I will be going to the Kahang Eco Farm this Sat (8 May 2010) for star-gazing.
Will not be driving there this time. Taking a train from Singapore to Kluang on Sat morning (dep 7:45am) and then a bus from Kluang to Kahang town. From Kahang town, the farm staff will pick me up and bring me to the farm.
Returning on Sun afternoon by same means. Am keen to try out the public transport way of getting there.
Here is my previous post on observing at the farm:
http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php?p=58868#58868
Moon will rise this Sun morning at 3.03am at 24% phase. Hope to catch the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, which peaks on 5-6 May, but it supposedly has a broad peak.
Anyone is free to join me at the farm! Do bring your scopes bec i will probably just bring 32mm, 50mm and 80mm binos.
Observing at Kahang farm this Sat
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starfinder
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starfinder
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Hi Cataclysm, tks!
Hope to see people there this Sat! Pls note that the farm should be contacted first if you wish to stay there overnight. Their contacts may be found at:
http://www.organic-kahang.com/location/index.htm
email: koref.tamps@gmail.com
Hope to see people there this Sat! Pls note that the farm should be contacted first if you wish to stay there overnight. Their contacts may be found at:
http://www.organic-kahang.com/location/index.htm
email: koref.tamps@gmail.com
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Airconvent
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wow..that's tempting Gavin
But since you have driven there previously, you are now more familiar so you can drive there. That way you can bring your LX90 along.
Bringing only binos there is like having your mother-in-law with you on your wedding night instead of the bride...whoa!
But of course, the 80mm bino is delicious though..like having 2 WO 80ED attached to your eyes![[smilie=cheer.gif]](./images/smilies/cheer.gif "cheer")
Can't join you though, so do come back with photos and a report!
But since you have driven there previously, you are now more familiar so you can drive there. That way you can bring your LX90 along.
Bringing only binos there is like having your mother-in-law with you on your wedding night instead of the bride...whoa!
But of course, the 80mm bino is delicious though..like having 2 WO 80ED attached to your eyes
Can't join you though, so do come back with photos and a report!
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United Federation of the Planets
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United Federation of the Planets
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starfinder
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Hi guys, as i've stated above, i would like to try out the public transport way of getting there. in future, i might go there by public transport and spend 2-3 nights. won't want to drive up and down alone.
Hey, i'm a fan of using binos! i think a lot can be seen with just 80mm or 100mm binos at 20x power and above, even some DSOs... got a 30x80mm... yup, delicious!
i brought the LX-90 there last time and it went through a good work out from one DSO to another, esp galaxies. However, with large binos, you would slowly explore and appreciate the whole sky instead of hopping from one specific object to another. kind of like sailing by boat from one island to another at sea-level instead of taking a helicopter.
One of the most intriguing observing moments i've had previously was a few years ago at Telok Sari with a 25x100mm. whilst slowly sweeping around the Milky Way's central bulge area, i saw what looked like 3D curtains of light: shades of alternating strips of light and darkness.
Also, with binos, whilst sweeping around rich star-field areas such as Puppis, you can see so many innumerable stars shimmering in the background that its amazing! i sometimes wonder why so much is written about individual NGC open star clusters when such whole regions of sky are like one large continuous star cluster. and nothing seems to be written about this in the books!
Hey, i'm a fan of using binos! i think a lot can be seen with just 80mm or 100mm binos at 20x power and above, even some DSOs... got a 30x80mm... yup, delicious!
i brought the LX-90 there last time and it went through a good work out from one DSO to another, esp galaxies. However, with large binos, you would slowly explore and appreciate the whole sky instead of hopping from one specific object to another. kind of like sailing by boat from one island to another at sea-level instead of taking a helicopter.
One of the most intriguing observing moments i've had previously was a few years ago at Telok Sari with a 25x100mm. whilst slowly sweeping around the Milky Way's central bulge area, i saw what looked like 3D curtains of light: shades of alternating strips of light and darkness.
Also, with binos, whilst sweeping around rich star-field areas such as Puppis, you can see so many innumerable stars shimmering in the background that its amazing! i sometimes wonder why so much is written about individual NGC open star clusters when such whole regions of sky are like one large continuous star cluster. and nothing seems to be written about this in the books!
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starfinder
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Here is a report on my trip to Kahang over the weekend.
I went by train from Singapore (Tanjong Pagar) to Kluang, then walked to the bus station about 500m away. Had KFC lunch in Kluang - as usual much fresher chicken served in M'sia than in S'pore's KFCs. Took a local bus from Kluang to Kahang (about 40mins). At Kahang, the farm picked me up as pre-arranged for the 10 min drive into the farm. So it is feasible to get there by public transport, except for the last bit where you would have to arrange with the farm (unless you take a taxi from Kluang).
Ian (Ian0138) also went to the farm with his family. This time, I set-up my tripods after sunset at a different part of the farm, nearer the accommodation buildings. It was very cloudy then. Ian joined me but at around 8pm, there were persistent flashes in the sky which did not seem to be abating. We therefore decided to abandon the site and went back to the rooms.
Later, at around 9.30pm, Yang Beng arrived. Together, we set up our stuff at the same car-parking area as was used 3 weeks ago. Although I had brought along a WO 80mm refractor, I did not set-it up as I was “out apertured” by the other two by 8mm and 40mm.
Many areas of the sky were clear except for thin high level clouds, so the views were mostly well muted. Nevertheless, we managed to navigate our way through the constellations and I learnt some stuff from Yang Beng. Some DSOs viewed included M51, Omega Centauri, and M5. However, the area around Eta Carinae could not be seen except just before it set.
The light dome in the SSW seem larger and brighter than before, perhaps because of mid-level clouds.
One thing I discovered and saw clearly was that there is a whole line of bright stars that takes you from the key constellation pattern of the north (the Big Dipper) through the equatorial region and then to the key constellation pattern of the south (the Pointers and Southern Cross). Here it is, announced and published on Singastro:
From the Big Dipper in Ursa Major, arc to Arcturus in Bootes, on to Spica in Virgo, and then (here is the discovery…) run down to %u3b2 (beta) Centauri via the bright line of stars %u3b3 (gamma) Hydrae, %u3b9 (iota) Centauri, %u3c9 (omega) Centauri: alright it’s not a star but looks like one in dark skies hence the name, %u3b5 (epsilon) Centauri and then %u3b2 (beta) Centauri a.k.a “Hadar”.
The reverse would be: from %u3b2 (beta) Centauri (“star no. 1”) run up the straight line of stars of %u3b5 (Epsilon) Centauri) (“no. 2”), %u3c9 (omega) Centauri (“no. 3”), %u3b9 (iota) Centauri (“no. 4”), %u3b3 (gamma) Hydrae (“no. 5”), jump to Spica (“no. 6”), jump to Arcturus (“no. 7”), and then Alkaid (“no. 8”) at the tip of the Big Dipper’s handle.
So there it is: a very good line that connects North with South via the equatorial region, and vice versa. Maybe it’s been written about before, but I’ve not read it, so perhaps it takes someone observing near the equator to see it clearly. There I saw the Big Dipper and Crux nicely poised facing each other way above the horizon at opposite ends of the sky, with the galaxy rich region in between them high overhead.
Back to the trip report: Yang Beng left at around midnight and Ian and I went back to the rooms and then set-up our stuff at the original area where I had set-up at sunset.
The Milky Way gradually become more prominent than before. I then took some photos of the central bulge area at around 1am with an AstroTrac and a 17-70mm lens on a DSLR. (Edit:) Here is an image:
Canon EOS 350D, 17-70mm Sigma lens at 17mm, f/4
4 photos of 312s (ISO 800), 81s (ISO1600), 81s (ISO1600) and 261s (ISO400); stacked and enhanced.
The above image was taken when the central bulge was then still not very high up.
As clouds rolled in, I went back to the room for a light nap at 2.45am. I got up at 3.45am, and went outside. I was amazed at what I saw. There was the central bulge of the Milky Way very high up, and the view of it was absolutely splendid. I would describe it as: very bright, sharp, high contrast and distinct. It was one of the best views of the central bulge area that I’ve ever had, and I’ve seen it previously at Telok Sari, Sedili and the dark sky site used by the Astronomical Society of New South Wales for their star parties (known as Wiruna).
However, this view only lasted for 15mins as clouds rolled in again, and I did not manage to photograph it then. I did however view the many intricate and detailed areas of “cloudy milk” and dark nebulosity through a 8x32mm Nikon SE and a 15x50mm Canon IS. The Milky Way stretched from Cygnus on the left (north) through the central bulge, and then on to the far south where it was mired in clouds and the light dome.
It got cloudy on and off again at 4am to 6am, and I continued to observe, looking out for Eta Aquarids. I managed to see about 6 of them: 3 very light and faint (mag 5 or 6) but one bright one which left a green train for about 2 seconds. I also viewed the star rich region in the summer triangle area between Deneb in Cygnus, Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila. The views of these regions, through the 15x50 IS whilst lying on the ground was superb, esp the star-rich and Milky Way areas in Cygnus. It was as if the 15x50 IS was feeding thousands of stars right into my eyes, a product of the sharp, flat field, wide apparent field of view, and long eye relief.
(Add: There was no midst/fog throughout the night and dew was very slight. The preceeding and next day daytimes were hot.)
In the mid-morning, I scouted around the farm looking for more potential observing sites. I was told that I could if I wish observe in between the segments of rice fields and prawn ponds along the bunds which line them.
All in all it was quite a good trip, although clouds interfered most of the time.
I went by train from Singapore (Tanjong Pagar) to Kluang, then walked to the bus station about 500m away. Had KFC lunch in Kluang - as usual much fresher chicken served in M'sia than in S'pore's KFCs. Took a local bus from Kluang to Kahang (about 40mins). At Kahang, the farm picked me up as pre-arranged for the 10 min drive into the farm. So it is feasible to get there by public transport, except for the last bit where you would have to arrange with the farm (unless you take a taxi from Kluang).
Ian (Ian0138) also went to the farm with his family. This time, I set-up my tripods after sunset at a different part of the farm, nearer the accommodation buildings. It was very cloudy then. Ian joined me but at around 8pm, there were persistent flashes in the sky which did not seem to be abating. We therefore decided to abandon the site and went back to the rooms.
Later, at around 9.30pm, Yang Beng arrived. Together, we set up our stuff at the same car-parking area as was used 3 weeks ago. Although I had brought along a WO 80mm refractor, I did not set-it up as I was “out apertured” by the other two by 8mm and 40mm.
Many areas of the sky were clear except for thin high level clouds, so the views were mostly well muted. Nevertheless, we managed to navigate our way through the constellations and I learnt some stuff from Yang Beng. Some DSOs viewed included M51, Omega Centauri, and M5. However, the area around Eta Carinae could not be seen except just before it set.
The light dome in the SSW seem larger and brighter than before, perhaps because of mid-level clouds.
One thing I discovered and saw clearly was that there is a whole line of bright stars that takes you from the key constellation pattern of the north (the Big Dipper) through the equatorial region and then to the key constellation pattern of the south (the Pointers and Southern Cross). Here it is, announced and published on Singastro:
From the Big Dipper in Ursa Major, arc to Arcturus in Bootes, on to Spica in Virgo, and then (here is the discovery…) run down to %u3b2 (beta) Centauri via the bright line of stars %u3b3 (gamma) Hydrae, %u3b9 (iota) Centauri, %u3c9 (omega) Centauri: alright it’s not a star but looks like one in dark skies hence the name, %u3b5 (epsilon) Centauri and then %u3b2 (beta) Centauri a.k.a “Hadar”.
The reverse would be: from %u3b2 (beta) Centauri (“star no. 1”) run up the straight line of stars of %u3b5 (Epsilon) Centauri) (“no. 2”), %u3c9 (omega) Centauri (“no. 3”), %u3b9 (iota) Centauri (“no. 4”), %u3b3 (gamma) Hydrae (“no. 5”), jump to Spica (“no. 6”), jump to Arcturus (“no. 7”), and then Alkaid (“no. 8”) at the tip of the Big Dipper’s handle.
So there it is: a very good line that connects North with South via the equatorial region, and vice versa. Maybe it’s been written about before, but I’ve not read it, so perhaps it takes someone observing near the equator to see it clearly. There I saw the Big Dipper and Crux nicely poised facing each other way above the horizon at opposite ends of the sky, with the galaxy rich region in between them high overhead.
Back to the trip report: Yang Beng left at around midnight and Ian and I went back to the rooms and then set-up our stuff at the original area where I had set-up at sunset.
The Milky Way gradually become more prominent than before. I then took some photos of the central bulge area at around 1am with an AstroTrac and a 17-70mm lens on a DSLR. (Edit:) Here is an image:
Canon EOS 350D, 17-70mm Sigma lens at 17mm, f/4
4 photos of 312s (ISO 800), 81s (ISO1600), 81s (ISO1600) and 261s (ISO400); stacked and enhanced.
The above image was taken when the central bulge was then still not very high up.
As clouds rolled in, I went back to the room for a light nap at 2.45am. I got up at 3.45am, and went outside. I was amazed at what I saw. There was the central bulge of the Milky Way very high up, and the view of it was absolutely splendid. I would describe it as: very bright, sharp, high contrast and distinct. It was one of the best views of the central bulge area that I’ve ever had, and I’ve seen it previously at Telok Sari, Sedili and the dark sky site used by the Astronomical Society of New South Wales for their star parties (known as Wiruna).
However, this view only lasted for 15mins as clouds rolled in again, and I did not manage to photograph it then. I did however view the many intricate and detailed areas of “cloudy milk” and dark nebulosity through a 8x32mm Nikon SE and a 15x50mm Canon IS. The Milky Way stretched from Cygnus on the left (north) through the central bulge, and then on to the far south where it was mired in clouds and the light dome.
It got cloudy on and off again at 4am to 6am, and I continued to observe, looking out for Eta Aquarids. I managed to see about 6 of them: 3 very light and faint (mag 5 or 6) but one bright one which left a green train for about 2 seconds. I also viewed the star rich region in the summer triangle area between Deneb in Cygnus, Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila. The views of these regions, through the 15x50 IS whilst lying on the ground was superb, esp the star-rich and Milky Way areas in Cygnus. It was as if the 15x50 IS was feeding thousands of stars right into my eyes, a product of the sharp, flat field, wide apparent field of view, and long eye relief.
(Add: There was no midst/fog throughout the night and dew was very slight. The preceeding and next day daytimes were hot.)
In the mid-morning, I scouted around the farm looking for more potential observing sites. I was told that I could if I wish observe in between the segments of rice fields and prawn ponds along the bunds which line them.
All in all it was quite a good trip, although clouds interfered most of the time.
Last edited by starfinder on Sun May 16, 2010 11:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Airconvent
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Rich1, are you putting up a bag of hot air? Unless it is a publicity stunt. Maybe try cycling there is more feasible (with bino). I had cycled to Kota Tinggi waterfalls before, but I won't try cycling or public transport since driving a car is more convenient.Next trip you can try the hot air balloon
So how long did it take, from your home to the farm?So it is feasible to get there by public transport
rlow
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Airconvent
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Probably not. Imagine all the turbulence the hot air will generate!rlow wrote: Rich1, are you putting up a bag of hot air? Unless it is a publicity stunt. Maybe try cycling there is more feasible (with bino). I had cycled to Kota Tinggi waterfalls before, but I won't try cycling or public transport since driving a car is more convenient.?
But i am glad trusty gavinand you are so passionate to find new haunts with possible brightening of Mersing in the coming years.
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before
Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R
United Federation of the Planets
Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R
United Federation of the Planets