Marina Barrage?

[Avarielle]

I've been thinking of heading to Marina Barrage to observe. Good idea? Bad idea? I've only been there in the daytime so I've no idea how it is at night.

Thanks for the advice, in advance.

[fizzy123]

Hi Avarielle,

No doubt the marina barrage has a large carpet grass field that is suitable for stargazing, however, I think there are other better spots or position fo one to star-gaze, especially those that are closer to the heartlands. The barrage is located within the CBD, thus the skies are extremely light polluted and the grass patch usually have lotsa of ppl flying kites, so not conducive to conduct un-interrupted star-gazing. Furthermore, the field have sprinklers that spray water every hour after midnight, thus making star-gazing after 12 midnight difficult. There are many experienced singastronians that are regularly conducting sessions within the heartlands and they are generally friendly and willing to guide newbies. Feel free to join in these sessions, makes your learning curve smoother.

If you happen to stay in the east.
Tampines grass patch infront of the mosquenear the tampines bus interchange. (Weixing)
East Coast Park Carpark C4/D1 grass patch infront of the small fishing jetty. (Remus)

If you happen to stay in the central.
Toa payoh library infront open space. (Gary)

[Gary]

I've been thinking of heading to Marina Barrage to observe. Good idea? Bad idea? I've only been there in the daytime so I've no idea how it is at night.
Thanks for the advice, in advance.

The center of the open field is darker but you may need to bring your own chairs for a more comfortable observation session unless you don't mind setting up low and sitting on a groundsheet. Else, can setup near the perimeter of the field near the lift.

Lots of night kite flyers during the weekend but if you are not doing imaging, should not bother you too much. You may attract a crowd if the skies are clear so be prepared to help help promote this hobby.

End of the day, the sky condition in Singapore does not vary a lot, e.g. you wont see clouds at one area and milky way at another. For me, reaction time to clear skies is more important - how fast you can go to site to observe when the skies are temporarily clear. Consider the following 2 scenarios

(1) Sky is clear. Pack up and travel to a site that is slightly less bright. Set up. Sky turns cloudy and stay cloudy till sunrise.

(2) Sky is clear. Observe at home or a place very near home. Use aids to improve dark eye adaption - e.g. eye patch on observing eye, hood/towel over head. Sky still clear after observing for about an hour. Pack up and travel to a site that is slightly less bright. Set up. Sky turns cloudy and stay cloudy till sunrise.

For scenario (2), at least you manage to get some observation done due to the quick reaction time. And the views observed may keep you happy and contented for a while or a long time even though the rest of the night was cloudy.

Its about managing one's stargazing expectation also. If you are very focus and determine to travel mainly to stargaze only, then go to the darkest place you can go to safely in Singapore, e.g. with a friend to Turf City, East Coast Park, ...etc. Do all the necessary homework first, e.g. check the online weather maps and forecast, going there early and setup.

If you are just going for a gathering or mainly to hang out with family and friends and want to bring your telescope along (e.g. to Marina Barrage), then just appreciate any potential clear skies that comes along and treat that as a bonus.

For observing bright objects like Moon and Planets, there isn't a great advantage in observing them in darker skies. Seeing condition is more important.

Having said that, the ambience of the place also adds to the stargazing experience. If skies are clear, of course it is more enjoyable to stargaze at a scenic place with the company of friends or strangers who are in a partying mood.

[Avarielle]

Thanks fizzy123 and Gary for the information.

Maybe I'll bring my scope down to one of the Toa Payoh sessions. Considering Toa Payoh is near-ish my house.

I was thinking of Marina Barrage because I'm tossing around the idea of doing a super casual "star party" with friends and was looking for locations.

[Gary]

You can also try the Marina Bridge area where they have a nice shelter and seats for you to hang out and chit chat with your friends while stargazing.