Hi all,
First, an introduction to myself. My name is Jinglei. I'm from China, and am in the final year at NTU now. I and my friend Jia Hao had been on astro trips to Xin Jiang, China on 01/08/2008 for the total solar eclipse; to Carita, Indonesia on 26/01/2009 for the annular solar eclipse; to Wu Han, Chian on 22/07/2009 for the total solar eclipse; and many more trips on the list. We really enjoyed the feeling of chasing the eclipses as well as the beautiful scenery along the trips.
On 17/11/2009-18/11/2009, the Leonids will give a ZHR 500+ outburst. http://www.imcce.fr/en/ephemerides/phen ... /index.php. Approximately one meteor every 10 seconds at the time and place we are going to observe.
I have studied the IR satellite image of the entire Asia region from 1998 to 2008 in November. The probability of clear sky in Nepal is higher than 90%. And the place that we are going is at an altitude of 2100 meters. We will be high above the smoke and haze layer. At the time of predicted peak which is 21:43 (UTC) the radiant will be 55 degree above the horizon, and there is no moon at all. So it's going to be a perfect condition for observing the Leonids.
Nagarkot is at the foot of the Himalayas, where the scene is breath taking. There are also small prop planes that will take you to the Mt. Everest for sight seeing. You can check out the photos from flickr. Views from Nagarkot
We might be organizing a trip that opens to the members on this forum. But we need to find out if there are people interested. FYI, the round trip ticket of Silkair from Singapore to Kathmandu, Nepal is at 994 SGD incl. tax.
You can stated you interest here by replying the thread or any ideas related to the Leonids 2009.
My Email is : iohutom@hotmail.com Or SMS to : 82325489
Thank you!
2009 Leonids observation in Nagarkot, Nepal
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blackhicks
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starfinder
- Posts: 1039
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Hey i will be at Nagarkot in Nepal in 2 weeks' time. Not for astronomy but for general sightseeing. Hope to see the Himalayas from there.
Was also once thinking of Nagarkot for the Leonids, since cloud cover statistics for November favour northern India & Nepal plus the Arabian peninsula. However, i won't be going there in Nov since would be there already in late Sept, plus have work leave constraints.
Am not sure if Nagarkot is a dark enough site, since although it is on a mountain ridge at 6000+ feet, it is less than 20km from the capital city Kathmandu as the crow flies.
Since i would be there during 1st Quarter Moon, i hope to get up a few hours before dawn to see the stars (e.g. Orion region). Will report on the sky conditions.
One thing i could state now is that it will likely be quite cold up there in mid-Nov (perhaps near freezing), so do bring winter wear if you do go there for the Leonids.
Was also once thinking of Nagarkot for the Leonids, since cloud cover statistics for November favour northern India & Nepal plus the Arabian peninsula. However, i won't be going there in Nov since would be there already in late Sept, plus have work leave constraints.
Am not sure if Nagarkot is a dark enough site, since although it is on a mountain ridge at 6000+ feet, it is less than 20km from the capital city Kathmandu as the crow flies.
Since i would be there during 1st Quarter Moon, i hope to get up a few hours before dawn to see the stars (e.g. Orion region). Will report on the sky conditions.
One thing i could state now is that it will likely be quite cold up there in mid-Nov (perhaps near freezing), so do bring winter wear if you do go there for the Leonids.
Hi starfinder,
We are awear of the cold weather in Nov. I don't think it's a problem though since I once was watching the 98' leonids on a -20℃ night XD.
About the light pollution, we think it's most likely to be very dark during the early hours of the morning because the whole city will just black out during those hours. It's just what we've heard, but not sure. I'll be waiting for your report on the sky conditions. Thank you.
We are awear of the cold weather in Nov. I don't think it's a problem though since I once was watching the 98' leonids on a -20℃ night XD.
About the light pollution, we think it's most likely to be very dark during the early hours of the morning because the whole city will just black out during those hours. It's just what we've heard, but not sure. I'll be waiting for your report on the sky conditions. Thank you.
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jiahao1986
- Posts: 474
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:59 pm
- Location: Clementi
Hi starfinder,starfinder wrote:Hey i will be at Nagarkot in Nepal in 2 weeks' time. Not for astronomy but for general sightseeing. Hope to see the Himalayas from there.
Was also once thinking of Nagarkot for the Leonids, since cloud cover statistics for November favour northern India & Nepal plus the Arabian peninsula. However, i won't be going there in Nov since would be there already in late Sept, plus have work leave constraints.
Am not sure if Nagarkot is a dark enough site, since although it is on a mountain ridge at 6000+ feet, it is less than 20km from the capital city Kathmandu as the crow flies.
Since i would be there during 1st Quarter Moon, i hope to get up a few hours before dawn to see the stars (e.g. Orion region). Will report on the sky conditions.
One thing i could state now is that it will likely be quite cold up there in mid-Nov (perhaps near freezing), so do bring winter wear if you do go there for the Leonids.
The predicted peak for 2009's Leonids is at 21:44 UT, Nov. 17 according to the model by Jereme Vaubaillon. His model proved to be very successfull in recent meteor outbursts, for Aurigids 2007, Leonids 2008, Perseids 2009 etc. However he suggested that the peak time is likely to be 0.5 ~ 1 hr later than the predicted one, similar to Leonids 2008's case.
If the peak time is indeed late by one hour, it would be more secure to travel westards to ensure the peak falls before twilight begins. Nepal is at GMT+5:45 zone, which is pretty ideal for us.
Besides, we are planning to stay at a hotel in Nagarkot which offers 360 degree unobstructed view. So far from our research work only the Peaceful Cottage & Cafe Du'mont is suitable. You may want to check this hotel out while you are there. Hope better options are available up there anyway.
Enjoy your trip! We look forward to your trip report!
Best regards,
Jia Hao
Clear skies please...
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starfinder
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:15 pm
- Location: River Valley / Tanglin Road
- Contact:
I've just returned over the weekend from Nepal.
As promised, here is a report on the observing conditions at Nagarkot, as well as my impressions of another place (Dhampus, near Pokhara).
Nagarkot is a "hill station" about 20km east of Kathmandu city as the crow flies and at about elevation 7,000ft, about 1hr20mins by car from Kathmandu airport. At Nagarkot, I stayed at Peaceful Cottage (had booked it even before the mention of it above). That budget inn has a rooftop observation platform which offers unobstructed views of the surroundings for 360 degrees.
Below is a photo which I took at sunrise on 28 Sept 09.
The place was then above a sea of clouds over the lush green valleys below and under an almost cloud-free sky. The Himalayas were well visible, with the Langtang range appearing to be quite close even though those mountains were about 60km away. I managed to see a broad sweep of the Himalayas from Manaslu (8155m) in the west, on to Ganesh Himal (7415m), Langtang (7245m), Shisha Pangma (8044m), and on to Everest (8848m) as a tiny peak in the far distance in the east (hard to tell which one, esp in the glare of the Sun).
Sunrise was at about 6am, but I had gotten up at 4am and gone to the roof top by 4.30am for some star-gazing. I can report that, even though Kathmandu was then lit (i.e. no blackout in force), the skies at Nagarkot were dark enough for the band of the Milky Way to be seen, stretching from the Orion/Canis Major region and onto the northern constellations. I would say that that place is perhaps not as dark as the dark sky site at Mersing (Telok Sari) but it definitely can be considered a rural observation site. I noted that a quadrangle of 4 stars between the top two bright stars of Orion (Betelgeuse and Bellatrix) could be seen, the dimmest of which is mag 5.3 according to a planetarium program. I also saw two meteors, which looked bright. The crystal clear sky was awash with countless stars.
I’m sure there is a 4 or 8 character Chinese idiom (chengyu) which describes the situation, which carries the poetic meaning “gazing at bright stars in a clear sky above a sea of clouds and surrounded by mountain peaks”, e.g. *#%$, @*#%.
So in summary, that place is very suitable for star-gazing, and in particular, for viewing a meteor shower, provided of course that the skies are cloud free (best months are Oct to Dec/Jan) and haze free (I’ve read that it get somewhat hazy in Nepal from around Feb onwards till the onset of the monsoon in May/June). It is at a very high elevation and is quite dark. At the rooftop of Peaceful Cottage, there is no obstruction and no local lights (e.g. lamps).
The rooftop of Peaceful Cottage consists of a small central area good for about 8 people to stand together, and 6 sloping sections which are wide enough for 2 persons to lie side by side (however, at the end of these 6 sloping sections the railing is only 2 feet high, so one must be careful not to fall off to 3 floors below). See picture below.
Apart from Peaceful Cottage, I explored a few other hotels whilst in Nagarkot. One other place, Club Himalaya (the most expensive in Nagarkot), has a roof top terrace the size of a tennis court which has mostly unobstructed views, though it has about 10 small lamps at chest level at the perimeter which could I think be easily covered-up with black plastic bags for star-gazing.
So much so for Nagarkot. Whilst in Nepal, I also stayed in Pokhara, which is about 6-7 hours by bus west of Kathmandu, or a 25 min flight by propeller plane (all domestic flights are by turbo props). During my stay in Pokhara (at the excellent mid-budget Glacier Hotel), I went on a day tour organized by the hotel to a place called Dhampus, which is about a 45 min drive from Pokhara. The final 20 mins up the mountain road to Dhampus definitely requires a 4WD vehicle, as it is very bumpy and can be muddy (it is nevertheless a safe route). Dhampus is a village at elevation 5,400 ft at the edge of the Annapurnas. What makes the place intriguing astronomy-wise is the fact that on the outskirts of the village, there is an elevated plateau field about the size of 2 tennis courts which I would rank as “made for astronomy”. It is a flat field about 20 feet above the village road-track and with no obstruction all round.
Though I arrived there around sunrise and therefore could not tell if it is a dark sky site, I’m sure it will be quite dark there. Although Pokhara town is only 15km away as the crow flies, it is well behind a 4,000 foot mountain range (where Sarangkot is) and Nepali towns and cities are very dimly lit anyway due to a national shortage of electricity.
Best of all, from that field, one has a wonderous unobstructed view of the Annapurna Himalayas only around 30km+ away, from Annapurna I (8091m), onto to Machhapuchharey (6,993m) and on to Annapurna III, IV and II (each 7000m+). The view is similar to the one at the mountain top above Pokhara (at Sarangkot which I also visited), but one gets to view both “fish tails” of Machhapuchharey at Dhampus.
Attached is a photo of the field and of Dhampus village, which is such a lovely place above the lush valleys below and amongst terraced millet fields. Dhampus has very basic budget accommodation for trekkers, and whilst there, I came across a group of tourists from China who were watching TV news coverage of the 60th anniversary celebrations back home (1 Oct 2009).
So, for Leonids observation in Nepal, one would have I think good choices at both Nagarkot and places near Pokhara such as Dhampus. (I would unfortunately probably be stuck in Singapore in mid-Nov).
I must also add, to conclude, that the Nepalis are amongst the nicest and most cultured people I’ve come across. Nepal is a beautiful country, unexpectedly very green and lush, but it is beset with infrastructure problems (chiefly poor roads esp in towns/cities and lack of full electricity supply) and I was told many times, lacking in economic development in the past 20 years.
As promised, here is a report on the observing conditions at Nagarkot, as well as my impressions of another place (Dhampus, near Pokhara).
Nagarkot is a "hill station" about 20km east of Kathmandu city as the crow flies and at about elevation 7,000ft, about 1hr20mins by car from Kathmandu airport. At Nagarkot, I stayed at Peaceful Cottage (had booked it even before the mention of it above). That budget inn has a rooftop observation platform which offers unobstructed views of the surroundings for 360 degrees.
Below is a photo which I took at sunrise on 28 Sept 09.
The place was then above a sea of clouds over the lush green valleys below and under an almost cloud-free sky. The Himalayas were well visible, with the Langtang range appearing to be quite close even though those mountains were about 60km away. I managed to see a broad sweep of the Himalayas from Manaslu (8155m) in the west, on to Ganesh Himal (7415m), Langtang (7245m), Shisha Pangma (8044m), and on to Everest (8848m) as a tiny peak in the far distance in the east (hard to tell which one, esp in the glare of the Sun).
Sunrise was at about 6am, but I had gotten up at 4am and gone to the roof top by 4.30am for some star-gazing. I can report that, even though Kathmandu was then lit (i.e. no blackout in force), the skies at Nagarkot were dark enough for the band of the Milky Way to be seen, stretching from the Orion/Canis Major region and onto the northern constellations. I would say that that place is perhaps not as dark as the dark sky site at Mersing (Telok Sari) but it definitely can be considered a rural observation site. I noted that a quadrangle of 4 stars between the top two bright stars of Orion (Betelgeuse and Bellatrix) could be seen, the dimmest of which is mag 5.3 according to a planetarium program. I also saw two meteors, which looked bright. The crystal clear sky was awash with countless stars.
I’m sure there is a 4 or 8 character Chinese idiom (chengyu) which describes the situation, which carries the poetic meaning “gazing at bright stars in a clear sky above a sea of clouds and surrounded by mountain peaks”, e.g. *#%$, @*#%.
So in summary, that place is very suitable for star-gazing, and in particular, for viewing a meteor shower, provided of course that the skies are cloud free (best months are Oct to Dec/Jan) and haze free (I’ve read that it get somewhat hazy in Nepal from around Feb onwards till the onset of the monsoon in May/June). It is at a very high elevation and is quite dark. At the rooftop of Peaceful Cottage, there is no obstruction and no local lights (e.g. lamps).
The rooftop of Peaceful Cottage consists of a small central area good for about 8 people to stand together, and 6 sloping sections which are wide enough for 2 persons to lie side by side (however, at the end of these 6 sloping sections the railing is only 2 feet high, so one must be careful not to fall off to 3 floors below). See picture below.
Apart from Peaceful Cottage, I explored a few other hotels whilst in Nagarkot. One other place, Club Himalaya (the most expensive in Nagarkot), has a roof top terrace the size of a tennis court which has mostly unobstructed views, though it has about 10 small lamps at chest level at the perimeter which could I think be easily covered-up with black plastic bags for star-gazing.
So much so for Nagarkot. Whilst in Nepal, I also stayed in Pokhara, which is about 6-7 hours by bus west of Kathmandu, or a 25 min flight by propeller plane (all domestic flights are by turbo props). During my stay in Pokhara (at the excellent mid-budget Glacier Hotel), I went on a day tour organized by the hotel to a place called Dhampus, which is about a 45 min drive from Pokhara. The final 20 mins up the mountain road to Dhampus definitely requires a 4WD vehicle, as it is very bumpy and can be muddy (it is nevertheless a safe route). Dhampus is a village at elevation 5,400 ft at the edge of the Annapurnas. What makes the place intriguing astronomy-wise is the fact that on the outskirts of the village, there is an elevated plateau field about the size of 2 tennis courts which I would rank as “made for astronomy”. It is a flat field about 20 feet above the village road-track and with no obstruction all round.
Though I arrived there around sunrise and therefore could not tell if it is a dark sky site, I’m sure it will be quite dark there. Although Pokhara town is only 15km away as the crow flies, it is well behind a 4,000 foot mountain range (where Sarangkot is) and Nepali towns and cities are very dimly lit anyway due to a national shortage of electricity.
Best of all, from that field, one has a wonderous unobstructed view of the Annapurna Himalayas only around 30km+ away, from Annapurna I (8091m), onto to Machhapuchharey (6,993m) and on to Annapurna III, IV and II (each 7000m+). The view is similar to the one at the mountain top above Pokhara (at Sarangkot which I also visited), but one gets to view both “fish tails” of Machhapuchharey at Dhampus.
Attached is a photo of the field and of Dhampus village, which is such a lovely place above the lush valleys below and amongst terraced millet fields. Dhampus has very basic budget accommodation for trekkers, and whilst there, I came across a group of tourists from China who were watching TV news coverage of the 60th anniversary celebrations back home (1 Oct 2009).
So, for Leonids observation in Nepal, one would have I think good choices at both Nagarkot and places near Pokhara such as Dhampus. (I would unfortunately probably be stuck in Singapore in mid-Nov).
I must also add, to conclude, that the Nepalis are amongst the nicest and most cultured people I’ve come across. Nepal is a beautiful country, unexpectedly very green and lush, but it is beset with infrastructure problems (chiefly poor roads esp in towns/cities and lack of full electricity supply) and I was told many times, lacking in economic development in the past 20 years.
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jiahao1986
- Posts: 474
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:59 pm
- Location: Clementi
Hi starfinder!
Appreciate your report so much! Glad to hear that Nagarkot is good enough for watching the Leonids, since it might be our only option cos we need to catch a flight on Nov. 18 (the shower on the 17).
Too bad you cannot go for this event, hope you get clear skies in Singapore.
Best regards,
Jia Hao
Appreciate your report so much! Glad to hear that Nagarkot is good enough for watching the Leonids, since it might be our only option cos we need to catch a flight on Nov. 18 (the shower on the 17).
Too bad you cannot go for this event, hope you get clear skies in Singapore.
Best regards,
Jia Hao
Clear skies please...