This is an exciting time in which to become an amateur astronomer. Many of them start out as star-gazers. The first thing they realize might be that the celestial sphere appears to move from east to west with respect to the horizon of the observer. This causes the stars and constellations to appear to rise in the east and set in the west. The apparent east to west motion of the celestial sphere, referred to as its diurnal or daily motion, is due to the rotation of the Earth. As the Earth turns, celestial objects are carried past the meridian of the observer. As they are getting themselves familiar with the night sky, they would appreciate having specific observational information relevant to their own geographical location. This Blog aims to provide information and resources for astronomy buffs and stargazing enthusiasts.

A panoramic view of constellations in the southern sky showing off a beautiful vista towards the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy.     Image credit: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)


Information and resource materials can be found in two separate sections, namely Ref PDFs and Ref Sky-Obs, with different applications as shown below.

This section shows the list of PDFs. Click on the title to view or download the respective file.
(You may need Chinese Simplified Fonts Support for your Adobe Reader to read the PDFs on 'Basic Star Gazing' and 'Direction of the Sun'. You may need both Chinese Simplified Fonts and Japanese Fonts Supports for your Adobe Reader to read the PDF on 'Classic Star Atlases in Print'.)

Telescope & Star Gazing

The best telescope for you is the one that you will use!
(Graphic Credit: The Astronomical League)

What To Know Before You Buy PDF 2.1MB
Optical Telescopes & Telescope Optics PDF 4.6MB
Basic Star Gazing PDF 3.6 MB Rev
The Milky Way Galaxy & The Galactic Plane PDF 7.8 MB
Classic Star Atlases in Print PDF 1.5MB (151112)
Johnson Mag 7 Star Atlas PDF 17MB
Flinthill Deep Sky Binocular Guides PDF 110KB

Solar Dynamics & Space Weather

SDO ‒ Our Eye on the Sun PDF 13.5MB
Guide to SDO Data Analysis PDF 9.8MB
What is Space Weather? PDF 665KB
Is There Really Weather in Space? PDF 1.8MB
Solar Storms & Space Weather PDF 4.9MB
Solar Wind, Coronal Holes & CMEs PDF 5.8 MB
Solar Storm Threat Analysis PDF 785KB

Universe and the X-ray Sky

Our Place in the Universe PDF 2.8MB (040313)
Interacting & Colliding Galaxies PDF 1.3MB (050911)
Supernova Types & Rates 625 KB
Supernovae & Cosmology 900 KB
Cosmic UV and X-Ray Sources PDF 2.4MB
X-rays & Active Galactic Nuclei PDF 7.8MB

Planetary Phenomena

Mercury: The Elusive Planet PDF 954KB
Venus: The Obscured Planet PDF 828KB
Venus at Greatest Brilliancy PDF 570KB (250813)
Oppositions of Mars PDF 510KB
Oppositions of Jupiter PDF 1.0MB
Oppositions of Saturn PDF 902KB
Oppositions of Uranus PDF 605KB
Oppositions of Neptune PDF 602KB (New)
Transits of Mercury (2000 to 2100) PDF 370KB
Transits of Venus (2000 to 2500) PDF 980KB (070612)

Lunar and Solar Eclipses

Lunar Eclipses Visible from Singapore PDF 2.6MB (061112)
Solar Eclipses Visible from Singapore PDF 4.8MB
NASA Lunar Eclipse Maps (1733-2151) PDF 8.3MB
NASA Solar Eclipse Maps (2006-2050) PDF 2.0MB (120913)
Saros and Cycles PDF 2.3MB

Light Pollution

What is Light Pollution? PDF 870KB
Great World Wide Star Count PDF 580KB
Finding Your Way in the Night Sky PDF 532KB (050913)
Light Pollution by Petteri Teikari PDF 2.3MB
Artificial Light in the Environment PDF 1.8MB
Guidelines for Good Exterior Lighting Plans PDF 200KB
The Reduction of Obtrusive Light PDF 412KB
Anthropogenic disruption of the night sky darkness PDF 1.37MB

Special Topics

Astronomy, Calendar and Society PDF 2.0MB (040313)
Astronomy Education in Singapore PDF 3.1MB (071216)
Direction of the Sun PDF 4.2MB (140911)
If We Had No Moon PDF 3.8MB
How to Recognize a Meteorite PDF 4.8MB
Orbits of Objects in Space PDF 871KB
The Science & Beauty of Aurora PDF 2.7MB
Introduction to Comets and Asteroids PDF 3.2MB
Brightness predictions for comets PDF 90KB



Skytrack Glossary PDF 361KB
Skytrack 2013 PDF 360KB (250813)
Skytrack 2014 PDF 397KB (250813)
Skytrack 2015 PDF 383KB
Skytrack 2016 PDF 386KB
Skytrack 2017 PDF 386KB (230916)
Skytrack 2018 PDF 386KB
2019 Calendar of Astronomical Events
2020 Calendar of Astronomical Events
2021 Calendar of Astronomical Events
2022 Calendar of Astronomical Events



Sky Book Updates PDF 366KB

All-Sky Milky Way     Image credit: Albert Lim



This section shows the various instructions for sky observation or online links. Click on the title to view or download the relevant information.

Space Weather Online
SWPC ‒ Space Weather Prediction Center
ACE ‒ Advanced Composition Explorer
GOES ‒ Geostationary Satellite Server
WSA-Enlil ‒ Wang-Sheeley-Arge Model for Solar Wind Prediction
Click on the relevant heading below to see the respective plot online.

DSCOVR Real Time Solar Wind
ACE Real Time Solar Wind
GOES X-ray Flux
GOES Electron Flux
GOES Proton Flux
GOES Magnetometer
Estimated Planetary Kp-index
Aurora Forecast
WSA-Enlil Solar Wind Prediction



Whole Sky Chart for Singapore (Current)
Click on the heading above to see the whole sky chart for Singapore at the local (Singapore) time indicated below the chart. There are several display options available. You can save it and print out a copy of the sky chart from heavens-above.com/.



METEOR SHOWERS by Mike Luciuk PDF 300KB
Click on the title above to view or download a well-written article on meteor showers by Mike Luciuk. Click on the title below to view or download a copy of the “Guide to Meteor Showers & Their Observation” by the North American Meteor Network (NAMN).
Meteor Showers & Their Observation: NAMN Guide PDF 460KB

Click on the title below to view or download “Basic Star Charts” prepared for NAMN by C. L. Hall for meteor shower observation.
NAMN Star Charts PDF 583KB (140113)

Click on the title below to view or download an article by Peter Jenniskens on new meteor showers discovered using automated cameras for all-sky meteor surveillance.
MAPPING METEOROID ORBITS by Peter Jenniskens PDF 6.5MB



Iridium Flares for Singapore
Click on the heading above to see the schedule of iridium flares visible from Singapore for the next 7 days from heavens-above.com/. Click on the time of the respective flare to get more details, including a sky chart showing the track of the flare in the sky, and the location of the nearest point of maximum intensity.
A supplementary file on 'Observing Iridium Flares' has been uploaded. To view or download a copy, just click on the title below:
Observing Iridium Flares PDF 620KB (180612)



Visible Passes of International Space Station for Singapore
Click on the heading above to see the schedule of relatively bright passes of ISS visible from Singapore for the next 10 days from heavens-above.com/. Click on the respective date to get a sky chart and other pass details.
A supplementary file on 'Observing International Space Station' has been uploaded. To view or download a copy, just click on the title below:
Observing International Space Station PDF 650KB (180612)



Visible Passes of Hubble Space Telescope for Singapore
Click on the heading above to see the schedule of passes of HST visible from Singapore for the next 10 days from heavens-above.com/. Click on the respective date to get a sky chart and other pass details.
A supplementary file on 'Observing Hubble Space Telescope' has been uploaded. To view or download a copy, just click on the title below:
Observing Hubble Space Telescope PDF 720KB (180612)



Visible Passes of Tiangong-2 Space Lab for Singapore
Click on the heading above to see the schedule of passes of Tiangong-2 Space Lab visible from Singapore for the next 10 days from heavens-above.com/. Click on the respective date to get a sky chart and other pass details.
A supplementary file on 'Observing Tiangong-2 Space Lab' has been uploaded. To view or download a copy, just click on the title below:
Observing Tiangong-2 Space Lab PDF 796KB

Milky Way across the southern sky.     The Southern Cross (centre), Alpha and Beta Centauri (left), and the Eta Carinae nebula (right) are embedded in a rich section of the southern Milky Way. The dark patch to the left of the Cross is dark nebula called Coalsack, composed of interstellar dust. Image credit: Mike Salway



Observing Deep Sky Objects PDF 1.8MB
Click on the title above to view or download a copy of the file on how to observe deep sky objects.
A supplementary file on 'Constellation Maps for Star-Hopping' has been uploaded. Plan your star-hop tours with the aid of the constellation maps highlighted in the document. To view or download a copy, just click on the title below:
Constellation Maps for Star-Hopping PDF 3.1MB

Click on the title below to view or download a copy of “Deep Sky Objects Illustrated Observing Guide” (160 pages) by Michael Vlasov with images of best 666 deep sky objects sorted by name.
DSOs Illustrated Observing Guide PDF 22MB



The Astronomer's Telegram
The Astronomer's Telegram is a web based short-notice publication system for reporting and commenting on new astronomical observations including asteroids, comets, novae and supernovae. Click on the title above to view the latest reports and comments.

Recent Supernovae from IAU Central Bureau
Click on the title above to view the list of recent supernovae from IAU Central Bureau.
To view a list of the latest supernovae over mag 17, click on the title below:
Active Supernovae over mag 17.0

List of Milky Way Novae from IAU Central Bureau
Click on the title above to view the list of Milky Way Novae from IAU Central Bureau.
For updated information on recent Extragalactic Novae, click on the title below:
Updates of recent Extragalactic Novae


List of the Brightest Asteroids Currently Observable
For a list of the brightest asteroids currently observable from Singapore, click on the title above.



Observable Comets
Click on the title above to view or download links to orbital elements and ephemerides of (potentially) observable comets from IAU Minor Planet Center. For recent comet brightness estimates, click on the title below:
Recent Comet Brightness Estimates

For a list of the brightest comets currently observable, click on the title below:
List of the Brightest Comets Currently Observable

―――――Relatively or Potentially Bright Comets―――――

Comet C/2017 T2 (PanSTARRS)
Click on the heading above to download the daily finder chart from heavens-above.com for Comet C/2017 T2 (PanSTARRS).
Ephemeris of Comet C/2017 T2 (PanSTARRS). URL: https://in-the-sky.org/ephemeris.php?objtxt=ck17t020
Finding chart. URL: http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2017T2/2017T2.html







Post updated on 2019 November 17.