FAC EB OO K - “SCOB – Science Centre OBservato ry” B LOG – sco

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Achernar

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Pleiades

Canopus

Sirius

Rigel

Betelgeuse

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8th Jan

16thJan

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Stars of the month (January) – Taurus, Orion & Sirius High in the sky are the constellations Taurus the Bull and Orion the Hunter. Taurus’ best objects include the bright orange star Aldebaran (the Follower) and the star clusters Pleiades and Hyades. Orion is one of the most distinctive groups of stars in the sky. Its brightest stars include red supergiant Betelgeuse (shoulder) and blue-white supergiant Rigel (foot). Orion is well known for having three stars in a straight line, Orion’s belt.

1. M45 – The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) A large and bright cluster of young white-blue stars. Try and spot the 7 brightest members

using only your eyes. Use binoculars to experience its full glory!

2. The Hyades A loose grouping of stars next to the bright star of Aldebaran. One of the closest star clusters

to the Sun (150 light-years away). Requires binoculars.

3. M42 – The Orion Nebula A large, diffused nebula (hydrogen gas cloud) and one of the best objects in the sky! Our eyes

can see it as a hazy speck, a short distance from Orion’s belt. Binoculars can show more of the nebula. A telescope reveals the small cluster of stars (the Trapezium) at its heart. These hot, young stars are responsible for illuminating of the gas cloud that surrounds them.

Sirius

Located towards the South East of Orion’s belt is the brightest star in the sky, Sirius (scorching), belonging to the constellation Canis Major. Its brightness causes it to twinkle more than other stars as its light passes through our atmosphere.

1

2

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January 2014 Moon Dates 16th Jan

Full Moon (Low in the East)

1st Jan

New Moon (Not Visible)

8th Jan

1st Quarter Half Moon

Bright Planets Mercury – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Venus – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Mars – Visible only from 1am onwards. Jupiter – Visible throughout early evening, beside between Procyon, Castor and Pollux. Saturn – Visible early morning 3:30am-6:30am, in the Eastern part of the sky. Moons of Jupiter Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter’s four biggest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in the following positions:

24th Jan

Last Quarter Half Moon (1am-8am)

31st Jan

New Moon (Not Visible)

Ganymede Io

Callisto

Ganymede

Europa

Ganymede

Europa

Europa

Io

Callisto

Fri 10th Jan

Fri 17th Jan

Fri 24th Jan

Io Ganymede

Europa

Io shadow transit 9pm – 10pm

Callisto Io Ganymede

Fri 31st Jan

Fri 3rd Jan

Callisto

Europa

Callisto

Achernar

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Rigel

Betelgeuse

Capella

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Stars of the month (Feb) – Orion & Orion Nebula February Moon Dates

0

Betelgeuse “arm/shoulder”

Rigel “foot”

Bellatrix “female warrior”

Saiph “sword”

Alnitak

Alnilam Mintaka

Orion Nebula (M42)

Magnified view of Orion Nebula (M42)

Betelgeuse (alpha Orionis) is a massive red supergiant that varies in brightness. Bellatrix (gamma Orionis) is blue giant star. Its name means “female warrior”, indicating that Orion may not have always been seen as a male hunter. Bellatrix is the closest of Orion’s stars (243 light-years away). Rigel (beta Orionis) is a large bluish-white supergiant star, which becomes the brightest star in Orion when Betelgeuse occasionally fades. On Orion’s Belt, Alnilam (epsilon Orionis) is the closest and brightest of the three.

In February’s night sky, Orion the Hunter, is located directly overhead. Orion’s seven brightest stars can easily be seen in Singapore’s light-polluted sky.

Orion’s Belt

Orion contains many stars and deep sky objects, which are visible through binoculars or a telescope. The Orion Nebula (M42) is a large cloud of gas (mainly hydrogen) that contains a cluster of young stars. It appears as a tiny bright speck to the naked eye.

The diagram on the right illustrates the view of the Orion Nebula through a telescope. The tight group of four stars is known as the Trapezium (theta Orionis). Surrounding the Trapezium is part of the hydrogen gas cloud, which is being illuminated by the energy from the Trapezium stars. A number of other stars within and in front of the nebula are also visible.

7th Feb 15th Feb

Full Moon


Bright Planets

Mercury – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Venus – Visible in the East 6am-7:30am. Mars – Visible in the East from 12am midnight. Jupiter – Visible throughout early evening from 7pm-3am, beside the stars of Gemini. Saturn – Visible in the East early in the morning from 2am.

Moons of Jupiter Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter’s four biggest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in the following positions:

23rd Feb


Io

Io Ganymede Callisto

Ganymede

Europa Fri 7st Feb

Fri 14th Feb

Fri 21st Feb

Fri 28th Feb

Callisto

Callisto

Europa

Ganymede Io

Europa

Io Ganymede

Callisto

Europa

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Rigel

8th Mar

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Stars of the month (March) – Gemini, Leo, Cancer, Canis Major March Moon Dates 17th Mar

Full Moon (9pm-7am)

8th Mar


24th Mar


31st Mar

New Moon (not visible)

The March sky contains many of the brightest stars in the sky, most notably Sirius, the brightest of all stars. Between Sirius and the 1st magnitude stars of Betelgeuse, Castor, Pollux, Procyon and Regulus lie many hidden star clusters and asterisms (star patterns) such as The Sickle in Leo and the head of Hydra the snake.

Regulus “King/Prince”

Procyon “before the dog”

Sirius “scorching”

The Sickle

Pollux “second twin”

Castor “first twin” 1

2

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4

5

Betelgeuse “shoulder”

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6

1) Castor – a multiple star, made up of 6 tightly grouped stars. Most telescope can see two white stars and a smaller red dwarf star. 2) M35 – a large open cluster of over 200 stars arranged in curved chains, 2800 light-years away. Best viewed through binoculars or telescopes using low magnification.

3) M44 – The Beehive Cluster (Praesepe) A swarm of about 50 stars in the heart of the constellation Cancer, over 500 light-years away. Best viewed through binoculars.

4) M67 – A more distant, fainter open cluster in Cancer, containing 200 stars.

5) M48 – large, triangular-shaped open cluster of 80 stars, located on the edge of the constellation Hydra. Visible through binoculars, 2000 light-years away.

6) M41 – large, bright open cluster of 80 stars, 2100 light-years away.

Bright Planets

Mercury – Visible very low in the east before sunrise from 6pm. Venus – Visible before sunrise from 5pm in the east. Mars – Rises in the east after 10pm, near the star Spica (Virgo). Jupiter – Visible until early morning between Castor (Gemini) and Betelgeuse (Orion). Saturn – Visible from 12am-7am, in constellation Libra.

Moons of Jupiter Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Jupiter’s four biggest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in the following positions:

Vernal Equinox 20th Mar 00:57 SGT

The day in which the Sun is directly above the Equator.

In Singapore, this results in the highest position of the Sun in the sky at noon at 1:12pm.

Sunrise is at 7:09am

Io

Io

Ganymede

Callisto

Callisto

Europa

Ganymede

Ganymede

Europa

Callisto

Europa

Fri 7th Mar

Fri 14th Mar

Fri 21st Mar

Fri 28th Mar

Ganymede Europa

Callisto

Io

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Betelgeuse

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Rigil Kentaurus (a Centauri)

SATURN

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Stars of the month (April) – The Argo Navis (Carina, Vela, Puppis) April Moon Dates

22nd Apr

Full Moon

7th Apr

New Moon (Not visible)

29th Apr


The constellations Puppis, Vela and Carina form the ancient star pattern of the Argo Navis, representing the sailing ship from an Ancient Greek legend. Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky, known in China as “Old Man of the South” for its southern location and sometimes red appearance in hazy or cloudy conditions. The asterism (star pattern) False Cross is sometimes confused for the Southern Cross (Crux), located near to the east. Lying close to a dense part of our Galaxy, The Milky Way, several star clusters can be found when scanning the area with binoculars.

1) & 2) M46 & M47 – Two faint open clusters, east of bright star Sirius. M47 is the closer and brighter of the two. Small telescope maybe required.

3) M93 – Faint wedge-shaped star cluster over 3000 light-years away but visible through binoculars.

4) IC2391 – Large open cluster of 50 stars surrounding the star Omicron Velorum. Best viewed using binoculars.

5), 6) & 7) IC2581, NGC3293 & NGC3114 Three fainter open star clusters located in front of the rich spiral arm of the Milky Way. Binoculars and small telescopes required.

8) Eta Carinae Nebula (NGC 3372) – a gas cloud surrounding the explosive variable star Eta Carinae. Several more stars are visible through binoculars and telescopes.

9) NGC3532 – A large, bright open cluster containing more than 100 stars forming an elliptical shape, 1300 light-years away.

10) IC2602 (The Southern Pleiades) Large open cluster of around 60 stars surrounding star Theta Carinae. Easy to spot with binoculars .

Canopus (old man of the South)

x x x

x

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3

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5 6

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x x Sirius “scorching”

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8 9

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Bright Planets

Moons of Saturn Every Friday evening at SCOB, see Saturn’s biggest moons, Titan (Ti), Rhea (R), Dione (D), Tethys (Te), Enceladus (En) in the following positions:

Mercury – Not visible, hidden in Sun’s glare. Venus – Visible in the east before sunrise from 5am. Mars – Visible throughout the night, near the star Spica. Jupiter – Low in the west at sunset, visible until 10pm. Saturn – Rising from the east in constellation Libra.

15th Apr


R

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Fri 4th April

Fri 11th April

Fri 18th April

Fri 25th April

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SATURN

Spica

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Big Dipper

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7th May

15th May (after 9pm)

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Stars of the month (May) – The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) May Moon Dates

29th May

Full Moon (8pm-6am)

21st May


7th May


15th May


The Big Dipper is one of the most famous asterisms (star patterns) throughout history. In some places of the Northern Hemisphere, its seven brightest stars can be seen all year round. Further South near the equator, it is only visible for a few months. Merak and Dubhe are known as The Pointers, pointing directly to the North Star Polaris (not visible from Singapore). The Dipper is part of a much larger star pattern – the constellation Ursa Major (Greater Bear), although it had a variety of meanings in many cultures. Most common is that of a bear or a ladle/dipper used for scooping water. Other representations include a plough, an ox or horse pulling a plough and three mourners standing beside a funeral pyre. The names of the stars come from Arabic phrases indicating the different meanings. The stars Merak, Phad, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar and Alcor are approximately the same distance from Earth (80 light-years) moving together as a large star cluster (The Ursa Major Moving Cluster). Dubhe and Alkaid are more distant and are not part of this cluster. Objects of Interest: Mizar & Alcor – two very close stars. A good test of eyesight. Easily viewed through binoculars. Alcor is the further of the two. Mizar is actually multiple stars containing several more stars. A telescope shows three, including Alcor.

Dubhe “bear”

Merak “flank”

Phad “thigh”

Megrez “tail base”

Alioth “horse/tail”

Mizar “groin/girdle”

Alcor “horse”

Alkaid “leader of mourners”

Towards North Star (Polaris)

Bright Planets

Mercury – Not visible, hidden in Sun’s glare. Venus – Visible in the east before sunrise from 5am. Mars – Along an arm of Virgo, near the star Spica. Jupiter – Low in the west at sunset, visible until 10pm. Saturn – Rising from the east in constellation Libra.

Saturn Opposition – 11th May Brightest and biggest view of Saturn for 2014 (Magnitude +0.27)

Every year, Earth (which is closer to the Sun) begins to move in front of Saturn, resulting in an alignment of Earth and Saturn with the Sun. This known as an opposition as Saturn and the Sun become directly opposite each other, as seen from Earth.

DISTANCE: ~1,277 million km

v v

SUN

EARTH

SATURN (IN OPPOSITION)


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6th June

13th June

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Stars of the month (June) – Centaurus and Crux June Moon Dates 27th June

New Moon (Not visible)

20th June


6th June


13th June

Full Moon

The constellations of Centaurus and Crux are easy to identify on a clear night. These are great for observing with binoculars as they lie directly in front of one of the richest parts of our Galaxy (The Milky Way).

1) Alpha Centauri – closest star to our Sun (4.25 light-years away). A triple star system. A telescope reveals two bright yellow stars similar to The Sun. The third star (proxima centauri), a faint red dwarf, is difficult to find although it is the closest of the three. 2) The Jewel Box (NGC4755) – a bright open cluster of 50 stars including star Kappa Crucis. Visible through binoculars, best seen through a telescope using low magnification. Some stars appear red, orange and blue in colour. 3) Alpha Crucis (Acrux) – the brightest star in Crux. A double star (bluish-white) when viewed through a telescope . 4) NGC 3766 – a sparkling star cluster containing about 100 stars. Can be seen with binoculars. 5) NGC 5460 - a large open cluster of 40 stars visible through binoculars or small telescopes. 6) Omega Centauri (NGC5139) – The largest Globular Cluster, a dense ball of 100,000 stars or more. Appears as a hazy patch through binoculars. Telescopes at low magnification may resolve individual stars. 17,000 light-years away.

Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentaurus)

“Centaur’s foot”

Hadar “ground”

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2 3

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5 6 Bright Planets

Mercury – Not visible, hidden in Sun’s glare. Venus – Low in the east before sunrise, from 5am. Mars – Right above our heads near to the star Spica (Virgo) throughout the night. Jupiter – Low in the west, visible only until 8.30pm in constellation Gemini. Saturn – Visible throughout the night near to constellation Libra.


Northern (Summer) Solstice

21st June 18:51 SGT The day in which the Sun

reaches it northernmost point in the sky.

In Singapore, this results in the lowest position of the Sun

towards the north at noon 1:06pm. Sunrise is at 7am.

Te

En

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Ti

Fri 6th June

Fri 13th June

Fri 20th June

Fri 27th June

Te D

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En

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En

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2nd July

5th July

8th July 12nd July

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12nd July

Full Moon (8pm-6am)

5th July


(6pm-12am)

19th July


Stars of the month (July) – Scorpius July Moon Dates

Scorpius is one of the easiest constellations to identify with its distinctive curved chain of stars representing the tail and sting of a scorpion. The bright star Antares is the 6th brightest star in the night sky and one of the largest stars known to exist. Being a red supergiant it is similar in appearance to the planet Mars, therefore one meaning of its name is as a rival of Mars. Scorpius is full of deep sky objects and bright stars as it lies in front of the heart of our Galaxy (The Milky Way). It is well worth viewing through binoculars.

Objects of interest: 1) M6 (Butterfly Cluster) – beautiful open star cluster arranged in curved chains like the wings of a butterfly. Visible through binoculars, best through a telescope using low magnification. 2) M7 – large, triangular open cluster of about 70 stars. Close to M6 and other star clusters. 3) Zeta Scorpii – Double star, orange and blue/white colour, unrelated (do not orbit each other). More visible through telescope. 4) NGC6231 – a bright open star cluster of 100 stars. Located near to Zeti Scorpii. Binoculars may reveal more star clusters in the surrounding area. 5) Omega Scorpii – unrelated double star. Easy to spot using binoculars. 6) Nu Scorpii – a quadruple star (double-double), four stars in one. Binoculars only show two stars. Large telescope and high magnification would be needed to see all four. 7) Graffias (Beta Scorpii) – bright unrelated double star, best seen with a telescope. Both are bluish-white in colour.

27th July

New Moon (not visible) Antares

“Anti-Mars”

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4

5

6 7

Shaula “tail”

Graffias “Claws”

Fri 4th July

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Te

R

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Fri 11th July

D

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Fri 18th July

Te

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Ti

En Ti

Fri 25th July Te

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Bright Planets Mercury – Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30am-7am. Venus – Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30am-7am. Mars – Visible throughout early evening beside star Spica, until 1am. Jupiter – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Saturn – Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Libra, until 2am.


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1st Aug

4th Aug

8th Aug

11st Aug

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17th Aug


4th Aug


(6pm-12am)

11st Aug

Full Moon (8pm-6am)

August Moon Dates

Fri 1st August

En R

D Ti Te

R

Ti

Fri 8th August

D En Te

En

Fri 15th August Te

D

R

Ti

En

Ti Fri 22nd August

Te

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Fri 29th August

Located directly in front of the centre of our Galaxy, The Milky Way, the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius contain many star clusters and nebulae (gas clouds).

Stars of the month (Aug) – Scorpius & Sagittarius

x x

x

x 5 6 7

8

Objects of interest: 1) M6 (Butterfly Cluster) – beautiful open star cluster arranged in curved chains like the wings of a butterfly. Visible through binoculars, best viewed through a telescope using low magnification. 2) M7 – large, triangular open cluster of about 70 stars. Close to M6 and other star clusters. 3) Zeta Scorpii – Double star, orange and blue/white colour, unrelated (do not orbit each other). More visible through telescope. 4) NGC6231 – a bright open star cluster of 100 stars. Located near to Zeti Scorpii. Binoculars may reveal more star clusters in the surrounding area. 5) M25 – a bright open cluster of about 30 stars, visible through binoculars and small telescopes. 6) M20 & M21 - The Trifid Nebula – a faint gas cloud located close to star cluster M21 containing about 70 stars. Both are visible in low magnification telescopes although M21 is more obvious. 7) M8 – Lagoon Nebula – a bright gas cloud surrounding star cluster NGC6530. Visible through binoculars and telescopes. Has a dark patch through the centre. 8) M22 – a large, bright globular cluster. A compact ball of thousands of stars. Bright, hazy appearance in binoculars. Low magnification telescopes reveal its elliptical shape.

Antares “Anti-Mars”

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x

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2

3

4

Shaula “tail”

Graffias “Claws”

25th Aug


D

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Te Ti

Neptune opposition 29th Aug (mag 7.64)

Earth moves into alignment with Neptune. Around this

time Neptune appears at its brightest, however it is still too dim to be seen with the naked eye. It is best viewed

after 11pm. Bright Planets Mercury – Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30-7am. Venus – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Mars – Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Libra, until 12am. Jupiter – Low in the east at sunrise, visible 6:30-7am. Saturn – Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Libra, until 12am.



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9th Sept

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September Moon Dates

2nd Sept


(6pm-12am)

16th Sept


24th Sept


9th Sept

Full Moon 中秋節

(8am-6am)

Objects of Interest: 1) Delphinus – a small constellation (star pattern) representing a Dolphin. Visible to the naked eye and binoculars. 2) Coathanger Asterism (Brocchi’s Cluster) – A small group of 10 stars in the shape of a coat hanger. Requires binoculars or small telescopes. Located in the faint constellation of Vulpecula. 3) Dumbbell Nebula (M27) – a Planetary Nebula, gas cloud formed from the other layers of a dying star. Appears as a faint misty ellipse when using low magnification. 4) Albireo (Beta Cygni) – a colourful double star, yellow and blue in colour. Requires telescope.

In Chinese culture Vega is Zhi nu 织女(weaver girl/fairy)and Altair is Niu lang 牛郎 (cow herder). They represent a young married couple who become separated when 织女 is taken back to heaven. Deneb represents the “magpie” bridge across which the couple may meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th Lunar month, Qi Xi 七夕 (Chinese Valentine’s Day), which in this year occurred on 2nd August.

Stars of the month (Sept) – Summer Triangle

Deneb, Altair and Vega are three bright, 1st magnitude stars that form the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle is first seen rising in the East during summer in the northern hemisphere each year. It remains in the night sky until late November. The three stars belong to three separate constellations: Cygnus, Aquila and Lyra. The names of the stars come from Arabic phrases referring to birds such as eagles and swans.

Vega “swooping/landing”

织女

Deneb “tail”

Altair “eagle”

牛郎

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1

3

4

x 2

Autumnal Equinox 23rd Sept 10:29 SGT The day in which the

Sun is directly above the Equator.

In Singapore, this results in the highest position of the Sun in the sky at

noon at 12:57pm. Sunrise is at 6:54am

Bright Planets Mercury – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Venus – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Mars – Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Scorpius, until 11pm. Jupiter – Low in the east at sunrise, visible 5:30am-7am. Saturn – Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Libra, until 11pm.

Fri 5th September

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Fri 12nd September

D

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En Fri 19th September

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Stars of the month (Oct) – Cap. Aqu. Fomal. Arch. October Moon Dates

8th Oct

Full Moon (8pm-6am)

31st Oct


(6pm-12am)

16th Oct


24th Oct

New Moon Deepavali (not visible)

Many of October’s stars are associated with water and the coming of the rainy season. The constellation Aquarius represents the pouring of water from a jar. The names of its two brightest stars (Sadalmelik and Sadalsuud) come from the Ancient Middle East and refer to the luck and favour of the rains, bringing life after a hot and dry summer.

Fomalhaut “fish’s mouth”

Achernar “river’s end”

Sadalmelik “luck of king”

Sadalsuud “luck of lucks”

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Algedi “goat/kid”

2

Likewise, Capricornus represents a mythical half-goat/half-fish creature (Mergoat). The bright star Fomalhaut is the mouth of the southern fish, while Achernar signifies the end of a faint constellation known as Eridanus the river. Finally, the stars of Grus were named after a Crane, the long-necked water bird. Sadly, most of these stars are faint and difficult to see in Singapore’s brightly lit sky.

Objects of interest: 1) The Water Jar – an asterism (star pattern) made up of four stars representing the water jar of Aquarius. Best viewed through binoculars. 2) Algedi (Alpha Capricorni) – a multiple star consisting of two pairs of stars all visible in small telescopes.

Bright Planets

Mercury – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Venus – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Mars – Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Scorpius, until 10pm. Jupiter – Low in the east at sunrise, visible 3:30am-7:30am. Saturn – Very low in West at sunset, visible 7:00pm-7:30pm.

2nd Oct


(6pm-12am)

Total Lunar Eclipse – 8th October Eclipses occur during an alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon, resulting in the Sun’s light being blocked and a shadow being cast on either the Earth or the Moon. The location of an eclipse depends on the Earth’s position and tilt, the time, duration and precision of the alignment. Lunar Eclipse happens when the Full Moon moves directly behind the Earth. The Moon becomes covered by Earth’s shadow. It always occurs at night. •4:15pm – 9:33pm SGT •Mid-eclipse 5:14pm-8:34pm •We can observe the eclipse during moonrise (6:52pm)

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Uranus opposition 8th Oct (mag 6.05) Earth moves into

alignment with Uranus. Around this time Uranus appears at its brightest,

however it is still too dim to be seen with the

naked eye. It is best viewed after 11pm.

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25th Nov

3rd Nov

7th Nov

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29th Nov


(6pm-12am)

22nd Nov


Stars of the month (November) – Pegasus and Andromeda November Moon Dates

7th Nov

Full Moon (8pm-6am)

14th Nov


Look northwards to find the bright stars of Pegasus and Andromeda, two constellations that were named after an ancient legend involving a flying horse (Pegasus) and a princess (Andromeda). Sadly, our bright Singapore sky prevents us from seeing the full extent of these northern constellations. The most obvious part are the 4 stars forming a giant square shape (The Square of Pegasus). One of these 4 stars also forms the start of Andromeda. From this star (Alpheratz), trace an imaginary curved line towards the east and find the other bright stars forming the backbone of the Princess.

Here are some hidden treasures within Pegasus and Andromeda, which you might like to find with a pair of binoculars or a telescope and hopefully a clear sky:

1. M31 – The Andromeda Galaxy. Dazzling under the darkest conditions, you might see its fuzzy looking core through binoculars or

a telescope at low power in a clear, moonless Singapore night sky.

2. Gamma Andromedae (Almach) A beautiful double star. One star is golden yellow and the other blue. Requires a telescope to be

seen.

3. Triangulum A small constellation of 3 faint stars in a distinctive triangle shape. Can be seen with the naked

eye or binoculars.

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Bright Planets Mercury – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Venus – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Mars – Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Sagittarius, until 10pm. Jupiter – Visible early morning 2am-7am, near to star Regulus (Leo). Saturn – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare.

Leonids Meteor Shower – 17th & 18th November Every year on specific dates, the Earth travels through several areas of debris left over from a comet or passing asteroid. This debris consists of rock or ice particles similar to grains of sand. As Earth collides with these particles, they streak through the atmosphere and burn up, resulting in bright flashes. These bright flashes are commonly known as “shooting stars” or more accurately, meteors. The highest rate of meteors usually occurs between 2am-5am. Brightly lit, urban environments like Singapore will see significantly less meteors. During Leonids meteor shower, the estimated rate of meteors is about 40 per hour. The meteors appear to start from Leo, visible at the east direction.

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25th Dec

29th Dec 13th Dec

6th Dec

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Stars of the month (December) – Taurus, Perseus & Auriga December Moon Dates

17th Dec*

Full Moon (8pm-6am)

9th Dec


(6pm-12am)

25th Dec


3rd Dec


Looking Eastward, the most obvious objects will be the bright orange star of Aldebaran (the follower) in Taurus and the brilliant white star Capella (female goat) in Auriga.

1. M45 – The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) A large and bright cluster of young white-blue stars. Try and spot the 7 brightest members using

only your eyes. Use binoculars to experience its full glory!

2. The Hyades A loose group of stars next to the bright star of Aldebaran. One of the closest star clusters to

the Sun (150 light years away). Requires binoculars.

3. Perseus Double Cluster (NGC 869 & NGC 884) Two large clusters lying close together in our Galaxy. Must use binoculars but can be tricky to

find in our urban sky.

4. Alpha Persei/Melotte 20 Cluster This large, loose cluster surrounds and includes the supergiant star of Alpha Persei (Mirfak), the

brightest star in Perseus. Find it with binoculars or telescopes at low power.

Taurus, Auriga and nearby Perseus, contain a wealth of beautiful star clusters, well worth searching for in clear, moonless skies (see below for more details).

Bright Planets Mercury – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Venus – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare. Mars – Visible throughout early evening beside stars of Capricornus, until 10pm. Jupiter – Visible early morning 12am-7am, near to star Regulus (Leo). Saturn – Not visible, hidden in the Sun’s glare.

Southern (Winter) Solstice – 22nd Dec 07:03 SGT

The day in which the Sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky. In Singapore, this results in the lowest position of the Sun towards the south at noon 1:03pm. Sunrise is at 7:01am.

Facts about Mars • Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in our Solar System, and

the second smallest planet. • It was named after the Roman god of war. The Greek counterpart

is Ares. • Its reddish appearance is due to the presence of iron oxide

compound in its soil. • It is much smaller than the Earth – in fact, its size is around 15 per

cent of the Earth in terms of volume! • Currently it hosts five spacecrafts: three orbiting ones – Mars

Odyssey, Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Two land rovers are Opportunity and Curiosity.

Documents

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