Moon & Venus closest together on 16 May 10

On Sunday 16 May 2010, from 7.37pm to 8.05pm, you will get the chance to see Venus closing in to the Moon just below the thin crescent. This astronomy event only happen once every 10 years & its call "月掩金星".

We lucky people here together with those in Malaysia, Hong Kong & GuangZhou China get to see it. The next time it occur again will be in 2023. The process will start at 7.37pm where you can see Venus slowly closing the Moon & reaches the Moon thin crescent at 8.01pm.

Any stars watcher / photographer going to catch this?

Lyrids Meteor Shower peak on 22 Apr 2010

Anyone who enjoys watching the sky for "shooting stars" will have an opportunity to observe the oldest and most reliable meteor display over the next several days, the April Lyrids.

The best time to watch will be for a night or two around the peak, April 22. These meteors are among the oldest known, with ancient records of them dating back nearly 27 centuries. The Chinese records show that "stars fell like rain" during the meteor shower of 687BC.

The peak of the Lyrids meteor shower will be visible from late night of April 22 to just before dawn of April 23 (SG Time). The meteors will be radiating out from the constellation of Lyra on the northeastern sky. During its peak, the shower can reach about 10 per hour with outbursts of up to about 100 meteors per hour.

But in recent times, the Lyrids have generally been weak while still providing enjoyment to observers. According to meteorshowersonline, the Lyrids generally begin on April 16 and last until April 26. So if you missed the peak, you can still catch it on April 23 to 26. But if you miss this, you will have to wait till May 5 for the Aquarids Meteor Shower.

Anyone wanna join me on this quest?

Russia to save the world

Russian scientists will soon meet in secret to work on a plan for saving Earth from a possible catastrophic collision with a giant asteroid in 26 years.

They will soon hold a closed meeting of their collegium, the science-technical council to look at what can be done to prevent the asteroid Apophis from slamming into the planet in 2036.

The Apophis asteroid measures approximately 350 metres (1,150 feet) in diameter and RIA Novosti news agency said that if it were to hit Earth when it passes nearby in 2036 it would create a new desert the size of France. Mr Perminov said a serious plan to prevent such a catastrophe would probably be an international project involving Russian, European, US and Chinese space experts. Interfax quoted him as saying that one option would be to build a new 'space apparatus' designed solely for the purpose of diverting Apophis from a collision course with Earth safely.

The US space agency NASA said new calculations on the path of Apophis indicated a significantly reduced likelihood of a hazardous encounter with Earth in 2036. Updated computational techniques and newly available data indicate the probability of an Earth encounter on April 13, 2036, for Apophis has dropped from 1-in-45,000 to about 4-in-a million.

RIA Novosti said the asteroid was expected to pass within 30,000 kilometres (18,600 miles) of Earth in 2029 - closer than some geo-stationary satellites - and could shift course to hit Earth seven years years after that.

Strong Leonid Meteor Shower

Did you manage to catch the Meteor Shower? I was there, out in the big open field, but only manage to see 5 shooting stars instead of a shower. Guess the sky was too cloudy that night. Festival of the Stars was organized by Science Centre, TASOS & PA at Japanese Garden which had attracted thousands of stars watchers.

One of the best annual meteor showers peak in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, and for some skywatchers the show could be quite impressive. The best seats are in Asia, but North American observers should be treated to an above average performance of the Leonid meteor shower, weather permitting. The trick for all observers is to head outside in the wee hours of the morning – between 1 a.m. and dawn – regardless where you live.

The Leonids put on a solid show every year, if skies are clear and moonlight does not interfere. This year the moon is near its new phase, and not a factor. For anyone in the Northern Hemisphere with dark skies, away from urban and suburban lighting, the show should be worth getting up early to see.

It was predicted that there will be 20 to 30 meteors per hour over the Americas, and as many as 200 to 300 per hour over Asia. Urban dwellers and suburbanites will see far fewer, as the fainter meteors will be drowned out by local lights.

The Leonids are created by the comet Tempel-Tuttle, which passes through the inner solar system every 33 years on its orbit around the sun. Each time by, it leaves a new river of debris, mostly bits of ice and rock no bigger than a sand grain but a few the size of a pea or marble. Over time, these cosmic streams spread out, so predicting exactly what will happen is difficult. We can predict when Earth will cross a debris stream with pretty good accuracy. The intensity of the display is less certain, though, because we don't know how much debris is in each stream.

When Earth plows into the debris, the bits hit the atmosphere and vaporize, creating sometimes dramatic streaks of light and the occasional fireball with a smoky-looking trail that can remain visible for several minutes. The Leonid stream is moving in the opposite direction of Earth, producing impact speeds of 72 km/s, higher than many other meteors. Such speeds tend to produce meteors with hues of white, blue, aquamarine and even green.

The best viewing will be in rural areas. Get out of town if you can. If you have local lights, scout a location in advance where the lights are blocked by a building, tree or hill. Leonids can appear anywhere, but if you trace them back, they all point to a hub, or radiant, in the constellation Leo – hence the name.

One truth about the Leonids is that they always produce, and they sometimes produce spectacular, unforgettable fireballs.

Another Astronomy Event of the year almost Missed - Perseids Meteor Shower

The night sky will sparkle with "falling stars" as Earth passes through a trail of dusty debris from the Swift-Tuttle Comet in its 130 year orbit around the Sun. East Asia is best placed to see the shower at its most intense moment, which is predicted for 1800 GMT on August 12, according to the US publication Sky and Telescope. The meteors are also active for many days before and after this date, though the light reflected by a waning quarter moon may obstruct the view somewhat.

The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. This year's peak occurs on the morning of August 12, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 - August 22. The waning gibbous moon will provide some interference in the early morning, so the best viewing will be in the evening before it rises. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. Look to the northeast after midnight.

Anyone wants to join me in the star watching session @ Woodlands Lane open field tomorrow evening?