Star trails in Singapore

Imagine, lying down on your back, on a grass meadow patch, looking up into the night sky.
If you Stare long enough, maybe you will see the stars rotating round and round and round...


Ok, we know it is difficult to find a comfortable grass patch
(ie soft, not spiky and itchy, not wet, and no insects) in Singapore.

But seriously, when was the last time you spotted a starry night in Singapore?
Maybe, just maybe, we might be able to spot stars at Pulau Semakau.


(Above map from http://coralreef.nus.edu.sg/images/singmap.jpg)


Pulau Where?
Pulau Semakau is an island in southern Singapore, and it used to be a landfill for mainland Singapore's rubbish. NEA (National Environment Agency) has now transformed it into an eco-fertile island.

Visitors can enjoy unspoilt sceneries, lalangs, and Daddy recently came to know this might be
the only spot in Singapore to view stars.

In the words of Tasos, Daddy quote "Singapore, being such a small island, is badly polluted by lights. So, we have to move to a dark spot away from the city light for star-gazing. Offshore islands are a good candidate."


Now, who is Tasos? Tasos stand for "The Astronomical Society of Singapore".
They are Singapore's stars gazers, read more about them here. They are the chaps who provided the telescopes for us to view the recent lunar Eclipse.

Tasos organise trips to Pulau Semakau to view stars and constellations.
Read about their StarGazing trips here.



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More about Island itinerary
- $40 for non members, do not expect 5 star hotel or BBQ at Pulau Semakau.
Think camping, only basic amenities like toilet and shower is available.

- Trip normally last from Sat 1600 to Sun 0800

- Tasos members will setup Telescopes for visitors, and guides will be available to explain the Milky Way :p

- No one mention anything about overseas mosquitos, use your initiative

- Semakau overnight trip might not be suitable for younger kids, as Stars/Planets do not excite everybody :)

More information are available at Tasos webage -->
http://www.tasos.org.sg/semakau_island_stargazing/semakau_stargazing.html

Thank you to Albert Ho for providing SengkangBabies with additional information. You might be interested to know that every Friday from 1945 to 2200, Science Centre Observatory is open to the public for star gazing activities. IT is Free :)


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Video : What is a Star Trail? Look at this superb time-lapse video ! (disclaimer Daddy is not saying it is easy or possible to capture star trails in Pulau Semakau, youtube for illustration only)


You can gather more information about Pulau Semakau below. Do take note that you can only visit Semakau together with other organisations mention in wiki link below :
- http://app2.nea.gov.sg/semakaulandfill.aspx
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulau_Semakau


Pulau Semakau star-gazing will offer you some non-traditional itinerary. Interested in more non-conventional fun for your family ?
- Visit a Lighthouse
- Look out for the next Lunar Eclipse
- Visit MRT Deport


credits.. above "stars" photos taken from Tasos website.

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Lunar Eclipse 天狗食曰

Singapore witness a rare Eclipse yesterday. From 2000 to 0100, the full was consumed by the Earth's shadow. A group of astronomy interest-group and photographers gather above One Fullerton for a clear sight. Even the stars appear to twinkle with us (it is normally too bright to spot Stars in Singapore).

We are humbled by this spectacle, humans are so minute in the Universe !

From the roof, the kids had fun entertaining themselves, while the adults were busy fixing their cameras and telescopes. Daddy has to ask the kids to stay away from the tripods as he does not intend to pay for any (10k plus ooops) damages keke.

While we wait for the eclipse in progress, MBS's laser show entertain us from across the bay.

Although we can see the Full moon with our naked eyes, it looks even rounder when we view it through the telescopes ! We can even spot two faint rings around planet Jupiter.

Thanks to URA and Heritage Fullerton's invitation, we have the roof to ourselves :)
Meet new friends, and chat with old friends. Everyone were in awe of the Eclipse happening right before our eyes !


Astronomy experts(SingAstro) and photographers (Darren, Andrew and Genghui) shared their moon-knowledge and photography tips with everyone. Thanks !
Even a layman like Daddy gets to appreciate the Eclipse better.

The eclipse started at around 2030, and by 2100, we can clearly see the "shadow".
(Image at F11, Iso 400 and shutter 1/400)

By 2200, the Moon was almost consumed. As the Chinese would say "天狗食曰"
(literally Heavenly Dog consume the Lunar Moon)

To see the Red moon, Daddy has to expose the moon for 2 or 3 seconds.
(F8 and iso400, shutter 2s)



Till 2014, when the next Eclipse occurs, this moon shots will be treasured by Daddy and friends :)
(Group Photo courtesy of Darren Chin)


More Moon shots at SengkangBabies fanpage.

In case you are hook on astronomical, do pop by our Stars recommendation --> http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2011/12/star-trails-in-singapore.html
(organised by TASOS)

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