News Flash
Total Lunar Eclipse Visible from Singapore on 26 May 2021
A total lunar eclipse (also called the Blood Moon) will be visible from Singapore in the evening of 26 May 2021. The eclipse begins before the moon rising above the horizon.
The partial eclipsed moon will rise at 7.04pm and almost completely covered by earth's shadow. The Total phase will start at 7.11pm and the moon will turn red due to the dispersed light from Earth.
The total phase will last about 14 minutes. Details of the eclipse timing (based on local time) are as shown.
Lunar Occultation of Mars on 17 Apr 2021
The Moon will pass in front of Mars on saturday night, April 17, creating a lunar occultation visible from Singapore.
It will begin with the disappearance of Mars at 09:21 PM and reappearance at 10:35 PM local time.
The Moon will be 5 days old and will be 24% illuminated.
Time of Occultation Event: (Singapore)
09:21 PM - Begin with the disappearance of Mars in the north-western sky at an altitude of 23.9 degrees
10:35 PM - Reappearance of Mars in the north-western sky
at a low altitude of 7.6 degrees
(See illustration above for more information)
TASOS 30th AGM Held on 27 March 2021 at Observatory Classroom
TASOS held her 30th Annual General Meeting on 27 Mar 2021 at the Observatory Classroom, Science Centre Singapore from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. The office bearers were elected and Albert Ho is re-elected as President. The AGM concluded with a food and refreshment for attending Participants.
The Great Winter Solstice Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on 21 Dec 2020
On 21 Dec 2020, the two gas planets, Jupiter and saturn appeared close to each other in the sky as seen from
earth. Although the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn happens about once every 20 years, this winter solstice conjunction was the
closest seen in 397 years. The two planets appeared to be only 0.1 degrees apart or about 1⁄5 of a full Moon diameter on this date. No mass
observation event was organised due to Covid-19 Pandemic restrictions and also relative ease of observing the conjunction of the two bright planets
in the evening sky. TASOS members were given necessary information to observe this event at their own places.
Many members have taken and shared the beautiful photograph of this great conjunction.
Partial Solar Eclipse Visible from Singapore on 21 Jun 2020
There will be an annular solar eclipse on 21 Jun 2020. However, as Singapore is located far south of the eclipse path, we will only see a partial solar
eclipse. The annular phase of this solar eclipse is only visible from parts of Africa including the Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia; south of Pakistan, northern
India, China and Taiwan.
Timing of the Partial Solar Eclipse (Singapore)
The Partial Solar Eclipse will start at about 3.04 pm and will last till about 4.55pm.
See illustration below.
Annular Solar Eclipse Observation on 26 Dec 2019
Annular Solar Eclipse Event Photo
Rare Annular Solar Eclipse Visible from Singapore on 26 Dec 2019
On 26 Dec 2019, the day after Christmas, we will have the opportunity to observe Singapore’s best solar eclipse (Annular). This rare 'ring of fire' around Moon is a truly once in a life time event which you must not miss as the next annular solar eclipse to be seen from Singapore will only be year 2063. Although there are Solar Eclipses happening somewhere around the world yearly, not all of them are visible to us due to a mismatch in the location and timing of the eclipses and the rotation of the earth. Please be informed that the annularity ("ring of fire") only visible on the southern half of Singapore (refer to Annular Solar Eclipse Path Map illustration).
Annular Eclipse Observation
The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) will be collaborating
with People Association PAssion WaVe@Jurong Lake Gardens to set up
some specially outfitted telescopes at their location for viewing
the solar eclipse safely during the event on 26 Dec 2019. TASOS will be also doing live screening of the annular eclipse on a big LCD screen in the sheltered area for comfort viewing of the entire eclipse. Don't miss this lifetime opportunity. Admission is free. All are welcome!
Timing of the Annular Eclipse
The Dec 26 Annular Solar Eclipse will start at about 11.27am and will last till about 3.18pm. The Annularity
("ring of fire") Phase, where up to 94% of the sun’s surface will
be covered by the moon, will be from about 1.22pm to 1.24pm (see illustration below).
11:27 am - Partial Eclipse Begins
01.22 pm - Full Eclipse Begins
01.23 pm - Maximum Eclipse
01.24 pm - Full Eclipse Ends
03.18 pm - Partial Eclipse Ends
WARNING! You can damage your eyes in mere seconds durong solar eclipse
It is very dangerous to look at the sun with naked eyes or through
cameras, binoculars or telescopes without special filters (even during the the annularity/maximun eclipse) as permanent eye damage or even blindness may result.
Solar Viewer and Filter for viewing the
eclipse
Special solar viewer and solar filters for camera lens, telescopes and binoculars for safe viewing and taking picture of the eclipse can be purchased from local shops selling astronomical
equipment. One of the recommneded local reputable shop, M/s Astro
Scientific Centre (website: www.astro.com.sg) is located at
Singapore Science Centre
TASOS Supporting PAssion WaVe Mid-Autumn Festival at Jurong Lake Gardens on Saturday Evening, 14 September 2019
TASOS supported the Mid-Autumn Festival organised by Passion WaVe on Saturday Evening, 14 September 2019. This was a public event. TASOS President Albert Ho gave a talk on the “Moon and Eclipses” from 6.00pm to 7.00pm at the classroom of Passion WaVe @ Jurong Lake Gardens. Other committee members set up the telescopes at the roof top garden of the building for stargazing activities. These include a giant TASOS binocular, C8, C6 and C14 telescope setup by TASOS member Mr Albert Tan. But due the haze caused by Indonesia’s forest fire, the sky was so bad that even the full moon was not visible through the telescope. Although the night sky was bad, the participants chatted and had a great time.
TASOS Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration on Friday Evening, 13 September 2019
TASOS members celebrated Moon Cake Festival on Friday evening, 13 Sep 2019 at Kinetic Garden of Science Centre Singapore (open area in front of Astro-Scientific Centre). The celebration started with a feast of mooncake and drinks. Telescopes and binoculars were set up inclusive a giant twin C8 binocular setup by TASOS member Mr Albert Tan to view the 14-days old gibbous moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Many members also took the moon picture through the telescope. TASOS members chatted and most enjoyed the session.
TASOS Talk on Dark Skies and Light Pollution by Committee Member, Mr. Akash Anandh on 26 Jul 2019
TASOS Committee Member, Mr. Akash Anandh gave a TASOS talk titled “Dark Skies and Light Pollution” at the observatory classroom on Friday evening 26 Jul 2019.The talk was about the beauty of the night sky. A closer look of the adverse effect of light pollution and how we could save the night sky. All present enjoyed a very interesting and informative session.
TASOS Supporting Science Centre Singapore with the Event Picnic Under the Planets on 20 Jul 2019
TASOS Supported Science Centre Singapore with the Event Picnic Under the Planets in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon landing on 20 Jul 2019. Thousands of participants were gathered at Omni Theatre grounds for a night of free movies, planetarium shows and view of Jupiter and Saturn through the observatory and TASOS telescopes. All the participants had a great time at the event.
Partial Lunar Eclipse in the Early Morning of 17 July 2019
- A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from Singapore in the early morning of 17 Jul 19 (Wed.). The partial phase will start from 4.01am and end at 6.59am
Details of the eclipse (local Time) are as shown.
2.43 am:- Start of Penumbral Eclipse. Difficult to see. Very slight darkening of the moon.
4.01 am:- Start of Partial Eclipse. Easy to see. Moon enters into the earth’s umbra.
5.31 am:- Maximum Eclipse. About 66% of the moon will be in shadow (dark).
6.59 am:- End of Partial Eclipse. Moon moves out of the Earth’s umbra.
8.17 am:- End of Penumbral Eclipse. Not visible as the moon will set at about 7.11 am
TASOS Astro Tour June 2019 @ Sedili Inn Resort at Johor, Malaysia on 7-9 Jun 2019
TASOS conducted an Astro tour to Sedili Inn Resort at Tanjung Sedili, Johor, Malaysia on 7-9 Jun 2019. 16 participants from members of TASOS and their families and friends attended. Many telescopes were setup for astronomical observations. First night was clouded out but on the 2nd night, the sky was clearing out and participants were treated with beautiful view of Milkkyway, planets and many deepsky objects. TASOS VP/Ang also guided the members to hunt for the Messier objects using the binoculars. Beside the stargazing activity, TASOS also organised a complimentary tour at Kota Tinggi and Desaru areas. All the participants had a great time at this event.
TASOS Talk on Astronomy in Arts by TASOS Member, Mr. Kalaimani on 10 May 2019
TASOS member Mr Mr. Kalaimani gave a TASOS talk titled “Astronomy in Arts” at the observatory classroom on Friday evening 10 May 2019. He presented a brief overview of the history and development of astronomy in art through various periods, people and cultures and how the advancement in ideology and technology influence the artwork. The talk was well attended to and all present enjoyed a very interesting and informative session.
TASOS Celebrates Earth Hour at Obsrevatory Grounds of Science Centre Singapore on 30 Mar 2019
TASOS had our 28th Annual General Meeting on Saturday afternoon of 30 March 2019. The same evening after the AGM, TASOS conducted a sidewalk astronomy event in support of Earth Hour 2019 on the Obsrevatory grounds of Science Centre Singapore. TASOS new committee and members celebrated Earth Hour together with the member of public by observing the night sky through telescopes. Many Telescopes were set up including a giant twin C8 binocular setup by TASOS member Mr Albert Tan. At the beginning, it was cloudy but the sky cleared up at the later part of the night, It was a fun event as participants watched beautiful view of many deep sky objects such as M41, M42, M44, M35, M67, NGC 4755, NGC 3293, NGC 3766, NGC 2362 and etc.
TASOS 28th AGM Held on 30 March 2019 at Observatory Classroom
TASOS held her 28th Annual General Meeting on 30 Mar 2019 at the Observatory Classroom, Science Centre Singapore from 2.30pm to 5.00pm. The office bearers were elected and Albert Ho is re-elected as President. The AGM concluded with a food and refreshment for attending Participants.
TASOS Talk on Eclipses by TASOS Committee Member, Mr. Albert Lim on 22 Feb 2019
Albert Lim, Commiittee member of TASOS gave a talk tiled "Eclipses" at the Observatory Classroom of Science Centre Singapore on 22nd Feb 2019 from 8.00 to 9.00pm. Topics covered included Eclipse types (Lunar and Solar) and understanding Eclipses relating to the Nodes and the 5 degree tilt of the Moon's Orbit. The SAROs and eclipse seasons were explained along with patterns of eclipses and past TASOS eclipse expeditions were covered. Mention was made also to the coming 26th Dec 2019 Annular Total Eclipse which will be visible from Singapore. Overall it was an enjoyable and informative session for the participants.
TASOS Sidewalk Astronomy Event at West Coast Park on 12 Jan 2019 in commemoration of International Astronomical Union (IAU) Centennial
TASOS held a sidewalk astronomy event at West Coast Park on 12 Jan 2019. This event is also in commemoration and celebration of the International Astronomical Union centennial (IAU100). Telescopes were setup to allow participants to view and photograph the moon. The night was clouded out, but the participants chatted and had a great time.
TASOS Talk on "Preparing for an Aurora Trip" by TASOS Secretary, Mr. Soh Kim Mun on 16 Nov 2018
TASOS Secretary Soh Kim Mun gave a TASOS talk titled “Preparing for an Aurora Trip” at the observatory classroom on Friday evening 16 Nov 2018. Following a fruitful trip in Jan 2018 to observe and photograph the aurora borealis from Tromso Norway, Mr Soh shared his experience to the participant about the preparations needed to increase the chance of a successful trip. Mr Soh’s talk covered what causes the Aurora and their respective colours due to elements such as Oxygen and Nitrogen at various altitudes. He also talk about equipment and techniques to successfully taking photos of aurora. The talk was well attended to and all present enjoyed a very interesting and informative session.
TASOS Astro Tour Oct 2018 at Tanjung Sutera Resort, Malaysia on 12-14 Oct 2018
TASOS conducted an Astro tour to Tanjung Sutera Resort at Tanjung Sedili, Johor, Malaysia on 12-14 Oct 2018. A total of 22 participants from members of TASOS and their families and friends attended. Beside the talks and stargazing activity, TASOS also organised a complimentary firefly tour at Kota Tinggi Town. Although the nights was clouded out, the participants had a great time and enjoyed the tour.
TASOS Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration on Friday Evening, 21 September 2018
TASOS members celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival on Friday evening, 21 Sep 2018 at Kinetic Garden of Science Centre Singapore (open area in front of Astro-Scientific Centre). The celebration started with a feast of mooncake and drinks. Telescopes and binoculars were set up inclusive TASOS Celestron C8, c6 and 125mm giant binoculars to view the Moon but the sky was clouded out. TASOS members chatted and most enjoyed the session.
TASOS Planetary Watch on 18 Aug 2018
TASOS organised planetary Watch on the evening of 18 Aug 2018 at Observatory, Science Centre Singapore for all TASOS members and their families and friends. This was a rare opportunity to view 4 of the brightest planets – Venus; Jupiter; Saturn and Mars - in the night sky. In addition, the first quarter moon was also present for fine viewing.The sky was very clear. TASOS setup telescopes and also operated the 16 inch observatory telescope to show the planets and moon to the participants. They were amazed with the views of the quater phase of venus; Jupiter and 4 moons; the splendid ring system of Saturn as well Cassini division; the polar cap of the Mars and many beautifull craters of our Moon. They all found the experience memorable..
Total Lunar Eclipse in the Early Morning of 28 July 2018
- Catch the longest Total Lunar Eclipse on the 21st Century as the Moon will be totally eclipsed for 103 minutes from 3.30am to 5.13am. The partial phase will start from 2.24am and end at 6.19am
The total lunar eclipse is visible in the early morning of Saturday, July 28. TASOS President, Mr Albert Ho will be giving a talk on Eclipses on the Friday night (27th July 2018, 8 to 9pm) at SCS Observatory Classroom. Do pop by for this talk that you will have better in-sight when you observe the Total Lunar Eclipse after mid-night.
TASOS Astro Tour June 2018 @ Sedili Inn Resort at Tanjung Sedili, Johor, Malaysia on 22-24 Jun 2018
TASOS conducted an Astro tour to Sedili Inn Resort at Tanjung Sedili, Johor, Malaysia on 22-24 Jun 2018. 34 participants were on the tour and 5 telescopes were setup on each of the nights for astronomical observations. Members were treated to views of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, a quarter Moon and many deep sky objects despite many clouds on both nights. On second night, TASOS also organised an complimentary firefly tour at Kota Tinggi Town. It was one hour boat ride along the Johor river which bought us to see millions of fireflies. All the participants had a great time on the trip.
TASOS Talk on Dark Sky Chasing by TASOS Committee Member, Mr Akash Anandh on 25 MaY 2018
TASOS Committee member Akash Anandh gave a talk titled “Chasing Dark Skies” at the Observatory classroom this evening. The talk ended at about 9.00pm and it was well attended by a large group of participants. Akash covered how to search for dark sites and how to photograph the Milky Way from Dark sites.
TASOS Celebrated Earth Hour at Blk. 505A, Roof of Multi-Storey Car Park (Next to Jurong Spring Community Club) Jurong West St. 52, Singapore 649296 on 24 Mar 2018
The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) conducted a sideWalk astronomy event in support of Earth Hour 2018 on the 24 March 2018 at 505A, Roof of Multi-Storey Car Park, Jurong West St. 52. For this year’s event, TASOS jontly organised with Jurong Spring Youth Executive Committee and RGB Life to provide stargazing activity to the residents of Jurong West. Five telescopes including a Celestron C11, Celestron C6, Vixen VC200L, 10 inch Dobsonian, Televue refractor and 1 giant binocular were set up for the stargazing activity. The Car Park lighting was switch off during the earth hour event. It was a fun event as participants watch the beautiful view of the surface of the 7-days moon and M45 open star cluster through the scopes. Hundreds of participants attended the event. Minister Desmond Lee (Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development) came by, looked throught the scopes and chatted with everyone.
TASOS 27th AGM Held on 24 March 2018 at Observatory Classroom
TASOS held her 27th Annual General Meeting on 24 Mar 2018 at the Observatory Classroom, Science Centre Singapore from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. The office bearers were elected and Albert Ho is re-elected as President. The AGM concluded with a food and refreshment for attending Participants.
TASOS Talk on Which Telescope Is Best For Me by TASOS Committee Member, Mr Alfred Cheang on 2 Mar 2018
TASOS Committee Member, Mr Alfred Cheang gave an astronomy equipment talk on Friday 2 Mar 2018 at Science Centre Singapore Observatory classroom, titled “Which Telescope Is Best For Me”. The talk discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of telescopes and telescope mounts. The information served as a useful guide in helping the novice amateur astronomers to answer their question of “Which Telescope is best for me?” The talk ended with showing the different types of telescopes to the Participants. The talk was well attended to and all present enjoyed a very interesting and informative session.
TASOS Total Lunar Eclipse Observation at Science Centre Singapore on 31 Jan 2018
The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) conducted a Total Lunar Eclipse
viewing event in support of SCS event titled “One in the Blue Moon” on 31th
Jan 2018 at the Observatory Grounds of the Science Centre Singapore. This is a
rare coincidence of a 'Blue moon', a 'Supermoon' and a 'Total Lunar Eclipse'
all occurring at the same time, a 3 in 1 event not to be missed. Several
TASOS telescopes were set up including a Celestron C11 computerized telescope,
a Celestron C8 telescopes, Vixen VC200L Telescope, 125mm Vixen giant
binoculars and Celestron C6 brought by committee member Alfred
Cheang.Thousands of participants attended the event.
Lunar Eclipse Photo Taken by TASOS VP Ang PS during the event
TASOS Talk on Milky Way Photography and Image Processing by TASOS Vice President, Mr Ang PS on 24 Nov 2017
TASOS VP/Ang PS gave an astrophotography talk on Friday 24 Nov 2017 at Science Centre Singapore’s Observatory classroom, titled “Milky Way Photography and Image Processing”. The talk discussed the techniques on how to photograph the Milky Way using DSLR cameras and provided tips on how to process and improve the raw images from the DSLR using various processing software. The talk ended with practical demonstration on the processing of the recent acquired Leonids images from the TASOS Astro Tour. The talk was well attended to and all present enjoyed a very interesting and informative session.
TASOS Astro Tour Nov 2017 - Leonids Meteor Shower Watch and Star-gazing @ Tanjung Sedili, Malaysia on 17-19 Nov 2017
TASOS organised another stargazing trip to Tanjung Sedili, Johor, West Malaysia on 17-19 Nov 2017. This date was specially chosen to watch the annual Leonids meteor shower. The shower is called Leonids because its radiant lies in the constellation Leo. The Leonids occur when the Earth passes through the debris left by the comet Tempel-Tuttle and is responsible for some of the most intense meteor storms in history. Total of 19 participants from members of TASOS and public joined the trip. The new moon did not hinder the observation but this year the Leonids display was relatively quiet. The sky condition was also far from ideal and we saw only about 9 meteors during the two night observation. All the participants had a great time at this event.
TASOS Sidewalk Astronomy Event at Woodlands Waterfront Park on 28 Oct 2017
The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) held a sidewalk astronomy event at Woodlands Waterfront Park on 28 Oct 2017. Unfortunately, the weather was bad with overcast sky throughout the event. To lessen the disappointment of those who were present, TASOS set up the society's giant binoculars (125mm Vixen) and Celestron CPC11 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope for viewing the city skyline of Johor, West Malaysia. Also present for the event was a group from Jurong Spring CC accompanied by their Adviser, Mr. Desmond Lee (Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development).
TASOS Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration on Friday Evening, 29 September 2017
TASOS members celebrated Moon Cake Festival on Friday evening, 29th Sep 2017 at Kinetic Garden of Science Centre Singapore (open area in front of Astro-Scientific Centre). The celebration started with a feast of mooncake and drinks. Telescopes and binoculars were set up inclusive TASOS Celestron C8, CPC 11 and 125mm giant binoculars to view the 9-days old gibbous moon and planet Jupiter. TASOS members chatted and most enjoyed the session.
TASOS Support for SCS’s The Good Old Days Event on 1st Jul 2017
The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) set up a Celestron CPC11 GPS and a Vixen Atlux C8 combination in support of Science Centre Singapore’s “The Good Old Days” family picnic and movie event. The scopes looked at the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn close up and a bunch of Deep Sky Objects such as Omega and Jewel Box clusters. TASOS also man a stand for information and membership at the event.
TASOS Astro Tour June 2017 @ Tanjung Sedili, Johor, Malaysia on 16-18 Jun 2017
TASOS organised a stargazing trip to Tanjung Sedili, Johor, West Malaysia from 16-18 Jun 2017. A total of 21 participants from members of TASOS and public attended. A total of 5 telescopes were setup to allow participants to view the night sky. The participants were treated with a clear sky. The beginners are awed by nice views of the planet Juipter, saturn, Sagittarius/Scorpio Milky Way and many deep sky objects. Some of Participants who staying to late night were able to view the comet Johnson (C/2015 V2) in Virgo Constellation. Overall the group enjoyed this wonderful stargazing tour.
TASOS Picnic Under the Planets Event on the 7th Apr 2017
The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) conducted a Planet Jupiter viewing event in support of SCS event titled “Picnic under the Planets” on 7th Apr 2017 at the Observatory Grounds of the Science Centre Singapore. Several telescopes including a Celestron C11 TASOS computerized telescope, a Celestron C14 by Albert Tan, and a Nexstar 8 SE computerized telescopes brought by new committee member Goh Chet Meng. Thousands of participants attended the event.
TASOS Celebrates Earth Hour at Choa Chu Kang Nature Park on 25 Mar 2017
The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) conducted a sideWalk astronomy event in support of Earth Hour 2017 on the 25th March 2017 at Choa Chu Kang Park immediately after TASOS 26th AGM 2017 at the Science Centre Singapore. Several telescopes including a Celestron C14 and a Nexstar 8 SE computerized telescopes were set up for all participants.
TASOS 26th AGM Held on 25 March 2017 at Observatory Classroom
TASOS held her 26th Annual General Meeting on 25 Mar 2017 at the Observatory Classroom at Omni Theatre, Science Centre Singapore from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. The office bearers were elected and Abert Ho is re-elected as President. The AGM concluded with a food and refreshment for attending Participants.
TASOS SideWalk Astronomy at Springleaf Nature Park on 8 Sep 2016
TASOS conducted a SideWalk Astronomy event for members on Saturday 8th Sep 2016 at Springleaf Nature Park from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. Albert Tan brought along his super C14 telescope on its latest modified buggy with everything you could possible need built in – a masterpiece ! TASOS President Albert Ho brought his Takahashi FS78 setup and it gave Very nice views of the planets and in particular Saturn. Ang PS brought a tracking refractor and Albert Lim brought the society’s Vixen 125mm giant binoculars. Overall the turnout was reasonably good and many of the participants also brought home images of the Moon on their smart phones. It was fortunate the sky was reasonably good at this session.
TASOS Great Planets Conjuction Observation on 27 Aug 2016
Don’t miss this spectacular conjunction of five naked eye planets in the early evening sky on the month of August 2016. On 27 Aug 2016, Venus and Jupiter will also appear extremely close to each other. TASOS is jointly organising with Science Centre Singapore (SCS) to view this event. Some of the photographs taken by TASOS Hon. Secretary Soh Kim Mun on ealy Aug 2016 are attached for your viewing
TASOS Astro Tour 2016 @ Tanjung Sedili, Johor, Malaysia on 24-26 Jun 2016
TASOS organised a stargazing trip to Tanjung Sedili, Johor, West Malaysia from 24-26 Jun 2016. A total of 14 participants from members of TASOS and public attended. Several telescopes were deployed. Although the first night was clouded out, the participants were treated to a reasonably clear sky on the second night and they were able to spot many satellites and celestial objects like planets, constellations, deep sky objects as well as our own Milky Way Galaxy. The participants had a great time at the event.
TASOS Solar Eclipse Observation on 9 Mar 2016 at Labrador Park
TASOS conducted a viewing session for her members as well as the public at Labrador Park from 7.00am to 10,00am
during the Solar Eclipse event on 9 Mar 2016. There were about 8 visual and photographic sets of equipment set
up and these were manned by about 12 TASOS members, some of whom also brought along their family members,
including one who is just 2.5 months old.The event was well attended by over 200 people who got to view and
photograph the event using the equipment set up. The clear sky and unobstructed view of the eastern sky from
Labrador Park allowed the participants to see the entire eclipse from start to end. The smaller crowd also meant
that there was more viewing time through the equipment for all.
TASOS also had a small group embarking on a cruise to view and document the Total Solar Eclipse from the
Makassar Strait around Indonesia.
Unlike in Singapore where only a partial eclipse can be seen, this group was able to see and capture the Total Solar Eclipse in its entirety.
Solar Eclipse Photo Taken by TASOS Secretary Soh Kim Mun during the event
Solar Eclipse Photo Taken by TASOS Member Albert Tan during the event
The Solar Eclipse Time Lapse Video Taken by TASOS Committee Member Alfred Cheang during the event can be viewed
here.
Total Solar Eclipse Photo Taken by TASOS VP Ang PS on HAL Volendam Cruise Ship at Makassar Strait, Indonesia
in the path of Totality
TASOS 2016 AGM Held on 26 March 2016 at Observatory Classroom
TASOS held its 2016 AGM on 26 Mar 2016 at the Observatory
Classroom at Omni Theatre, Science Centre Singapore from
2.00pm to 5.00pm. A reception was held after the AGM.
The Office bearers elected are as follows :
President : Albert Ho A H
Vice President : Albert Lim C H
Hon. Secretary : Soh Kim Mun
Asst Secretary : Ang Poon Seng
Hon Treasurer : Eliza Tay
Committee Members :
1) Chen Ye
2) Teo Poh Kheam
3) Jeffrey Lim Cher Koon
4) Joseph Beh
Auditors :
1) Ong Geok May
2) Alfred Cheang
TASOS Sidewalk Astronomy event at the Springleaf Nature Park on 21 Nov 2015
Following the end of the haze period, TASOS organized a second Sidewalk Astronomy event at Springleaf Nature Park from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. Unfortunately, bad weather prevented the participants from carrying out the planned activity.
TASOS Talk on Stellar Winds and the Interstellar Medium by Dr. KK Cheong on 14 Aug 2015
TASOS member Dr. K K Cheong gave a talk at the Science Centre Singapore’s Observatory classroom. The talk tiled “Stellar Winds and the Interstellar Medium” covered stellar winds and how they play an important part in the chemical evolution of the Universe. There was good attendance at the talk and the talk also covered how stellar winds carried dust and metals back into the interstellar medium where they are incorporated back into next generation stars. The talk ended at about 9.00pm and Dr Cheong went on to answer questions by talk participants. Participants then went on to attend the usual Friday Observatory session.
TASOS Talk on Planets, exoplanets and the search for life in space on 24th Jul 2015 by Guest Speaker from Netherlands, Mr. Christian Eistrup
TASOS guest speaker Christian Eistrup – a PhD student from the Netherlands gave a TASOS talk at the Science Centre Singapore’s Observatory classroom on Friday evening the 24th Jul 2015. Mankind has known about planets in our Solar System for many centuries. Then, 20 years ago, the first planet outside our Solar System was discovered: a so-called "exoplanet". Today, we know many planets outside our Solar System. How are these planets? How do we find them? Are they like the Earth, and if so, could there be life on one of them? These are some of the questions he touched upon during the talk. The talk was well attended to and all present enjoyed a very interesting and informative session.
TASOS Conducted Astronomy Class for Yishun Town Sec School on 21 May 2015 at Observatory, Science Centre Singapore
Mr. Kalaimani from TASOS gave an astronomy TASOS titled “The Solar System” at the observatory classroom on Thursday evening 21st May 2015 from 7.00pm to 8.15pm to a class from Yishun Town Secondary School. The class was led by Mr. Arasumani and a few lady Science teachers. The participants all enjoyed the talk and got to visit the SCS Observatory and view through TASOS CPC1100 GPS telescope (donated by Lee Foundation). They were Amazed with views of Jupiter and Europa’s shadow along with Callisto and Io very close together a distance away and further the largest moon Ganymede. They also saw the splendid ring system of Saturn as well Cassini division and they found the experience memorable. TASOS Vice President Ang Poon Seng, Albert Lim and Albert Tan also from TASOS and SCS staff were also Present to support the event. There was a big round of applause, cheers and thank you from the student’s and teachers to TASOS and the Science Centre Singapore. In all, it was rewarding experienced for all parties involved.
TASOS Total Lunar Eclipse Observation on 4 Apr 2015 at Observatory, Science Centre Singapore
TASOS in collaboration with the Science Centre Singapore held an observation session of the Total Eclipse of the Moon on the Evening of 4th Apr 2015 (Saturday). Large crowds started to form in the late afternoon and early evening but there was passing showers and the telescopes had to be covered to protect them. TASOS speaker Kalaimani gave a Lunar Eclipse talk from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. As the sky condition had not improved and more crowds built up, Kalai went on to give 2 more talks that night till past 9.00pm. After totality past 8.00pm however, the sky did clear up and the partial phase from after totality to full was then visible. Long queues formed at the telescopes - an FSQ106ED on Celestron CGE computerized mount, a Celestron 14 on CGE Pro Mount on a custom cart by Albert Tan, a 5 inch Borg refractor, Celestron Nexstar 8SE computerized telescope, a Celestron C90 as well as other scopes brought along by TASOS members were on the ground. Another FSQ106ED on AP Mach 1 was also setup at the Kinetic Garden to observe the Moon just outside of Astro Scientific Centre Pte Ltd.
TASOS 2015 AGM Held on 28 March 2015 at Observatory Classroom
TASOS held its 2015 AGM on 28 Mar 2015 at the Observatory
Classroom at Omni Theatre, Science Centre Singapore from
2.00pm to 5.00pm. A reception was held after the AGM.
The Office bearers elected are as follows :
President : Albert Ho A H
Vice President : Ang Poon Seng
Hon. Secretary : Soh Kim Mun
Asst Secretary : Albert Lim C H
Hon Treasurer : Teo Poh Kheam
Committee Members :
1) Chen Ye
2) Ong Geok May
3) Alfred Cheang
4) Joseph Beh
Auditors :
1) Gary Koh
2) Raymond Quek
TASOS Solar Observation on 20 Dec 2014 at Observatory of Science Centre Singapore
TASOS conducted a Solar Observation for members on Saturday afternoon 20th Dec 2014 at the Observatory area of Science Centre Singapore. The event started just before 3.00pm and lasted till the evening when it rained. Fortunately, there were moments in between that the Sun was visible sometimes through clouds and participants were rewarded with glorious views of the Solar Surface and several prominences on the solar limb through various telescopes – among them was a TeleVue 101 equipped with a double stacked Solar Scope SF100 H alpha filter system bought by Alfred Tan. Solar Scope filters are simply the finest Ha Solar Filters and even though only a single Etalon was used, the views were simply fantastic. Albert Lim, VP TASOS attempted to take some photos and videos through this set up and even though the shots were through the clouds, the results were relatively satisfactory. Albert Ho, the President of TASOS along with TASOS committee members spoke to and answered my questions by TASOS members – the event ended at about 5.00pm when it rained suddenly but everyone had a great time !
TASOS Total Lunar Eclipse Observation on 8 Oct 2014 at Labrador Park
TASOS organised total lunar eclipse observation on the evening of 8 Oct 2014 at Labrador Park.
TASOS setup telescopes, binocular and cameras to observe the Total Lunar Eclipse
with TASOS members as well as the public. Totality was well on the way
by the time the Moon rise and while the totality was missed as the
Moon was too low and obscured by thick haze, the partial phase was visible at 7.45pm.
Many participants were able to use their Handphone cameras to capture images
through equipment setup by TASOS for all to enjoy. The event was over and the crowd
mostly dispersed by about 9pm and everyone enjoyed this event.
The event photos
TASOS Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration on 5 Sep 2014
After the talk titled "Photographing the Moon and Lunar Eclipse” by TASOS Committee Ang Poon Seng, TASOS members gathered at the Mendel Auditorium of Science Centre to celebrate the annual Moon Cake Festival with samplings of moon-cakes and drinks.
TASOS Talk on Photographing the Moon and Lunar Eclipse by TASOS Committee Member, Mr. Ang Poon Seng on 5 Sep 2014
TASOS committee member Ang Poon Seng gave an astro talk On Friday 5 Sep 2014 at the Science Centre's Mendel Auditorium titled "Photographing the Moon and Lunar Eclipse". The talk discussed techniques and technologies involved in photographing the moon. It will also provide tips on how to photograph the upcoming Total Lunar Eclipse that will take place on 8 Oct 14. Mr. Ang shown a lot of illustrations and explained how best to process the moon images. The talk ended at 9.15 pm and the usual Friday Observatory session manned by TASOS continued till past 10.00pm.
Visualizing the Universe @ TheArtScience Museum
Level 4
Saturday, 6 September 2014 at 1:30pm - 6:00pm
Free For All
TASOS Founder Memebr R. Kalaimani will make an interesting talk titled "ASTRONOMY IN ART" on Saturday, 6 September 2014 at The ArtScience Museum.
Synopsis
Astronomy is the oldest science, and visual arts is considered one of the oldest art forms.
The thought of astronomy in art is evident to anyone who has gazed at the wonders of the night sky represented in various art forms, from the prehistoric cave murals to the awe inspiring photographs of the Hubble Space Telescope.The desire to capture and record its beauty, majesty and mystery into various media has been strong in artists in all cultures throughout the ages.
The difference between the artists and the scientists has become blurred, especially in the last century. Now we have artistic scientists or scientific artists, whether they hold the brush or the digital camera.
This presentation will show the historic and indispensable connection between art and astronomy.
TASOS Talk on History of Amateur Astronomy in Singapore by TASOS Vice President Albert Lim on 25 July 2014
TASOS VP Albert Lim gave a very interesting talk titled "History of Amateur Astronomy in Singapore" from 8.00pm to 9.00pm on the 25th of July 2014 (Friday Evening) at the Observatory classroom. There were many participants and the talk went on to cover astronomy developments from the 1970s to 80s and then after TASOS formation from 1992 onwards. The usual Friday Observatory session manned by TASOS was also conducted at the same time.
TASOS Talk on A Tour of the Milky Way - Part 2 by TASOS Council Member, Prof. Chong Siew Meng on 27 June 2014
TASOS council member Prof SM Chong gave an astro talk titled "A Tour of the Milky Way - Part 2" on Friday 27th Jun 2014 at the Observatory classroom. The classroom was packed with participants and SM went on an impressive tour of the Milky Way accompanied by many astrophotos - many taken by TASOS members. The usual Friday Observatory session manned by TASOS (Ang PS, Alfred Cheang) was also on but unfortunately the weather was not good.
TASOS Talk on Comets, Asteroids and Meteors by TASOS President Albert Ho and Over-night Stargazing and Meteor Watch on 23 to 24 May 2014
TASOS President Albert Ho gave a very interesting talk titled "Comets, Asteroids and Meteors" from 8.00pm to 9.00pm on the 23rd of May 2014 (Friday Evening) at the Observatory classroom. Attendance was good and the classroom was packed. This talk was a prelude to the overnight event to try and catch a new meteor shower early hours 24 May 2014. The progenitor of this meteor shower is Comet 209P/LINEAR, a small comet with a period of about 5 years. The radiant of the meteor shower is in Camelopardalis and the peak is around 0730hrs (GMT/UT) or 1530hrs (Local Time)
TASOS Celebrates Earth Hour at Marina Barrage on 28 Mar 2014
TASOS celebrated Earth Hour 2014 on the 29th March 2014 at the Marina Barrage just hours after TASOS AGM 2014. Albert Tan setup his massive Celestron C14 while Albert Lim brought along a Celestron Nexstar 8 SE. Aung and Khin Setup their Celestron C8 on a trolley wheel setup and Ang Poon Seng brought his personal 10 inch Celestron Dobsonian. Soh Kim Mun used his Borg 125 on a Celestron Polaris mount While TASOS President Albert Ho used his superb Takahashi FS78 on a Takahashi slow motion mount. Many curious onlookers Were treated to views of M41, Orion Nebula as well as the Planets Jupiter, Mars and much later Saturn. Overall, it was a fun event as participants watch the lights go out at Marina Bay Sands and the surrounding including the Flyer and turn back on an hour later..
TASOS 2014 AGM Held on 29 March 2014 at Observatory Classroom
TASOS held its 2014 AGM on 29 Mar 2014 at the Observatory
Classroom at Omni Theatre, Science Centre Singapore from
2.00pm to 5.00pm. A reception was held after the AGM.
The Office bearers elected are as follows :
President : Albert Ho A H
Vice President : Albert Lim C H
Hon. Secretary : Albert Tan B W
Asst Secretary : Soh Kim Mun
Hon Treasurer : Teo Poh Kheam
Committee Members :
1) Ang Poon Seng
2) Ong Geok May
3) Alfred Cheang
4) Joseph Beh
Auditors :
1) Jeffrey Lim Cher Koo
2) Adrian Lee Chee Yong
TASOS Talk on A Tour of the Milky Way by Prof SM Chong on 13 Dec 2013
Prof SM Chong from TASOS gave a very interesting talk on the above topic on Friday evening 13th Dec 2013 at the Maxwell Auditorium. Prof Chong started at the constellation of Orion and move along the Milky Way highlighting interesting Deep Sky Objects along the way from Orion all the way South to the Constellation of Centaurus showing many nice deepsky images. The session ended with the usual questions and answers and all present enjoyed a very informative session.
TASOS Talk on photographing the Aurora by TASOS Treasurer Ang Poon Seng on 1 Nov 2013
TASOS Hon. Treasurer PS Ang gave a TASOS talk titled “How to photograph the Aurora” at the observatory classroom on Friday evening 1 Nov 2013. Ang’s talk covered what causes the Aurora and their respective colours due to elements such as Oxygen and Nitrogen at various altitudes. He also talk about equipment and techniques to successfully take photos of aurora using time interval as well as batch processing of the photos before combining them into a video file. The talk was well attended to and all present enjoyed a very interesting and informative session.
TASOS Semakau Island Stargazing Trip on 12-13 Oct 2013
TASOS organised a Semakau stargazing trip on the weekend of 12 Oct 2013. A total of 17 participants from members of TASOS and public attended. A safety briefing and short talk on the sky at night was conducted by TASOS Hon. Treasurer Ang Poon Seng. The bus ferry all participants to the observing site after the briefing. Several telescopes and one giant binoculars were deployed. These included the Vixen 25 x 125 giant binoculars which is kindly donated by the LEE FOUNDATIONS. The participants were treated to great views of the moon, Jupiter and many other celestial delights. Ang Poon Seng guided the participants in their search for deep sky objects while other TASOS Committee members help the partcipants to photograph the moon and Jupiter. Although the sky condition was far from ideal, the participants had a great time at the event.
Stargazing Event for Members and Guests of Marina at Keppel Bay on 24 Aug 13
TASOS supported a private stargazing event by Marina at Keppel Bay on 24 Aug 13 from 7.00pm to 11.00pm. The event was well attended by members and guests. TASOS President, Albert Ho, gave a short talk on the night sky and this was followed by a stargazing session at the Keppel Island Plaza where TASOS Committee set up a total of 5 telescopes. All the participants had a great time interacting with the TASOS Committee as well as viewing celestial objects through the telescopes. Besides seeing an Iridium (satellite) Flare, the participants also saw the planets, Venus and Saturn as well as open star clusters and globular star clusters etc. Participants who stayed beyond 10.00pm were also treated to wonderful views of the waning gibbous moon rising behind the cable cars and many photographs were taken. Although the sky condition was far from ideal, the participants had a great time at the event.
TASOS Talk on Solar Wind, Coronal Holes and Coronal Mass Ejections by Dr. KK Cheong on 2nd Aug 2013
Dr. K K Cheong from TASOS gave an interesting talk on the above topic on Friday evening, 2nd Aug 2013 at the Observatory classroom. The talk centered on Corona activities of the Sun and many beautiful slides and wonderful videos were played for the participants. There was also discussion on how Space Storms can cause power outages with serious consequences to power stations and how these may affect economies of countries etc.
Relocation of Astro Scientific Centre Pte Ltd and TASOS Office (in care of Astro Scientific Centre Pte Ltd)
Please be informed that Astro Scientific Centre Pte Ltd (Astro) and TASOS Offices will be relocated to the LinkWay between Science Centre and Omni-Theatre (within the same building) due to the expansion of Science Centre of Singapore. TASOS would like to thank and appreciate Astro Scientific Centre Pte Ltd for 2 decades of solid facility and service support. We are pleased to be associated with some of the finest and most experienced astronomers at Astro and we wish the company a smooth relocation to their new premise.
Astro Scientific Center Pte Ltd Website: http:// www.astro.com.sg
TASOS Semakau island Stargazing Trip on 13-14 July 2013
TASOS organised a Semakau stargazing trip on the weekend of 13-14 July 2013. A total of 36 participants attended the event. A safety briefing and short talk on the sky at night was conducted by TASOS President Albert Ho before the participants proceeded to the observing site located about 4km away from the main admin building at Semakau. TASOS deployed a Celestron CPC 11; which was donated by the LEE FOUNDATION, as well as a Nexstar 8. In addition, one participant - Mr. Chin Zong Yang - also set up his personal telescope as well. Although the sky condition was cloudy throughout most of the evening, participants did managed to catch a glimpse of the moon, Saturn and some open star clusters. Unfortunately, it started raining after midnight and all participants were evacuated back to the main admin building for safety reasons. Despite the poor weather and sky condition, most of the participants enjoyed their experience at Semakau and indicated that they would like to participate in future trips..
Introduction to Astronomy Talk for Mensa Singapore, Maths and Science Special Interest Group (SIG) by TASOS President Albert Ho on 13 Jun 2013
At the request of Mensa Singapore, Maths and Science Special Interest Group (SIG), President TASOS, Mr. Albert Ho, conducted a talk to introduce them to the world of astronomy. The talk was held on 15 Jun 13 from 3.00pm to 5.00pm at the Bras Basah Complex. TASOS Treasurer, Mr. Ang Poon Seng, was also present to support the presentation. The talk was well received by the Mensa members as evident from the lively question and answer session at the end of the talk.
Talk on TASOS Aurora Expedition 2013 by TASOS VP Albert Lim on 31 May 2013
TASOS and Science Centre Singapore organized a talk titled "TASOS Aurora Expedition 2013" at the Maxwell Auditorium of the Science Centre on Friday evening 31 May 2013. The talk was attended by school groups as well as TASOS members and the general public. Andrew Melia introduced the speaker at 8.10pm and Mr. Albert Lim gave a comprehensive account of this unique expedition and experiences at Tromso, Norway. The causes of the Aurora was explained and aurora videos and Photos taken by the expedition group was shown. It was a very success trip in the end although it initially hit a host of issues. There was a short question and answer and some participants stayed back after the talk to discuss aurora with TASOS committee and view more videos.
TASOS Semakau island Stargazing Trip on 18-19 May2013
TASOS organised a Semakau stargazing trip on the weekend of 18-19 May 2013. A total of 53 participants from Raffles Institution, members of public and TASOS Committee and members attended. A safety briefing and short talk on the sky at night was conducted by TASOS President Albert Ho. The bus took 3 trips to ferry all participants to the observing site, starting from about 6.15 pm. Several telescopes and one giant binoculars were deployed. These included the TASOS Celestron CPC 11; 12" Dobsonian and Vixen 25 x 125 giant binoculars, all of which were kindly donated by the LEE FOUNDATIONS. TASOS member, Naing Win Aung also brought along his personal Celestron C8 telescope and Raffles Institution set up another 3 or 4 telescopes as well. The weather was good for most of the night and participants were treated to great views of the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and many other celestial delights such as our Milky Way Galaxy; the Omega Centauri globular cluster; Sombrero Galaxy M104 etc. TASOS Treasurer, Ang Poon Seng, guided the participants in their search for deep sky objects while TASOS Committee member, Albert Tan prepared a warm and delectable supper of porridge for everybody. All these added to make the trip very enjoyable and fruitful for all participants.
TASOS Celebrates Earth Hour at Jurong Central Park on 23 Mar 2013
In support of Earth Hour 2013 on 23 Mar 13, TASOS conducted a side-walk astronomy event on 23 Mar 13 at Jurong Central Park from 7.30pm to midnight. TASOS members as well as the public joined in the fun and many used their iphones to capture images of the first quarter Moon. Jurong Central Park is across the road from Jurong Point and Boon Lay MRT Station beside a carpark where MacDonald Fast Food Restaurant is located. Albert Tan setup his Celestron C14 while TASOS deployed a Nexstar 8SE. Soh Kim Mun set up a 5 inch Borg refractor and President Albert Ho brought along his superb Takahashi FS78 for the event. All are delighted that Mr. Kalaimani also came to help this activity. Participants saw a pristine quarter Moon, Jupiter and later that night planet Saturn and her majestic rings. Some scopes were also pointed at deep sky objects although light pollution limits their true beauty. In all, a lot of people enjoyed the event.
TASOS Collaborate with Science Centre Singapore to Host Galaxy Forum on 9 Mar 2013
TASOS and Science Centre Singapore organized and hosted the Galaxy Forum at their Dalton Lecture Hall on 9th March 2013. The lecture hall was full with participants and Prof Lim Tit Meng made a short welcome speech at 9.15am. Mr. Steve Durst from ILOA then talked about ILOA 21st Century Galaxy Education. This was followed by an interesting talk “Astronomy, Calendar and Society” by Dr. KK Cheong from TASOS. Assoc Prof Phil Chan AH then talked about NUS Astronomy Activities and Research. Tea break followed and Noor Isham Sanif gave an account on the significance of astronomy in Muslim consciousness. The last 2 speakers were Boonrucksar Soonthornthum and Dr. Chatiet Kunjaya from NARIT Thailand and Indonesia respectively. This was followed by a panel discussion whereby Prof Lim so kindly acknowledge the collaboration efforts of TASOS with SCS over so many years and his will to further the interest of astronomy in the time to come.
TASOS T-Shirt on Sale
Limited quantity and sizes of TASOS T-Shirts available for sale at Astro-Scientific Centre, Omni-Theatre Building.
Cotton - With and Without Pocket at $10 each.
Dryfit - Without pocket at $25 each.
TASOS Talk on The Life of A Star (Part II) by TASOS committee member Prof SM Chong on 11 Jan 2013
TASOS organized a talk titled “Life of a Star – Part II” given by TASOS Committee member Prof SM Chong on Friday 11th Jan 2013 at the Observatory Classroom. A number of TASOS member attended the talk which was a continuation from an earlier talk titled Life of a Star Part I. Prof Chong covered many aspects of a star’s life and touched on transfer of mass and type I and II supernovae etc. It was very informative and the session ended with the usual questions and answers. The talk ended at about 9.30pm and some members went on to the usual Friday Observatory session.
TASOS Supporting IWC on their Launch of Sidereal Watch on 30th Nov 2012
TASOS was invited to support IWC on their launch of their Sidereal Watch at Tarmarind Hill on 30th Nov 2012 evening. TASOS President Albert Ho gave an talk on Basic Introduction to Astronomy at the event and a total of 4 telescopes were setup for IWC participants viewing – they were Albert Tan’s C14 setup, a Celestron Nexstar 8SE, a 125mm Borg refractor and a Vixen reflector on EM 10 Takahashi mount. In the evening, there was a light shower and so all the telescopes had to be covered by trash bags – fortunately it lasted a short while and the sky became good enough to view Jupiter and the Moon. All present enjoyed the viewing session and many used their hand phones to capture images of Jupiter and the Moon. The launch event was very successful and the event ended about midnight.
TASOS Semakau Island Stargazing Trip to View Leonid Meteor Shower on 17th Nov 2012
TASOS organized another overnight Semakau Stargazing trip on the weekend of 17th to 18th Nov 2012 to view this year’s Leonid meteor shower. A total of 24 participants joined in and although the evening started out badly as it rained heavily, the weather improved after 9.00pm and telescopes were set up for the viewing of Jupiter while anticipation builds up to see if we could catch any leonids. Prior, the participants took a bus trip to the end tip of the island 7.5km away just to visit the actual site but as the weather was not promising and there were a lot thunder, a decision was made to observe from just outside of the main NEA building. There was a screening of astronomy show and a very late night porridge session organized by TASOS committee Albert Tan. Other committee present were President Albert Ho, Vice President Ang PS, Hon Treasurer Albert Lim, Kapilan and Ong GM. Overall, it was a good trip although only one group claim to have seen a leonid.
TASOS Talk on The Life of A Star (Part 1) by TASOS committee member Prof SM Chong on 19 Oct 2012
TASOS organized a talk on 19th Oct 2012 Friday evening at the observatory Classroom titled “The Life of a Star – Part 1”. The talk was conducted by TASOS committee member Prof SM Ching from 8.00pm till 9.15pm. Prof Chong covered many aspects of the life of a star making references to Star lifetime and their long time spent on the main sequence of the HR diagram. The talk was interesting and there was questions and answers session following the talk. Although the audience was not large, most enjoyed the session
TASOS Mooncake Celebration on Friday Evening, 27th September 2012
TASOS organized a Moon Cake celebration on Friday evening 27th Sep 2012 for all members. A number of astronomy Podcast shows were screened throughout the night covering episodes from ESO, NASA and the Apollo 11 Moon landing – this was also a tribute the late Neil Armstrong who pass away very recently. TASOS President Albert Ho welcomed members and invited Yong’s group and volunteers from Science Centre to join our celebrations. The usual Friday observing session was on and The Moon was visible even though the weather was not great. TASOS members chatted and most enjoyed the session.
TASOS Organized Star Party for Members of Marina at Keppel Bay on 25th August 2012
TASOS organized a star party cum astronomy talk on 25th Aug 2012 Saturday evening for members of Marina at Keppel Bay. The astronomy talk was conducted by TASOS President Albert Ho from 7.30pm till 8.45pm. Meanwhile, TASOS committee and our Members set up telescopes at the end of the Marina open space. The Moon was visible on and off but through the clouds and generally no other objects were visible unfortunately due to the cloudy conditions. Despite the non ideal conditions, participants enjoyed looking and taking photos of the Moon using their phone cameras and looking at the cable cars and a fire atop of a refinery tower close up through TASOS telescopes. The participants chatted with TASOS members who answered their questions and most enjoyed the session.
TASOS Talk on The Sun and Space Weather by TASOS member Dr Cheong on 17th August 2012
TASOS organized a talk on 17th Aug 2012 Friday evening at the observatory Classroom titled “The Sun and Space Weather”. The talk was conducted by TASOS member Dr. Cheong Kam Khow from 8.00pm till 9.15pm. Dr. Cheong covered aspects of solar flares, solar wind and their types and how these solar activities affect society more so than in the past due to technological advances. More high tech equipment available today are prone to extreme solar activities – most of these equipment did not exist few decades ago. Interesting videos and some discussions followed before the talk end at 9.15pm. Although the audience was not large, most enjoyed the session..
TASOS Semakau island Stargazing Trip on 28th July 2012
TASOS organized a Semakau stargazing trip on the weekend of 28-29 Jul 2012. A total of 54 participants inclusive Groups from Raffles Institution, Victoria JC, members of public and TASOS Committee and members attended. A Semakau and safety briefing and short talk on the sky at night was conducted by TASOS President Albert Ho. The bus took 3 trips to ferry all participants to site at about 6.30pm and Telescopes and binoculars were set up inclusive TASOS Celestron GPS 8 and 125mm giant binoculars. Alignment was in progress when the group was hit by strong wind and rain. All participants were ferried back to the safety of the NEA main building and the weather did not improve until the early morning hours when the scopes were setup again for views of Orion Nebula, Jupiter and Venus. Although the weather was less than perfect, it was a memorable and enjoyable experience for all participants.
TASOS Transit of Venus Observation at Science Center Sinapore on 6th June 2012
TASOS collaborated with Science Centre Singapore for the
Public event of Transit of Venus. The sun was totally clouded out from Sunrise, it cleared however after about 10.30am to everyone’s delight and every one was treated to great views of a small dark Venus disk silhouetted
against a much brighter and larger solar disk.
TASOS President Albert Ho gave a talk to a large crowd on Transit of Venus
and Albert Lim and Ang PS setup a photo station at the small observatory which
recorded the transit after it cleared till the end. Albert Tan turn out in force withhis
C14 setup complete with full aperture solar filter. TASOS help to provide and man 6 scopes
on the ground along with 5 from SCS and one from Madrasah school. The turnout was estimated
at about 3,000 participants. A German TV station did an interview shoot of TASOS group. TASOS
President Albert Ho and Science Centre head Prof Lim Tit Meng were also interviewed individually.
During the Transit of Venus, Albert Lim and PS Ang jointly took photos of the Transit from midway after the clouds cleared till the final 4th contact. View the above astrophotos of this Transit taken with a Vixen VCL200 on Showa 20E Mount and a Nikon D700 camera. The images are raw jpeg without any processing.
Transit of Venus Visible from Singapore on the morning of 6 June 2012
This extremely rare event of the Transit of Venus will be entirely visible throughout most of eastern Asia,
eastern Australia, and Alaska. A partial transit can be seen in progress at sunrise throughout Europe, western Asia, and
eastern Africa. The transit will be Visible from Singapore on the morning of June 6.
This is a truly once in a life time event which you must not miss as the next Transit of Venus will only be in Dec 2117.
Transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable astronomical phenomena. They occur in a pattern that repeats every 243 years,
with pairs of transits 8 years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years. The last transit of Venus was on 8 June 2004.
After the 2012 transit, the next transits of Venus will be in December 2117 and December 2125.
The transit of Venus starts before sunrise on June 6. The transit will be visible from singapore at Sunrise about 6.57am on June 6 and
will ends at 12.49pm.
The Timing ( 6 June 2012 - Singapore Time) of Transit of Venus is as shown:
6.13 am - Ingress Exterior (No visible from singapore)
6.31 am - Ingress Interior (No visible from singapore)
6.57 am - Sunrise (Venus Transit visible from singapore after Sunrise)
12.31 pm - Egress Interior
12.49 pm - Egress Exterior (End of Venus Transit)
TASOS will collaborate with Science Centre Singapore for this event. Participants are invited to the observatory grounds
to view this Transit of Venus through telescopes setup by TASOS and Science Centre Singapore. The event will open by 9.00am for all participants
and the transit will be visible up to 12.49pm.
Solar Viewers and TASOS T shirts will be on sale at the Transit Venue (area just outside of the Observatory classroom) where the live video feed
of the event from the large observatory will be staged. These solar viewers can be used to view the transit event and kept for future solar or
solar eclipse observations. At midpoint of the transit, a short talk will be conducted at the Transit Venue for participants.
We look forward to seeing TASOS members and your friends at this historic event.
Warning: Looking directly at the Sun without proper solar filter or protection would cause permanent blindness. You may view the Sun directly
only through a special filter made for safe solar viewing. Never look directly through telescopes, binoculars or cameras towards the Sun
without proper solar filters.
TASOS Star Party for Global Astronomy Month 2012 on 28th April 2012
In support of Global Star Party for Global Astronomy Month 2012, TASOS conducted a public Star-Gazing session at Bishan Park 2 on 28th Apr 2012. This is the second time TASOS has held a public viewing at the Park - the first viewing was on 31st Mar 2012. There was a lot of turnout and some of the participants even remembered TASOS from the first viewing event. The crowd were delighted with fantastic views of the Moon and her craters and planet Venus early in the night. The majestic rings of planet Saturn and her Cassini division showed clearly with Albert Tan’s Celestron 14 telescope. Many also enjoyed looking through the Society’s giant binoculars (donated by Lee Foundation) and TASOS President Albert Ho’s superb Takahashi Apo refractor. The event was another great success for TASOS.
TASOS Visit to AGCC Observatory on Sunday Evening 22nd Apr 2012
TASOS new President Albert Ho led a team of TASOS committee, co-opted and ordinary members on a visit to AGCC Observatory on Sunday evening 22nd Apr 2012 on the invitation of Mr. Adrian Pereira. The event was organized to celebrate Earth Day and although the weather did not permit the 6th floor observatory to be opened, it was nevertheless an inspiring and enjoyable visit. The Observatory boast a Takahashi 12 inch Mewlon CR on Showa 25E heavy computerized mount running Atlas and TheSky 6.0 Pro control and planetarium software. The observatory is aptly called Andromeda Observatory and is equipped with the superb 3.0m Nisshin Stainless Steel Dome. The CC is also appropriately named The Galaxy Community Club.
Earth Hour 2012 Star Party at Bishan Park 2 on 31 Mar 2012
In support of Earth Hour 2012, TASOS conducted a public Star-Gazing session at Bishan Park 2 on 31 Mar 12 (Sat.) right after the TASOS AGM. TASOS committee and members set up their telescopes for members of the public to view many beautiful celestial objects. Albert Tan brought along his huge C14 setup. Albert Lim and Ang Poon Seng brought along the Society’s Giant binoculars and the Celestron Nexstar 8 SE computerized telescope. TASOS elected President Albert Ho bought along his Takahashi APO refractor setup while Stuart Croy and Dave had their Tak Mewlon and a refractor at the event. The event attracted a very large pool of people starting from 7.30pm in the evening all the way continuously till the early morning hours. This event was the first under TASOS new committee 2012 and is a huge success. TASOS committee received many compliments from members of the public.
TASOS AGM 31 March 2012 at Observatory Classroom
TASOS held its 2012 AGM on 31 Mar 2012 at the Observatory
Classroom at Omni Theatre, Science Centre Singapore from
2.00pm to 5.00pm. The AGM started with a quorum. The AGM progressed smoothly and
proposed amendments to TASOS Constitution were passed. Mr Albert Ho was elected as new President.
The meeting closed at 5.00 pm. After the AGM, all participants attended a TASOS 20th Anniversary cake
cutting party to celebrate the 20th anniversary of TASOS and a light reception of sandwiches and refreshments
outside the observatory classroom.
The Office bearers elected are as follows :
President : Albert Ho A H
Vice President : Ang Poon Seng
Hon. Secretary : Teo Poh Kheam
Asst Secretary : Ong Geok May
Hon Treasurer : Albert Lim C H
Committee Members :
1) Prof Chong Siew Meng
2) Albert Tan B W
3) Jeffrey Lim Cher Koon
4) Kapilan
Auditors :
1) Dr. Cheong Kam Khow
2) Thomas Ang
TASOS Talk on Basic Astronomy for Scout group by TASOS Asst. Secretary Mr. Kalaimani on Friday 9 Mar 2012
TASOS Hon Secretary Mr. Kalaimani gave an interesting talk on astronomy to a Scout group on Friday 9 March 2012 at the Observatory Classroom. Members of the group came up and thank the speaker after the talk at about 9.00pm. Thereafter. the group proceed to observe the night sky through Albert Tan’s C14 telescope.
TASOS Talk on Ancient Astronomy by TASOS Asst. Secretary Mr. Kalaimani on Friday 27 Jan 2012
TASOS Hon Secretary Kalaimani gave a talk titled Ancient Astronomy at the Observatory Classroom on 27th Jan 2012 from 7.45pm to 8.45pm for TASOS members. The Synopsis of the talk – Astronomy is the oldest Science. This talk summarised how astronomy was practiced in various Cultures through the world in ancient times. All participants enjoyed the lively talk and the Chinese New Year atmosphere.
TASOS at Last Friday Observatory Session for 2011
Friday 30th Dec 2011 marks the last Friday Observatory Session at the Observatory grounds. TASOS committee Albert Ho manned the large Observatory 16 inch scope for the public with Andrew from Science Centre while TASOS committee Kapilan assist Yong with the smaller 3.0m observatory. A large crowd came and went during the session and the weather cleared from a prolong period of bad weather. The public were treated to telescopic view of the Moon and Jupiter and most were impressed with the almost quarter Moon. The public and many TASOS members enjoyed this last Friday Observatory Session for 2011
TASOS Total Lunar Eclipse Observation at Labrador Park on 10 Dec 2011
TASOS Total Lunar Eclipse 10 Dec 2011 Observation was a great success. An estimate of one thousand or so participants gathered at Labrador Park to observe this eclipse. TASOS telescopes, Giant Binocular (donated by Lee Foundation) and many member's telescopes include Albert Tan's robotic C14 scope were setup for public viewing. The sky was clear and participants got to see the entire eclipse and had a real good time.
TASOS support Slooh.com with live image feed on 10 Dec 2011 Total Lunar Eclipse from SINGAPORE
TASOS President Albert Lim used his home observatory to capture and uploaded total lunar eclipse images of 10th Dec in support of slooh.com. He was assisted by his son Lim Wei Rong and TASOS member How Woei Mun throughout. Paul Cox from slooh had made a request a week earlier for live image feed on the event from SINGAPORE. The images were captured via a Nikon D700 with the Takahashi FSQ106ED with TeleVue 4x Powermate and tracked on the observatory’s Paramount ME. The entire eclipse umbra was captured from beginning to end in its entirety and uploaded onto slooh’s server. The software used was watch Directory with ImageMagick. The files were loaded onto watch directory on C drive and then batch process for crop, resize and conversion before finally being uploaded onto the slooh server. Overall, the event was a complete success and millions around the world got to watch the live feed and hear Bob Berman talk about the eclipse. Live feeds were simultaneously streamed from Mauna Kea, Dubai, Australia and also our observatory in Singapore. It was a really enjoyable experience.
Click here to view the Total Lunar Eclipse photos. These are select photos from over 700 taken on eclipse night in Nikon NEF and fine Jpeg format.
Total Lunar Eclipse in the Evening of 10 Dec 2011
- TASOS Total Lunar Eclipse Observation
The total lunar eclipse is visible just after sunset.
The eclipse sequence ( 10 Dec 2011 - Singapore
Time) is as shown:
7.31 pm - Start of Penumbra Eclipse.
8.45 pm - Start of Umbra Partial Phase.
10.05 pm - Start of Total Eclipse.
10.31 pm - Maximum Eclipse.
10.57 pm - End of Total Eclipse.
12.18 am - End of Umbra Partial Eclipse.
1.31 am - End of Penumbra Eclipse.
TASOS will hold the Total Lunar Eclipse Observation at Labrador Park (at the Berlayer Beacon facing Sentosa). The observation will start from 7.45pm and end about midnight. TASOS will setup telescopes and binoculars for the eclipse observation. All are welcome.
TASOS Talk on The Lost Siblings of the Sun by TASOS committee member Prof SM Chong on 25th Nov 2011
On 25th Nov Friday evening, Prof SM Chong gave a very Interesting talk titled “The Lost Siblings of The Sun” to TASOS members at the Observatory classroom. Prof Chong started with active and non active molecular Clouds and embedded clusters and went on to explain how Solar System bodies were contaminated by radio Isotopes from a relatively nearby Supernova. He talked about the problems and complexities of finding the Sun’s siblings which potentially number 100 to 1000. They are scattered all over the Milky Way about 100pc from the Sun. The talk ended at about 9.00pm followed by the usual Friday observing session at the observatory grounds.
TASOS captures Asteroid 2005YU55 as it sails past between Earth and Moon on 9th Nov 2011
TASOS President Albert Lim captured a series of photo sequence of Asteroid 2005YU55 as it races past the Earth on the night of the of 9th Nov 2011 Wednesday from his observatory from 2100hrs LT to 2330hrs LT. The Asteroid was moving East from the constellation of Pegasus from near the bright star Algenib into the constellation of Pisces. The photo attached showed the 2005YU55 as at 10.30pm local time when it was located at RA 00h 59m 16.27s and Dec +19d 21m 57.1s (J2000). This photo of the 12th magnitude asteroid was taken with a Nikon D700 with MLU at 15 secs exposure at ISO1600 through the observatory’s RC Optical 40 cm telescope on Paramount ME. The sky condition was partially cloudy and the target was blinded In the glow of the bright full Moon nearby. The asteroid was moving at very high velocity thus producing a trail even in this short 15 sec exposure. (40 cm RC focal length 2,600mm F6.5). It was moving rapidly towards the East passing North of the 10.45 magnitude bright star GSC1192:1259. Click View More Pictures button to see photos of asteroid 2005YU55 and its path and comparison sky map.
TASOS Talk on Astrophotography Using CCD and DSLR by TASOS Vice President, Ang Poon Seng on 21st Oct 2011
TASOS Vice President Ang Poon Seng gave a talk on Astrophotography at the Observatory classroom on Friday evening 21st Oct 2011. The talk was well attended by TASOS members and covers basic to advanced techniques in astrophotography. VP Ang covered topics as “How to take star trails” and “How to photograph solar eclipses” as well as the different aspects of Digital SLR photography and to more advanced CCD imaging via LRGB techniques. Imaging processing and steps were shown along with many astrophotos taken by VP Ang himself. Participants learnt a lot from this talk and were encouraged to try astrophotography themselves.
TASOS Joined NEA-MEDIACORP SEMAKAU RUN 2011 on 8th October 2011
The Annual NEA-MediaCorp Semakau Run 2011 was on 8 October 2011. As one of the active nature groups at Semakau Landfill, NEA extended an invitation to 2 senior committee members of TASOS as guests to the event. Mr Kalaimani and Mr Albert Tan represented TASOS and took part in the event.
TASOS Semakau Island Stargazing Trip on 24 September 2011
TASOS's star gazing Trip to Semakau Landfill on 24-25th Sep 2011 was a great success. The sky was excellent throughout most of the night. Participants got to see the regions around Scorpio, Sagittarius, Orion, etc.... including the Milky Way!!! Jupiter was superbly clear. Participants were enthralled to see the Giant planet, M57, M31, M45 and many Messier objects. The morning slim crescent with earthshine was a pleasant surprise to them. The participants thanked TASOS for organizing the event.
TASOS Mooncake Celebration on Friday Evening, 9th September 2011
TASOS celebrated MoonCake Festival on Friday evening, 9th Sep 2011 at the Observatory classroom with TASOS members and staff from the SCS observatory Andrew, Yong and their helpers. An interesting film about Moon was appropriately screened for all participants. At about 9.00pm, the celebration started with a feast of mooncake, pomelos and drinks. Albert Tan brought along his C14 setup but did not get a chance to deploy it as the sky was not ideal.
TASOS Talk on Constellation and Greek Mythology by TASOS Hon. Secretary Albert Ho on 5 Aug 2011
TASOS Hon. Secretary Albert Ho gave a talk tiled - Constellation and Greek Mythology at the observatory classroom from 8.00pm to 9.00pm on Friday night 5th Aug 2011. The talk centered on how constellations started and Many interesting stories surrounding the Greek Mythologies and their ancient Gods. The participants enjoyed a lively and entertaining talk. The skies was also clear and most who attended also went out to the observatory grounds to observe the night sky through giant 150mm binoculars and Celestron telescopes.
TASOS Talk on The Beauty of Aurora by TASOS committee member Dr. K K Cheong on Friday 22nd Jul 2011
TASOS committee member Dr. K K Cheong gave a talk to TASOS members Titled - The Beauty of Aurora on Friday evening 22nd Jul 2011 at the Observatory Classroom at Omni Theatre, Science Centre Singapore. The talk lasted just over an hour from 8.00pm to 9.15pm. Dr. Cheong discussed the ingredients needed for the Aurora to form and supplemented his talk with many beautiful Photos and videos of Auroras. Overall, all participants enjoyed the talk and had a good time.
TASOS Set up Robotic C14 Telescope for Observation at the Science Centre Observatory grounds on Friday evening 22nd Jul 2011
TASOS committee member Albert Tan kindly set up his C14 Telescope at the Science Centre Observatory grounds on Friday evening 22nd Jul 2011. On this night, the Observatory at the Science Centre is closed. Nonetheless a number of astronomy enthusiast gathered there and was able to view Saturn through Albert Tan’s C14. The observation lasted for the group till past 10.00pm.
A stargazing event for kids from Jamiyah children home at Maris Stella on 15th July 2012
On 15th of July 2011, Maris Stella High (School), in collaboration with The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS)
was delighted to host twenty kids from Jamiyah Children Home for a Stargazing Night.
Prof Srinivasan from TASOS gave an interesting talk about Astronomy. Prof Srini shared about the basics of astronomy
and rocket science while engaging the children with fun activities like creating a rocket balloon.
After the talk, the children, aged 9 to 12, were brought to Maris Astronomical Research Station (MARS) of the school.
Althought it was a cloudy night, they were fixated that they had the opportunity to view the night sky of planets stars
and planets via an iPad application called Starwalk.
For the school, it was a humbling experience to share a beautiful night with the children who left the school
grinning from ear to ear and sparkling filled with excitement.
TASOS records dual occultation of bright star 13R and Hydra by Pluto on 27th June 2011
On the Monday evening of 27th June 2011, TASOS President Albert Lim,
TASOS VP Ang Poon Seng and TASOS co-opt committee Tan Wei Leong
gathered at the President’s home observatory to record these events.
Wei Leong had received a late e-mail request to record these events.
The bright 13.9 mag target Star R is located at RA 18h 25m 29.010s and
Dec -18d 48m 47.570s J2000 co-ordinates. The magnitude drop in Star R
is expected to be 0.8 when occulted by Pluto. This first Pluto event is
predicted to last a maximum of 130seconds. The predicted time of Pluto
occultation is at UT 14h 17m 15s (+/- 16 secs) on 27th June 2011.
A second occultation of Pluto’s small moon Hydra also occurs on the
same night some 33 mins later at UT 14h 50m 23s (+/- 16 secs).
The predicted duration of occultation of Hydra is maximum of 4.2 secs.
This second event is challenging given the approx visual magnitude of
Pluto at mag 14.0 and that of Hydra at mag 23. The Pluto starfield had
first to be confirmed with the observatory’s 40cm F6.3 RC Optical on
Paramount ME. It took sometime before the field was finally plate
resolved and Pluto captured through Wei Leong’s QSI 583 CCD camera.
A smaller field of the target was then recorded of the event through the
16 inch RC using a Flea3 camera operating at 2x2 bin, 0.5s at 2fps starting
from approx UT 14h 05m through 15h 10m supposing covering both the
occultation events. LT correspond to 10.05pm start capture through to
11.05pm end on Monday night 27 June 2011. 300 dark frames were taken
with the Flea3 at the end of the recording session. The raw data is being
Fedex by Wei Leong to NASA as requested. The result be it an event or
non event will still place constraints for better future predictions we hope.
The 3 charts attached shows Pluto’s motion bottom up vertically from
26th Jun thru 27th Jun at occultation time and 28th Jun 2011. North is to the
Left and East is Down on these charts and the QSI 583 CCD Image of Pluto.
The target star 13R is marked on the 26th and 28th Jun charts. The 27th Jun
chart shows Pluto occulting the star as to be expected.
TASOS Talk on Hubble Space Telescope by TASOS Asst. Hon. Secretary Mr. Kalaimani on 17 May 2011
TASOS Asst Hon Secretary Mr. Kalaimani gave a talk on Hubble Space Telescope on 17th May 2011 Friday evening at the Observatory classroom. There was a good attendance and Kalaimani gave a historical perspective on his Hubble talk from early telescopes as well as Edwin Hubble himself. Spectacular images from Hubble was shown and the talk ended with some questions and answers from the audience. The usual Friday Observatory sessions follows after the talk.
Overnight Total Lunar Eclipse 2011 Observation cum Star Party on 15 to 16 June 2011
TASOS in collaboration with Science Centre
Singapore organized the Overnight Total Lunar Eclipse 2011
Observation cum Star Party
The umbra Lunar Eclipse started at 16 Jun 2011-2.22am and ended at 6.02am
with the total eclipse phase last 100 minutes at magnitude 1.71. This
is one of the darkest eclipse at totality that could be observed.
An estimated 2 thousand or so participants gathered overnight at
the Omni lakeside venue to observe this eclipse. TASOS Hon
Secretary Mr.Albert Ho also gave a talk on lunar eclipses at 2.30am
and received a Long round of applause from the audience. TASOS also
deployed 10 Telescopes for the event including most of the
instruments which Were kindly donated by LEE foundation. There was
also a movie marathon featuring Avatar and Transformers which went
on till morning. The event was largely clouded out and in fact it
rained early morning but everyone still had a real good time.
Total Lunar Eclipse on Early Morning of 16 Jun 2010
- Overnight Total Lunar Eclipse Observation Jointly Organised by SCS & TASOS
The total lunar eclipse is visible in the early morning of Jun16 . The Moon enters the Earth’s umbra at 02:24h Singapore Standard (Local) Time. Mid-eclipse is at 04:12h. The Moon leaves the Earth’s umbra at 06:02h. The umbral magnitude (defined as the fraction on the Moon's diameter immersed in the Earth’s umbra at maximum lunar eclipse) is 1.70.
The eclipse sequence (on 16 Jun 11) are as shown:
1.24 am - Start of Penumbra Eclipse.
2.22 am - Start of Umbra Partial Phase.
3.22 am - Start of Total Eclipse.
4.12 am - Maximum Eclipse.
5.02 am - End of Total Eclipse.
6.02 am - End of Umbra Partial Eclipse.
7.00 am - End of Penumbra Eclipse.
Science Centre Singapore and TASOS will be jointly organised an Overnight Total Lunar Eclipse Observation. This event will start from 11.00 pm on 15 Jun (Wed) to 7.00 am on 16 Jun (Thu) 2011. There will be movies screening in addition to star gazing session throughout the night. Admission is free and all are welcome.
TASOS ASTRO Tour 2011 to Tanjong Sedili, Malaysia on 2nd to 5th June 2011
TASOS organized an 4 days 3 nights
Astro Tour to Tanjung Sutera Resort at Tanjung Sedili, Malaysia
from 2nd to 5th June 2011. A total of over 40 TASOS members and
their families and friends went on this tour. All 3 nights presented
Milky Way skies although conditionson the last night was not as good
as the first two. Many big and small telescopes and cameras were
setup by the members at the flat concrete flooring for observing and
imaging the night sky. TASOS Celestron GPS8” scope was also used to
show many deep sky objects and planet Saturn to participants.
The Tour also includes a shopping Trip to Kota Tinggi town as well
as dinner out and a FireFly Tour via boat. Overall, TASOS Astro
Tour was a great success.
TASOS Talk on The Life of A Star (Part 1) by TASOS committee member Prof SM Chong on 13 May 2011
TASOS committee member Prof SM Chong conducted an Astronomy talk titled - The Life of A Star (Part 1) at the Observatory classroom from 7.30pm to 9.00pm on Friday the 13th of May 2011. Participants got to know how stars evolved, live and die and there was a question and answer session after. TASOS VP also conducted a briefing on TASOS Astro Tour to Tanjung Sutera Resort for participants. The usual Friday Observatory sessions follows after the brief.
Earth Hour 2011 Public Star Party at Wisma Atria, Orchard Road on 26 March 2010
Yet again in support of Earth Hour 2011, TASOS conducted a public Star-Gazing session on 26 Mar 11 (Sat.) from 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm at the 8th Floor Roof Garden of Wisma Atria, Orchard Road. This event is organized by TASOS and STARHIIL GLOBAL REIT as has been the past few years. TASOS Hon Secretary Kalaimani gave talks on Basic Astronomy. Other Committee and TASOS members helped to man the TASOS telescopes and Giant Binocular (donated by Lee Foundation) for public viewing. The external lights of Wisma Atria were turned off from 8.30pm - 9.30pm in support of Earth Hour. The event was well attended by both TASOS members and members of public. Eveyone enjoyed the informative talk and viewing the stars, Orion Nebula, M41, planet Saturn and other targets under the city night sky.
TASOS AGM 19th March 2011 at Observatory Classroom
TASOS held its 2011 AGM on 19th Mar 2011 at the Observatory
Classroom at Omni Theatre, Science Centre Singapore from
2.00pm to 5.00pm. The AGM started without a quorum but
as the meeting progressed, enough participants made the
quorum. The AGM progressed smoothly and Albert Lim was elected as new President.
The meeting closed at 5.00 pm. All present attended a reception of sandwiches and refreshments.
The Office bearers elected are as follows :
President : Albert Lim C H
Vice President : Ang Poon Seng
Hon. Secretary : Albert Ho A H
Asst Secretary : Kalaimani
Hon Treasurer : Teo Poh Kheam
Committee Members :
1) Prof Chong Siew Meng
2) Albert Tan B W
3) Erric Newmen
4) Kapilan
Auditors :
1) Dr. Cheong Kam Khow
2) Jeffrey Lim Cher Koon
SKYTRACK - A Diary of Astronomical Events 2011
SKYTRACK - A Diary of Astronomical Events 2012
This SKYTRACK - A diary of astronomical events is specially compiled by Dr. K K Cheong for use in Singapore (1 degree north latitude). The diary contains dates for notable celestial events including moon phases, meteor showers, eclipses, occultations, oppositions, conjunctions, transit and other interesting events.
TASOS Talk on Lake Tekapo NZ, World Heritage Astronomical Site by TASOS VP - Albert Lim on Friday 28 Jan 2011
TASOS VP Albert Lim gave a talk titled - Lake Tekapo NZ, World Heritage Astronomical Site at the Observatory classroom on Friday evening 28th Jan 2011. There was a reasonable turnout among TASOS members. The talk introduced the itinerary covered by a group of TASOS committee members and friends in South Island of New Zealand over 15 days from end Nov to about mid Dec 2010. Among highlights of the talk were photos shown of TASOS group visit to Mount John Observatory with resident astronomer Alan Gillmore including a brief history of Mount John and Tekapo as World Heritage astronomical site. Photos were also shown on a night visit to view through the the 60cm observatory on Mount John hosted by Alan Gillmore. The talk ended with slideshow of many astrophotos taken by TASOS members at Lake Tekapo and the Mount John site.
TASOS Joined NEA-MEDIACORP SEMAKAU RUN 2010 on 2nd October 2010
As one of the official interest groups, TASOS was invited to the annual "NEA-MEDIACORP SEMAKAU RUN 2010" on 2nd October 2010. President Ang Poon Seng and Hon Secretary Kalaimani represented TASOS in the event.
Semakau Run is a platform for businesses to demonstrate their corporate responsibibility towards the environment and the community. The event this year raised funds to support 4 environmental NGOs.
TASOS Mooncake Celebration on 17 September 2010
TASOS held a Mooncake celebration activity on Friday, 17th Sep 2010 at the Observatory classroom. TASOS Hon. Secretary Kalaimani gave a very interesting talk on the Moon from 7.45pm to 8.45pm. Members have a feast of Mooncakes and drinks after the talk. The observatory was also opened that night although the sky conditions were not good. Observatory staff and helpers from the Science Centre Singapore were invited and they joined in the celebrations at the later part of the night. All present had a good time.
TASOS Semakau Island Stargazing Trip on 4 September 2010
TASOS led 54 participants to Semakau for another trip of Stargazing on the weekend of 4th – 5th Sep 2010. TASOS Committee member Prof Srini gave a briefing with Albert Lim, VP TASOS about the night sky and safety aspects to participants on arrival. 2 units Celestron Nexstar 8SE and TASOS giant binoculars (donated by Lee Foundation) were deployed. TASOS committee Albert Ho also brought along his Takahashi FS78 refractor. A number of Celestron Nexstar and AstroMaster telescopes and binoculars were also brought along by participants. The participants saw crescent Venus and the Moons of Jupiter – an oil rig lit up like a Christmas trees fascinated the kids and participants alike through the C8 when conditions were cloudy. The group went back to the NEA building just in time to avoid heavy rain at about 4.00am. TASOS committee May and Soh Kim Mun along with Prof Srini’s wife Anuradha provided great assistance during this trip. Despite the rain, everyone had a good time at Semakau and returned to the mainland at 9.00am on the 5th Sep 2010 Sunday morning.
Astronomy Talk and Stargazing at Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School on 13 August 2010
TASOS Hon Secretary Kalaimani gave a talk at the auditorium of Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School to a large group of Primary school students titled Our Solar System on Friday 13th Aug evening. The talk lasted from 6.15pm till about 7.30pm.
TASOS set up a giant binoculars (a donation by LEE Foundation) and a Celestron Nexstar 8SE computerized telescope for 5 groups of young students to look at the Moon and Venus etc. TASOS Hon Treasurer Albert Tan also brought along his Celestron C8 for the viewing session. TASOS President Ang PS supervise the observing session which was great fun for all despite the sky being less than ideal. TASOS members Prof SM Chong, May, Tan Wei Leong, Simon and TASOS VP Albert Lim (not present in the photos because he was the photographer) was also present to help with this activity. Ang and Albert Lim later transported the equipment back to storage at Astro Scientific Centre PL (home base of TASOS) at the Omni Theatre after the event.
TASOS Supported the AGASTRO Conference Helds at Woodlands Community Club on 31st Jul 2010
TASOS and Science Centre Singapore along with Wodlands CC, NorthWest Development Council and AG Astro club supported the AGASTRO Conference helds at Woodlands CC on 31st Jul 2010.
Science Centre Singapore provided the Portable Planetarium run by Yong from SCS and Albert Ho from TASOS for participants. TASOS President Ang Poon Seng supported the event with the society’s array of instruments, a Celestron Nexstar 8SE, Celestron 8 GPS, the society’s 12 inch Dobsonian and a pair of 125mm Vixen giant binoculars. TASOS committee members Albert Lim, Kalaimani, Simon Tan, Thomas Ang, Jeffrey Lim, Wei Leong transported the telescopes there and help manning the scopes for participants from many schools and the walk in public in the spirit of promoting astronomy.
TASOS Talk - Comets. Asteroids and Meteors by TASOS Asst. Hon. Secretary Albert Ho on Friday 23 July 2010
TASOS Asst Hon Secretary gave a very interesting Talk on Comets. Asteroids and Meteors on Friday evening 23rd Jul 2010 at the Observatory classroom. In between the talk at about 8.10pm, the participants took a break and went out to the observatory grounds to watch the passage of the ISS (International Space Station cross from the Northwest to the Southern Skies passing by very close to Planet Venus along the way. The ISS was visible for over a minute despite some cloud obscuration. The talk resumed at the classroom and ended at about 9.30pm. The group then disperse outside to observe through TASOS telescopes as well as the observatory telescopes from SCS.
TASOS and Science Centre Singapore Co-Organised Partial Lunar Eclipse Observation on SCS Observatory Ground on Saturday Evening 26th June 2010
TASOS and Science Centre Singapore co-organised Partial Lunar Eclipse 2010 on the SCS observatory ground on Saturday evening 26th June 2010. There was very good turnout of over 3,000 participants at the event which started at 6.00pm with free flow of Candy Floss, Pop Corn and balloons for all who came. Timothy F Kauffman gave a talk on Space Trash from 6.30pm to 7.00pm followed by a second talk by TASOS Asst Secretary Albert Ho on the Partial Eclipse event.
TASOS deployed telescopes donated by LEE foundation – a 12” Dobsonian, a Vixen 200VCL and a 125mm giant binoculars along with TASOS’s Celestron 8GPS, Nexstar 8SE and TASOS committee personal telescopes. In all 15 instrumentss including some by SCS were deployed For the activity.
TASOS President Ang Poon Seng and Hon Secretary Kalaimani were interviewed by Channel 8 and Channel NewsAsia respectively. The sky cleared to a spectacular view of the eclipsed Moon rising above JTC building just after 8.00pm. Everyone was able to see the eclipsed Moon through naked eye and even clearer through the telescopes. The night was a complete success.
Partial Lunar Eclipse on 26th (Sat) June 2010
Evening
Singapore Time (approx.) : 6:16 pm to 8.59pm
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible Singapore on June 26, 2010. The penumbral eclipse begins at [P1] 4:57:21pm and the partial eclipse begins at [U1] 6:16:57 pm. The greatest eclipse occurs at 7:38:27 pm, when the northern half of the lunar disk will be immersed in the umbra. The moon will be in the constellation Sagittarius, near the top of the familiar Teapot star pattern. The partial eclipse ends at [U4] 8:59:50pm and the penumbral eclipse ends at [P4] 10:19:34pm.
There will be a grand public event where TASOS & Science Centre Singapore will offer a plethora of fun-filled activities at The Observatory Grounds, Science Centre Singapore.
Astronomy Talk and Stargazing at Maris Stella on 23th Jun 2010
Vice Principal Alfred Tan of Maris Stellar High School initiated a talk and star gazing event at Maris Astronomical Research Station (MARS) on evening 23rd June 2010 for Club Rainbow. TASOS President Ang Poon Seng supported the event and TASOS Hon Secretary Mr. Kalaimani gave the group a talk at the AVA Room. Along with MARS Celestron 14 / EM400 observatory,a Celestron Nexstar 5SE, a Nexstar 8SE and the Vixen 125mm binoculars donated by LEE foundation was deployed by TASOS. TASOS VP Albert Lim and TASOS Auditor Jeffrey Lim help man the instruments. The weather was cloudy but despite that the group did catch a glimpse of Moon. Overall the group enjoyed this wonderful night.
TASOS Semakau Island Stargazing Trip on 19 June 2010
21 participants consisting of TASOS members and family went on another Semauka trip on June 19th weekend. Everyone was at the site by 6.30pm and setup telescopes for the night’s observation. TASOS Hon. Secretary Kalaimani gave a sky talk for that night and a safety brief prior at the main building. Everyone had spectacular views of the quarter Moon and planet Saturn with rings close to edge on through the Celestron C8GPS and 125mm giant binoculars. Past TASOS VP Prof SM Chong joined this trip – he has recently returned from his job at a University in Saudi Arabia and is now with NUS. The Milky Way was visible and participants saw a great number of deep sky objects and were guided touring the constellations by TASOS committee members present.
Astronomy Talk on What's New with The Hubble Space Telescope by Dr Adler, Manager, Long Range Planning Group of HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE at NTU on 15 June 2010
TASOS co-organised a talk titled -What's New with The Hubble Space Telescope with NTU on 15 June 2010 from 7.30pm to 9.00pm at LT25 NTU South Spine. The speaker was Dr. David Adler – Manager, Long Range Planning Group of the Hubble Space Telescope. TASOS members and committee attended with NTU students and lecturers. The talk was entertaining and followed by a Q&A session. Prof Ng BK presented a token of appreciation while TASOS President Ang Poon Seng presented the speaker with a nice TASOS T-Shirt which was well received. The talk ended with group photos being taken and contacts exchanged.
TASOS Talk - It is Not Rocket Science by TASOS Committee Members Prof. Srini on Friday 28 May 2010
Prof. Srini from TASOS conducted a talk titled It is Not Rocket Science to a packed classroom on the Friday evening 28 May 2010. A bunch from the Boys Brigade headed by Patrick Yu joined the Session and the boys had a ball of a time when Prof Srini called upon them to demonstrate many Activities involving jet propulsion. TASOS members and committee were also in attendance and the talk ended about 9.00pm after a lively Q&A session.
The normal Friday night observation session went on as usual after the talk.
TASOS Semakau Island Stargazing Trip on 22 May 2010
TASOS organized another Semauka trip on the Weekend of May 22 to 23rd 2010 – (Sat – Sun). About 20 participants went along and arrived on the Island about 6.00pm. A safety Brief and talk on the Sky that night was conducted by TASOS President Ang Poon Seng before the Participants were whisked by bus to the site. Although there were periods of intermitten Clouds, overall the night sky was good and a number of luck new participants got to see A host of deep sky objects through the scopes that TASOS brought along – as a treat the Milky Way was faintly visible.
Occultation of Venus by the Moon on 16 May 2010
Evening
Singapore Time (approx.) : 7:34 pm to 8:36pm
On 16 May 2010 evening, Singapore is well placed for watching the rare event of Occultation of Venus by the Moon. Depending upon your location, the thin crescent Moon will start covering Venus at about 7.35pm. Venus will reappear about 8.35pm. Since Venus and Moon are the two brighter objects in the sky, this event can be viewed with unaided eye. It is also relative easy to record the entire event using the the video camcorder with high power optical zoom Lens.
Star-Gazing at Singapore Botanic Gardens - Bukit Timah Core on 30 April 2010
TASOS conducted an observation session at the Singapore Botanical Gardens (Bukit Timah Core) from 7.30 pm to 10.00 pm on 30 Apr 10. Many members and their family turned up. TASOS deployed the Vixen BT125 Giant Binoculars and the Vixen VMC200 telescope which were purchased with donations from the Lee Foundation. Due to the darker sky at the observation site, members could see the fainter constellations and stars including a spectacular high magnification view of the planet, Saturn, through a Takahashi Mewlon 250 set up by TASOS committee member, Mr. Tan Wei Leong.
Earth Hour 2010 Public Star Party at Wisma Atria, Orchard Road on 27 March 2010
In support of Earth Hour 2010, TASOS conducted a public Star-Gazing session on 27 Mar 10 (Sat.) from 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm at the 8th Floor Roof Garden of Wisma Atria,
Orchard Road. This event is organized through a tie up between TASOS and STARHIIL GLOBAL REIT.
TASOS Hon Secretary Kalaimani gave talks on Basic
Astronomy. Other Committee and TASOS members helped to man the
TASOS telescopes and Giant Binocular (donated by Lee Foundation) for
public viewing. The external lights of Wisma Atria were turned off from 8.30pm - 9.30pm in support of Earth Hour.
The event was very meaningfull and both TASOS members and members of public enjoyed the
informative talks and viewing the stars under the city night sky.
TASOS Semakau Island Stargazing Trip on 20 March 2010
LTA staff and their families joined TASOS for a night of Star-Gazing at Semakau Landfill from 20 Mar 10 (Sat.) to 21 Mar 10 (Sun.)
Mars Opposition on 29 January 2010
Mars will come into Opposition on 29 January 2010 in the constellation Cancer. Get a good look at Mars in January and February 2010, when it's closest to Earth and appears as large as possible. An Opposition occurs when the planet is opposite from the Sun, relative to the Earth. At Opposition the planet will rise as the Sun sets and will set as the Sun rises providing an entire night of observation.
TASOS Talk on Satellites - A Singapore Perspective on Friday 22th Jan 20109
Few nations can count themselves as satellite builders even up to today. Singapore is about to become one of the nations that can indigenously design and build a fully functional satellite to be sent into orbit after March 2010.
TASOS executive committee member Mr Chen Ye, our resident satellite specialist, gave a talk on the various technical challenges of building satellites and why it is so difficult. The talk was informative, educational and enjoyed by the audience at the SCS Observatory classroom who asked many questions at the end of the session.
Solar Eclipse on 15 Jan 2010
The first solar eclipse (annular)of the decade occurred on January 15th 2010. It was visible across Africa, the Indian Ocean, India, Sri Lanka and South East Asia. But in Singapore, we only saw a partial solar eclipse that occurred between 3.30pm to 5.30pm. TASOS and Singapore Science Centre organized a host of astronomy activities and observed the solar eclipse around SSC Observatory. This day was also marked the closing of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s discovery of Jupiter’s four biggest moons.
TASOS Eclipse Talk on 8th Jan 2010 by Albert Lim – TASOS President
TASOS President Albert Lim gave a talk on Solar and Lunar Eclipses on Friday 8th Jan 2010, a week prior to the Partial Solar Eclipse event on the 15th Jan 2010. The talk covered the differences between Lunar and Solar eclipses and explained why some eclipses are total while others are partial or annular. Eclipse seasons and frequencies of eclipses were also explained. Photos of eclipses and sites for past TASOS Eclipse expeditions were also shown along with several eclipse videos captured by TASOS VP PS Ang.
