Stargazing
Important: Observatory Closures
The observatory will be closed on the following public holidays:
- Friday, 24 May 2013 - Vesak Day
- Friday, 9 August 2013 - National Day
Upcoming Astronomy Talk: 'TASOS AURORA EXPEDITION 2013'
From 24 Feb to 5 Mar 2013, members of The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) journeyed to Tromso, Norway on an expedition to observe the Aurora Borealis or “Northern Lights”, which only occur in far northern parts of the globe such as the cold Arctic regions. This talk is about the travels and adventures of the TASOS group in their attempt to see and document this phenomena.
Science Centre Observatory Blog
Our Science Centre Observatory Blog can be accessed via http://scobbers.blogspot.com/.
Free Stargazing Sessions
Time: 7.50pm - 10.00pm every Friday
Venue: The Observatory (at the Omni-Theatre building)
Come discover the constellations that cross our vistas.
Viewing Period
(7.30pm - 11.00pm) |
Planets in View* |
| Jan - Mar 2013 |
Jupiter |
| Apr 2013 |
Jupiter and Saturn |
| May 2013 |
Saturn |
| June 2013 |
Saturn, Venus and Mercury (before 8pm) |
| July - Sep 2013 |
Venus and Saturn |
| October 2013 |
Venus and Mercury (before 8pm) |
| November 2013 |
Venus |
| December 2013 |
Jupiter |
The moon as well as other stars or star clusters may also be visible during the stargazing session.
List of Astronomical Events
Click here for the List of Astronomical Events.
Singapore Starmaps
Click here for the Singapore Star Maps.
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Observatory
Our Observatory is situated at the following geographical coordinates:
1o 20' 03" N latitude, 103o 44' 14" E longitude, 15.27 m Height (m.s.l)
Our Observatory is one of the few in the world that is located next to the Equator. This unique position opens up more vistas in the sky and allows us to view constellations in both the northern and southern celestial hemispheres. |
Our Observatory is also endowed with a range of sophisticated facilities as well as a classroom for astronomy lessons, slide shows and public talks to enhance your stargazing experience:
- The main telescope is a 40-cm Cassegrain reflector of combined focal length 520-cm.
- The sub-telescope is a 15-cm apochromatic Kepler refractor of focal length 180-cm.
- The equatorial mount for the telescopes was designed with an accompanying English yoke to provide the necessary stability for the drive and tracking mechanisms.
- The 5.5-metre stainless steel dome can be made to swivel in any direction and its shutter can be made to slide open to focus the telescope on interesting objects in the sky.
Click here to access the FAQ page on Stargazing.