Too Much Work Spoils The Day

Being a part time amateur is difficult to most people as they are busy. Sometimes the busiest day falls on the crystal clear night. This has turned down many amateurs and some have to give up on their hobby. How do we solve this problem? The answer is, it all depends on what do you want achieve on that day. If you want to succeed in your main job, go ahead. By the end of the we cannot kill two birds with one stone.





I even face a lot difficult circumstances where added work hinders my Astronomical journey. Things tend to go against my plans. So, what do I do? The only solution is to do what I planned. Self learning is better than learning facts from others. For example instead of just knowing that alpha centauri is a double star, why not use a telescope and explore the double star. Do you know that we can gain a lot of knowledge by looking at stars. Some of us had asked questions like why do stars twinkle, what causes them to shine at different brightness and colours and how far is a star from our solar system. We get get answers by books and through the net. However, the universe is a big place and there are a lot to be discovered.





In Singapore, I find it difficult to find time to stargaze. Other than busy life, most of the time there is too much cloud cover. I try to manage my time as far as possible. Since I am targeting the faint celestial bodies, I having a tough time. It took me days to spot omega centauri. Though I had been less successful in tracking, I am still contented about my work. An amateur need not have to be good in spotting deep sky objects. The best amateur is the one who enjoys his work rather than feeling down if there is failure. Time may be a killing factor. However we cannot help it.



But do not lose hope and work towards your goals. Small steps can lead to success.

Astro competitions

Astronomy competitions are becoming more popular. From a small creative constellation competition to an international competition like creative space shuttle design competition held by NASA. Youngsters are now showing interest in something new and spectacular. Even a trip to an observatory is a new experience to them. Unfortunately, there is no separate subject for Astronomy and it is hard to find a degree or PHD for it. But it has a link to Physics and Maths.

Like having Maths, Physics and Chemistry Oympiad why don't we have an Astronomy Olympiad. We can teach students basic Astronomical formulas, calculations and some simple theories. It will not be something new for those who are doing Physics and Maths. Instead of going into complex theories we relate some theories to what they have learnt in Physics. eg: gravitation field for study of orbits and some thermal physics used in the studying the Sun. Maths and Chemistry can also be applied. eg: parallax and chemical composition of stars. Some may think how will astronomy help in the future. It is just like asking how will your aptitude in a sport help you in future though you are good in your studies?

Just like being a part time private coach, you be an Astronomy club tutor and organise stargazing events. If you are willing do go in depth in Astronomy it is not easy. Even I have been researching for opportunities in going into Astronomical field and did not find a direct way. Even Stephen Hawking went through indirect ways in his young age before fulfilling his dream. So it is not easy as we think to get into the Astronomical line. Most observatories are remote controlled and there are enough people in the research of celestial bodies.

On the other hand, there are some opportunities to qualify as an astronaut. I have found out that with an in depth knowledge on engineering, physical sciences, passing the obstacle courses and a good fitness( Must know swimming, diving and parachuting) is enough to qualify as an astronaut. It does not matter from where you come from. You might not know that a Singaporean might an astronaut in future.

Back to my point on Astro competitions, I think it is better for the young generation to know what the Astronomical field is involved in. They should think that what this field is doing is unnecessary. Some people nowadays do ignore what is being launched into space. Even a rock brought from Mars is incomparable with a bar of gold. Through astronomical competitions, students will know better about this field. Since Astronomy is less applied in our daily lives, there is no need to have a separate subject on Astronomy. If you are willing to gain these knowledge you can borrow some Astronomical books from the Library. They are also helpful in planning stargazing sessions. I use the handy book titled, "Stars and Planets by Ian Ridpath" to plan my stargazing sessions.

By the way you can check out some upcoming competitions by googling. But make sure that they are held legal associations. If you are doubtful you can take part in Astro competitions held by schools, colleges and universities.

Dreaming of a clear nights

Many amateur astronomers are wanting times where there are clear nights. Even I dream of them too. For the past few days or even weeks I was not able to get clear nights. There was too much cloud cover. Though there were times were some parts of the sky was clear, the moving cumulus clouds were disturbing. Sometimes it is impossible to predict weather. We can never tell whether the night will be clear just by looking at the clear afternoon sky. So how do I solve this problem?


I began to reflect upon myself. How many people have got to see the Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons through a telescope? Most stargazing events take these as a featured view.


Even in my Secondary school we do not give importance to deep sky objects. Stargazing is more of tracing constellations rather than spotting an object. A few are vowed by just looking at the moon through the binoculars. So why dream for more than appreciating what you can see?


Since my young age I had avid interest in Astronomy I loved reading about stars and planets. I was interested more about deep sky objects only at the age of 13. This was because nebulae and galaxies are more beautiful than glowing stars. But they not appear like what you see in books through a telescope. For example some deep sky objects appear grey , blue and yellow rather than colourful images. The pillars of creation in eagle nebula has been colourised by the Hubble telescope. So how much does it cost to see one? If you wan really spot one don't waste money on expensive telescopes. They are not going to help much. Why not try astrophotography. You can expose an image for a long to get a detail and crispier. For example you image North American Nebula and nebulosity surrounding Antares (Alpha Scorpi).


Astrophotography is possible when there is a very clear sky. As a matter of fact I have only done it once and found quite tiring especially in place which has a limiting magnitude. I am still a novice in this as the images I caught were blurred. But you can still keep records through sketch books and diary. This will help you in future sightings. For example you can sketch Jupiter and its exact position of the moons at that time. However, if you are using a refractor it important to take note that the images are laterally inverted.







If the image appears like this through a refractor telescope it should be reversed as shown below.

The actual position of Jupiter and its moons.












Sketches of constellations and star clusters (eg: Pleiades) can be made. It is important to keep records so that we do not do not forget them.

Coming back to the problem of clear nights, a lot of planning is needed to be done before deciding a star gazing session. Firstly it is important to weather forecast of that particular day. If the weather is going to be bad postpone the session. There is no point is cancelling at the last minute, or else those who are willing to join might lose interest. On the other it is important to be patient. God does not give us gold coins all the time.

I think it is better to be happy with what we have. Nothing can be gained without effort and patience.