Stargazing
Observing the Transit of Venus
Join us as we celebrate the last Transit of Venus of the 21st century on June 6!
Mark your calendar as it will be the last chance in most of our lifetimes to see one of most eagerly anticipated astronomical events: the 2012 Transit of Venus. Such a transit occurs when the planet Venus passes directly between the Earth and Sun, appearing like a black disk travelling across the Sun. This rare astronomical event occurs in pairs that only repeat once a century. The last Transit of Venus was in 2004; the next will be in 2117. This is one event that you will not want to miss!
Event Details:
Date: 6 June 2012
Time: 9am -1pm
Location: Omni-Theatre
WARNING: OBSERVING THE TRANSIT WITHOUT EYE PROTECTION CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY WITH THE NAKED EYE, THROUGH BINOCULARS OR A TELESCOPE. USE PROPER SOLAR OBSERVING FILTERS OR SAFE PROTECTION TECHNIQUES.
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 - Feb 2012 |
Venus and Jupiter |
| Mar 2012 |
Venus, Jupiter and Mars |
| Apr - May 2012 |
Venus, Mars and Saturn |
| Jun - Jul 2012 |
Mars, Saturn and Mercury (before 8pm) |
| Aug - Sep 2012 |
Mars and Saturn |
| Oct - Nov 2012 |
Mars and Uranus |
| December 2012 |
Jupiter and Uranus |
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 Starmaps.
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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.