Stargazing at Botanic Gardens

[bornfree]

Hi Guys,

any one ever did some gazing at Botanic Gardens? is it doable? I will be going down on the 8/8 during the evening. thinking of whether to bring a scope along for the picnic..

[Gary]

Hi Guys,

any one ever did some gazing at Botanic Gardens? is it doable? I will be going down on the 8/8 during the evening. thinking of whether to bring a scope along for the picnic..

About 1 or 2 years ago, I tried some stargazing at the open field where the iconic Tembusu Tree is located. It is near the Swan Lake in the Tangling Core area:
http://www.sbg.org.sg/tanglincore/tanglincore.asp

If you don't know how this tree looks like, look at the back of the Singapore $5 dollar note.

I brought a grab and go setup - 80mm refractor on slo-mo adapter on a camera tripod. Sky was average that night. Manage to enjoy some wide-field gazing at star clusters. You may position yourself in the middle of this field and make use of the tree line to block out some of the park lights.

Some cons:

- Cannot stay beyond its opening hours (midnight?).
- Kids/adults running around playing frisbee/baseball/soccer even at night - stuff which might hit your setup.

Some Pros:

- Decent 360 degree view
- Water cooler within walking distance
- High visibility to attract passerby if the intention is also to sidewalk
- Nearer to main extrance/exit and bus stop at Tanglin area - can go Orchard shopping if sky is no good.

Have not explored the Central and Bukit Timah cores yet. May have better stargazing spots there.

[bornfree]

ok~ then do a mini setup with a first scope..

[Avarielle]

Keep us updated on your Botanic Gardens plans. I might be able to drop by.

Once in a long long while, I do sidewalk sessions at the open space in front of the MRT station.

[bornfree]

great! bringing my lil' scope out.. see how the weather fairs later...

[bornfree]

cloudy, but within the gardens, there are quite a few patches of really dark spots, sadly cloudy day and nothing to see.. :'(

[Gary]

cloudy, but within the gardens, there are quite a few patches of really dark spots, sadly cloudy day and nothing to see.. :'(

Thanks for taking the time and effort to recce the place. Do share with us the locations of these dark spots when you are ready.

[bornfree]

Map of Botanic Garden

I have no idea the BG is this big. It really is. I was only in one very small area of the place. Jacob Ballas Children's garden. (bottom right of the map). near the JB there is a lake. at the edge, i had a picnic with my Aunt. there the land is pretty leveled and the walkway lights are pretty dim compared to bishan park. I do not have a chance to go round the whole garden and map out the dark locations. there toilet is like 3 minutes away, and a carpark is like 7 minutes walk,but no ramp only stairs. the stairs are not that steep. so no worries..

[Gary]

Thanks for the info! It's a big place indeed.