is usually a good month for watching meteors/shooting star, with the Geminids meteor shower peaking around 13th-14th December (this week in fact!).<br />
With an expected high rate of meteors and no Moon in the night sky, its bound to be the best shower of 2012.<br />
However, in a bright city like Singapore, in the middle of the rainy season, the chances of seeing any shooting stars are significantly reduced, oh well. If we get a clear night sky of the next few days and you stare at the sky for a few hours after midnight it will increase your chances.<br />
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Other things happening this month include, Venus and Saturn still there in the early morning around 6am-7am towards the East. Mercury is there too but low altitude makes it very difficult to spot in the usual morning hazy.<br />
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21st December is southern solstice, which makes the southern most position of the Sun in the sky. Southern hemisphere countries will also experience their longest daylight hours, while the north has the shortest daylight hours. More on this in a future post.<br />
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<b>Moon Dates for December:</b><br />
We'll be observing the Moon at SCOB on Friday 21st Dec & Friday 28th Dec.<br />
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Finally, our school holiday activities are still available and going strong at SCOB every Friday evening this month.<br />
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During the past few weeks the planetarium has been the most popular activity, with light painting a close second. We also have a few items, such as astronomical 3D postcards, for sale. Surprisingly, the astronaut ice cream as been an unexpected hit.<br />
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Occasionally, we have a few visitors pop by, who appeared to have lost their way. For instance, this guy, who kept asking about some rebel base?????????<br />
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<br />Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-85080047873720746762012-11-29T15:29:00.002+08:002012-11-29T15:31:32.161+08:00School holiday activitiesFrom now until the end of December we've added a few more activities to our regular Friday night stargazing sessions. Normally, we'd focus our attention on the sky outdoors, however, with an increase in the amount of cloud and rain at this time of the year as well as being close to Christmas, it seemed like a good excuse for some indoor activity as well.<br />
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<b>1) Planetarium Shows</b><br />
Our inflatable planetarium has been very popular at the Singapore Science Festival and other events over the past year or so. Now its time to bring it to the observatory.<br />
Inside the dome you'll be taken an out of this world journey through the constellations of the night sky and the planets of the solar system. During the 25 minute show, a presenter will explain the details of the celestial wonders displayed above you.<br />
Price:$5 per participant<br />
Duration: 25 mins<br />
Maximum capacity: 25 visitors per show<br />
Floor seating with cushion<br />
The is a dark enclosed environment not recommended for children below 3 years old.<br />
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<b>2) Light Painting</b><br />
Another favourite at science festival events. Inside a darkroom, you can choose a light and use it to draw/paint an invisible picture in front of a camera. Using a long exposure your light painting will be captured on a photograph, which is then printed for you to take home.<br />
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Price: $2 per go/photo<br />
Light painting can be done individually or in groups of twos or threes. Only one photo is issued per two dollars.<br />
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<b>3) Light Catcher </b><br />
This hands-on, model making activity involves using a variety of reflective and translucent material to capture light and create many colourful effects.<br />
Price $2 per set<br />
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In addition to these we also have our free colouring cards and a small collection of reference books available, should the clouds refuse to move away.<br />
Of course, our telescopes will still be open for free stargazing, once the sky is dark and clear enough.<br />
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Happy stargazing and Merry Christmas! Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-66604324625563393122012-11-28T12:36:00.002+08:002012-11-28T12:36:56.781+08:00Venus and Saturn ConjunctionThis week and next week there are a couple of nice planetary alignments.<br />
On Tuesday 27th November, Venus and Saturn were in conjunction meaning than Venus (the faster and closer of the two) moves in front of Saturn and begins to overtake it.<br />
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When viewed from Earth they appear very close together in the sky during the early morning (6am-7am). Each day moving further apart as Venus flies past Saturn, further away from Earth towards the other side of the Sun.<br />
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I missed the actual conjunction on Tuesday morning, it was rainy, but managed to wake up half an hour early this morning (Wed 28th Nov) to take a few photos.<br />
Fortunately, it was very clear, apart from a bit of mist and hazy. I didn't have a large tripod handy so had to make do with a small portable one (which I got free at an IT fair). Had to hold it steady with my hands whilst lying down on the ground. Got a few curiosity looks from some passer by on their morning run.<br />
The photo turned out alright apart from a slightly elongated shape to Venus and Saturn due to the movement of the tripod.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venus (brightest) and Saturn (above) - 28th Nov 2012 6:15am - Singapore</td></tr>
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Next week is Jupiter's turn to align with Earth, in what's called opposition, where it will be at it brightest, but not by much compared to how it looks this week.Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8269264238446513058.post-33056880253402528502012-11-14T12:32:00.000+08:002012-11-14T17:59:18.623+08:001 night, 3 planets, 2 satellites, the Moon and stars!Last weekend on the evening of 9th-10th Nov, there were lots of bright and interesting things up in the sky. Fortunately, the night was partially clear and I was ready with my camera to snap some photos.<br />
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First up was an <b>Iridium Flare. </b>These bright communication satellites only reflect sunlight for a few seconds at specific points in their low earth orbit (LEO). On Friday night 7:48pm we assembled the volunteers and visitors at our stargazing session together to witness the event.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faint Iridium Flare - thin white line, centre, amidst the clouds - Friday 9th Nov 2012</td></tr>
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This was my first attempt at photographing an Iridium flare. In my haste I didn't quite get the exposure and ISO setting correct, so it didn't turn out so bright but it was partially hidden by clouds also.<br />
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Next was <b>Uranus</b>. I've been trying to get a shot of this dim planet for more than a month now but the sky was always too bright and cloudy. Towards the end of last Friday's session, attempted to locate it in a clear patch of sky near the zenith. A bit of a challenge as our right ascension coordinates on our 1980's Pentax telescope controller are no longer working accurately. However, I was able to locate it in the finder with the aid starry night software and Google Sky Map.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnvdojlUuGkXjobWCidWcmJLHXowEledg1T-qL9QXmTpPSzeyklniw1uBkxUv5dU5IcHyRhnfvhxITrvjRM5w8gCZWy5gSxB7p2SZ2vkA_uBrdzFqaklkv9nNTnBG3EypGvyfW43PphDx/s1600/DSC_1436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnvdojlUuGkXjobWCidWcmJLHXowEledg1T-qL9QXmTpPSzeyklniw1uBkxUv5dU5IcHyRhnfvhxITrvjRM5w8gCZWy5gSxB7p2SZ2vkA_uBrdzFqaklkv9nNTnBG3EypGvyfW43PphDx/s640/DSC_1436.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uranus - 9th Nov 2012 - Taken with Nikon D70s DSLR through 16" Cassegrain</td></tr>
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Several visitors patiently waited until the the end of the session to catch a glimpse of <b>Jupiter</b> around 10pm.<br />
Afterwards, I swapped the eyepiece for a T-Adapter and took a few shots. It was hard to get a sharp focus due to Jupiter's low altitude at the time (around 20degrees). It was nice to see the four Galilean Moons flanking Jupiter, with two on each side.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrIiLj1W3V1Tfhg_HWmIEVTZy_nASMblybzrOrHXTIpVQuGHf9cWG5bmOmVaYUT9lYNJH-Rka8xZG8RPRcheEFtK8ahYeInUX9soLlBs2W6-9l_W0nb73q0pOQm-usB0aTpSYnN3zvn7B/s1600/DSC_1471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrIiLj1W3V1Tfhg_HWmIEVTZy_nASMblybzrOrHXTIpVQuGHf9cWG5bmOmVaYUT9lYNJH-Rka8xZG8RPRcheEFtK8ahYeInUX9soLlBs2W6-9l_W0nb73q0pOQm-usB0aTpSYnN3zvn7B/s640/DSC_1471.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jupiter - 9th Nov 2012 - taken using Nikon D70s DSLR through 6" refractor telescope.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVuRtfu4LtBE8AVzZk69v-CvnUxPpk83Wy3GdH5HvcnZOO8A93ZIBmxMQcP05_iI8IpGPgDd4YF94KMep2mLoHSlM7PzIuNxzHXziiSmKnoPIovPZ6NjLv7OAfFbRSd_4LIZv1ghba4nB/s1600/DSC_1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVuRtfu4LtBE8AVzZk69v-CvnUxPpk83Wy3GdH5HvcnZOO8A93ZIBmxMQcP05_iI8IpGPgDd4YF94KMep2mLoHSlM7PzIuNxzHXziiSmKnoPIovPZ6NjLv7OAfFbRSd_4LIZv1ghba4nB/s640/DSC_1483.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Jupiter with Galilean Moons - from the top: Ganymede, Europa, Jupiter, Io, Callisto - 9th Nov 2012 - taken using Nikon D70s DSLR through 16" Cassegrain telescope.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69OYaSRy4SBBDkSK9WKAGpvdtZjDFuPQY2YL5_JfH0SRfpbIRvgUBmlY6obKFohtQwoXcZWW9GhcXdz9NNiD5DtUl8hmNk2fV6xlKeaTQQyCK1Ig-eoG88KP7sJYvJSu5U59sq-oml4RO/s1600/DSC_1504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69OYaSRy4SBBDkSK9WKAGpvdtZjDFuPQY2YL5_JfH0SRfpbIRvgUBmlY6obKFohtQwoXcZWW9GhcXdz9NNiD5DtUl8hmNk2fV6xlKeaTQQyCK1Ig-eoG88KP7sJYvJSu5U59sq-oml4RO/s640/DSC_1504.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jupiter - 9th Nov - taken with Nikon D70s camera using 2x Barlow lens through 16" Cassegrain telescope.</td></tr>
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Reaching home around 11:30pm, I set my alarm for 5am to see a bright <b>ISS flyby.</b><br />
At 5:30am (Sat 10th Nov) I was ready outside with my camera, tripod and the mosquitoes.<br />
It took about 4 mins for the space station to go from SW to NNE, however I kept my exposures to 30 seconds as I was worried the background sky would become too bright if I'd opened to shutter for longer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAwB2DJoINSXRstMIvQKiLzFcFilsKdGJgenG8FQvbzNjXfvfZQoINo7C-C5-zDhPW6LCST9NhALoj5H807o3zhd8_FDjAwqhqZy6TFlr9MLjj9adpz-i3Qoy3j71FNDF5M0D24UWJ92k/s1600/DSC_1512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAwB2DJoINSXRstMIvQKiLzFcFilsKdGJgenG8FQvbzNjXfvfZQoINo7C-C5-zDhPW6LCST9NhALoj5H807o3zhd8_FDjAwqhqZy6TFlr9MLjj9adpz-i3Qoy3j71FNDF5M0D24UWJ92k/s640/DSC_1512.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ISS travelling between constellations Canis Major (above) & Orion (below), towards Canis Minor (top).</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vB5e1op-bCAC5hm2v6wPqgNd6QfClKtt-TPLB5YA99WNKWGPpTo8-LBdwZO1uCwySjXLY_O4g7DmfpK6tCCa7vCJ67m4JAOoQGOIPo5ARTZFT9g0BXvvCy-yfJROMBhjF8PYMIgki-u_/s1600/DSC_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vB5e1op-bCAC5hm2v6wPqgNd6QfClKtt-TPLB5YA99WNKWGPpTo8-LBdwZO1uCwySjXLY_O4g7DmfpK6tCCa7vCJ67m4JAOoQGOIPo5ARTZFT9g0BXvvCy-yfJROMBhjF8PYMIgki-u_/s640/DSC_1513.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Fully awake with a bunch of bright objects in the sky, I continued to take more photos for the next few hours.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldpjvfuz9mMzMzTDBmQm3z2WgH0R2ZPfWbS_gP5eqt_btVhlbHaZ15ubbrb4BOcXVpDoBpgdIoHCeuFfgKUq1JpmcL_v67IiIoWexUYNP04hiFfxv1XCuHhc0zu39W26HkcgOg6MUsRGe/s1600/DSC_1526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldpjvfuz9mMzMzTDBmQm3z2WgH0R2ZPfWbS_gP5eqt_btVhlbHaZ15ubbrb4BOcXVpDoBpgdIoHCeuFfgKUq1JpmcL_v67IiIoWexUYNP04hiFfxv1XCuHhc0zu39W26HkcgOg6MUsRGe/s640/DSC_1526.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jupiter (bright object at the bottom) with Orion (centre), Sirius (top left) and Procyon (Canis Minor, top right)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZh7EqKe-autvne9QFIVExvMdPEcDb83PDY-kfbGBZSG1Q9aM9aNJ3-IAmMu7jQ9KQTTt7Mblq9PnfxTAyaQ0NLPzLq-xCU0H0NJlOYg7T98GH9z381B2fGYWAF-9bZQ1ruFkoNNMFhIK6/s1600/DSC_1550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZh7EqKe-autvne9QFIVExvMdPEcDb83PDY-kfbGBZSG1Q9aM9aNJ3-IAmMu7jQ9KQTTt7Mblq9PnfxTAyaQ0NLPzLq-xCU0H0NJlOYg7T98GH9z381B2fGYWAF-9bZQ1ruFkoNNMFhIK6/s640/DSC_1550.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon (top) and Venus (below) - 6:20am Sat 10th November - Singapore</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKnPks0LE0z9cZzggaZe2TkuUGuvTGe73C1nufYshyczL2-YrcmojwCYI-8hEGPmgNAF3maeqMs45HXT93ft7nAdjg7Jh_euz_OU1KvbqF-LNKdE6QjrsvWE5c8vo4Yf2rpIkHt5QEK5u/s1600/DSC_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKnPks0LE0z9cZzggaZe2TkuUGuvTGe73C1nufYshyczL2-YrcmojwCYI-8hEGPmgNAF3maeqMs45HXT93ft7nAdjg7Jh_euz_OU1KvbqF-LNKdE6QjrsvWE5c8vo4Yf2rpIkHt5QEK5u/s640/DSC_1575.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waning Crescent Moon</td></tr>
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Finally, sunrise came and as I leave near Changi Airport, I also got a shot of some planes before the sun came up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Lc9u3IHkHqRww_jvyUIYm6lt5QRuPxD3oigixIldGx5b8vpCJ6R26rM60tX5Lz8Tk9OK1f-SltEI_rJgtDab75NeEUmWEWRrSMi4Zaro9F28nCP_f8Vr-BC3VcTvf3N5xMbuliREeYTW/s1600/DSC_1559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Lc9u3IHkHqRww_jvyUIYm6lt5QRuPxD3oigixIldGx5b8vpCJ6R26rM60tX5Lz8Tk9OK1f-SltEI_rJgtDab75NeEUmWEWRrSMi4Zaro9F28nCP_f8Vr-BC3VcTvf3N5xMbuliREeYTW/s640/DSC_1559.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of focus "Solar Pillar" phenomenon before sunrise 6:40am Sat 10th November</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8_2zm1UXmo72TAHhFhdjXaLVYS8EoL0jh9jMQeduEMnvqhGhck4NagZqwg3jfC0LS3ntojGOLW04gk1_p-BdPl5IiqzXv94W90fT9alJI0y05rqYq1zC4GV4AsdAsUcxQ0SnSKoBNbus/s1600/DSC_1581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8_2zm1UXmo72TAHhFhdjXaLVYS8EoL0jh9jMQeduEMnvqhGhck4NagZqwg3jfC0LS3ntojGOLW04gk1_p-BdPl5IiqzXv94W90fT9alJI0y05rqYq1zC4GV4AsdAsUcxQ0SnSKoBNbus/s640/DSC_1581.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plane landing at sunrise 6:50am</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeUH27HY_NIRD4EwTbkfhp8P45iXTmwKJd5N0MOYFNTOmZuuMf8L9mn7NWMTpQ6tvIk116QR3eHn2bs08zCxllUeGHBCvjpDtEVO3RsfSVa_rWrpjkaEqk5UxjCVZgOUZk_TiB9LjnOd6/s1600/DSC_1607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeUH27HY_NIRD4EwTbkfhp8P45iXTmwKJd5N0MOYFNTOmZuuMf8L9mn7NWMTpQ6tvIk116QR3eHn2bs08zCxllUeGHBCvjpDtEVO3RsfSVa_rWrpjkaEqk5UxjCVZgOUZk_TiB9LjnOd6/s640/DSC_1607.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sun - shortly after sunrise - 7:20am Sat 10th Nov</td></tr>
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<br />Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16049474889968069674noreply@blogger.com0