Welcome to the Universe!
Many people think that astronomy is a silly hobby in Singapore. You＊d think that in Singapore, you can only see the moon and a few stars, right? Actually, a lot more things than you expect are visible in Singapore and here is the proof!
Every one of the pictures on this page was taken right here in Singapore by our very own amateur astronomers. While these pictures are not representative of what you would see normally in the eyepiece, each one is still accessible to the Singaporean astronomer with just a small telescope.
For simplicity＊s sake, the authors＊ names and the equipment used are not included here, but follow the web link above each picture to see the full-sized original pictures and to find out more details.
There are many more spectacular pictures taken by our Singaporean astronomers from darker spots in the region and around the world, but I leave you to discover and enjoy them on your own. In the meantime, here is a showcase of the astronomical objects that can be seen in Singapore, all of them taken right here in Singapore.
Enjoy!
Stars and Constellations
Many stars and constellations are identifiable in our skies. The two most recognizable constellations would be Scorpius the scorpion and Orion the hunter.
Star trails
http://www.singastro.org/album_pic.php?pic_id=362
As the earth rotates, the stars appear to move across the sky from east to west. A long exposure shot captures this trail of stars.
Sun spots
http://www.singastro.org/album_pic.php?pic_id=304
Astronomy can be done in the day by observing the sun! Here, sun spots 每 regions of relatively cool surface caused by magnetic field lines 每 traverse the surface of the sun.
Solar eclipses
http://www.stargazing.net/yizen/astrophotography.html
When the moon passes in front of our sun, a solar eclipse occurs. These pictures show the partial eclipse in 1994. The next solar eclipse in Singapore will happen in 2009.
Solar prominences and flares
http://www.singastro.org/album_showpage.php?pic_id=329
Special hydrogen-alpha filters allow us to see the true nature of the sun 每 its surface roiling and flares and prominences spewing from its surface.
Venus Transit
http://www.singastro.org/album_pic.php?pic_id=227
When Venus passed in between us and the sun in June 2004, no one alive had ever seen it before because it last occurred in 1882. This historically significant event was used to first gauge the distance of the Earth from the sun.
The Moon
http://www.singastro.org/album_pic.php?pic_id=128
With its ever changing phases, the moon presents to us an alien landscape to explore. Fascinating and spectacular, it is the easiest astronomical target around.
and its surface features
http://www.singastro.org/album_pic.php?pic_id=315
Zoom in with a telescope you will be confronted with the history of the moon. You can see the scars of the tremendous walloping it got from meteorites early in its life, and even see how lava once flowed on its surface.
Lunar eclipses
http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php?t=887&highlight=lunar+eclipse
It slowly turns a dusky red＃ Lunar eclipses are much more common than solar eclipses, and here you can see our Earth＊s shadow slowly march across the moon.
Planets:
Planets are only seen with the naked eye as bright dots, but telescopes can open up to us these far-away worlds. They still will look tiny, but the dots are now small discs 每 windows into our neighbour worlds.
Mars
Mars captures the imagination because of its brooding red colour. Through a powerful telescope you can see ice caps, dust storms and dark swathes of terrain.
Jupiter
Jupiter reveals a swirling mass of cloud bands. The great red spot is a gigantic storm that has lasted for the past 300 years.
Saturn
Majestic Saturn must not be missed. Its beautiful ring system is guaranteed to bring gasps of disbelief to the first time viewer.
Deep Sky Objects:
Telescopes not only magnify things, but they also show things that are too faint for our eyes to see. Many amazing deep sky objects (objects that lie beyond our Solar System) can be observed in Singapore, but the visual astronomers will need a medium sized telescope and a dark site such as in Changi or Tuas to do justice to them.
Open Star Clusters:
http://pachome1.pacific.net.sg/~audioworks/showcase.html
Some stars are grouped tightly together because they were born of the same cloud of gas and dust. Here, the Pleiades star cluster 每 commonly known as the seven sisters 每 paints a pretty picture.
Globular Clusters
http://www.singastro.org/album_pic.php?pic_id=69
A fuzzy ball of cotton wool is what some see, but larger telescopes reveal a ball of stars. Globular clusters are giant balls of stars that formed together with our galaxy.
Reflection Nebulas
http://www.angelfire.com/space2/tgtan/
When clouds of interstellar dust reflect the light of their stars within, we see the glow of these beautiful dust clouds. The nearest and greatest of these nebulas is the Orion Nebula, a stellar nursery 1500 light years away.
Dark Nebulas
http://www.angelfire.com/space2/tgtan/
Dark nebulae are clouds of dust that reveal themselves by blocking the light coming from behind it. The Trifid nebula here is split into three by dark nebulae. A large telescope and a dark site are required to make out the elusive dark lanes.
Planetary Nebula
http://pachome1.pacific.net.sg/~audioworks/showcase.html
A planetary nebula is a shell of glowing gas that is emitted from a dying star. The famous Ring Nebula can be seen even in small telescopes, and looks like a mysterious smoke ring floating in the sky.
Galaxies
http://www.angelfire.com/space2/tgtan/
Galaxies are unimaginably far away, and their light is made up of the billions of suns that shine within it. Here, you can see the spiral arms of the Triangulum galaxy spreading outwards from its bright core. Singaporean astronomers will struggle to see more than just a fuzzy spot from here, but the fact that the faint light has travelled millions of years to reach us from the far beyond makes it still a thrilling sight.
Our Milky Way
http://www.geocities.com/ykchia_1999/xind055.html
The light from our neighbouring billion suns becomes a river that, on a clear dark night, shows itself as a very faint milky band that cuts across the night sky. This is our very own galaxy. Here, an ultra sensitive video camera captures the light and dust of our galaxy in its glory.
Meteors
http://www.ykchia.com/sep_oct04.htm
Shooting stars or meteors are caused by grains of space rock that burn up as they hit our atmosphere. Completely unpredictable, meteors can be so bright as to be seen in daytime, so look up, and you might just catch a falling star. They are not as rare as they seems.
Comets
http://pachome1.pacific.net.sg/~audioworks/showcase.html
Comets are small bodies of ice and rock that orbit our sun. When they near the sun, a fan-tail of dust and gas emerges and becomes visible to us.
Man Made Satellites:
International Space Station
http://web.singnet.com.sg/~beninger/
Hubble Space Telescope
The two largest artificial satellites out there are the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. They can appear as bright moving stars, sometimes travelling from horizon to horizon in the evening twilight, as these great metal structures reflect sunlight into our eyes.
Iridium Flares
http://www.geocities.com/ykchia_1999/xind055.html
Iridium satellites belong to a large network of communications satellites. They have large mirror-like antennas that, if you look at the right place and the right time, give off a brilliant flash so bright that they are known as Iridium flares. Online software can predict when and where we can see these satellites.
I hope that this short tour of astronomical delights will inspire you to find out more about the universe around us. Log on to www.singastro.org , and you can learn more about astronomy from an ever-friendly bunch of local amateur astronomers.
Pictures and words are copyright of their respective owners.
22-9-05