Astronomy & Falak Syarie in Brunei Darussalam
Browse our gallery of chosen and user-submitted astronomy photos: stars, galaxies, planets & more. Explore the solar system and beyond. Submit your astrophotographs with descriptions via pabd@bruneiastronomy.org to be featured on our website.
Tutong – Mars, Saturn and Jupiter have reached opposition and shine extra bright in the evening sky in October 2020.
How large the planets appear in the sky, as seen through a telescope? This photograph of the planets taken last night shows the actual apparent size for comparison, measured in arcseconds (“).
A close-up view of Mars from Brunei Darussalam tonight, October 18, 2020 – after a week from opposition and closest to Earth, the red planet is still best viewable in the night sky.
One of the prominent low albedo (dark) feature is Syrtis Major Planum, clearly visible on this photograph. Albedo is a measure of how much light something reflects.
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is a time to come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide. Everyone on Earth is invited to learn about lunar science and exploration, take part in celestial observations, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon.
Brunei Darussalam joined it’s first global InOMN moon observation which was organised by the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam and Warisan Puk Balaban management on September 26, 2020. More than 100 lunar observers participated in the public outreach event at Warisan Puk Balaban in Tutong. Here are some of the scenes in action at InOMN.
Continue reading “2020 Sep 26 International Observe the Moon Night 2020”Alhamdulillah, the Hilal of Safar 1442H has been sighted at Maghrib today, Friday, 18 September 2020 from Brunei Darussalam.
Bandar Seri Begawan – About 15 children guests at Homestay Alai Gayoh Anak Pulau (HAGAP), Tutong, were treated to an amazing night for stargazing on September 12, 2020.
The stargazing @ HAGAP was facilitated by 11 members of The Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD). The session was planned to start at 7 pm at the front lawn, but a thin blanket of clouds and drizzles continuing until pre dawn which put the observation on hold. But, the rest of the sky was clear until sunrise.
Stargazing and camping go hand in hand to enjoy the beauty of our universe.
More than 30 students of Tanjong Maya secondary school enjoyed their ultimate first time stargazing experience at Warisan Puk Balaban on August 29, 2020.
Bandar Seri Begawan – Members of the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD) have caught glimpse of shooting stars in the night skies above the Temburong, despite of the clouds, as the annual Perseids meteor shower intensified last night, August 12, 2020.
Our Solar System is located in a barred spiral galaxy. If you look to the centre of the galaxy (top left of the above picture), you will find a higher density of stars and gas clouds, which is called the galactic core. You can see this galactic core and milky way even with the naked eye if you are in a dark enough place. It looks like a starry faint, milky band in the sky.
Continue reading “When is the Best Time to See the Milky Way from Brunei?”Bandar Seri Begawan – Tonight’s full moon was a Supermoon which is astronomically known as the perigee-syzygy. It occurs when the full moon is directly opposite the sun and at the closest juncture (perigee) to earth in its orbit.
Tonightβs full moon was the final Supermoon in 2020, and the next occurrence is on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 11:31 am. (Find out when is the next Supermoon from 2020 until 2030 here)
Here are some of tonightβs best supermoon snapshots from around Brunei Darussalam.
UPDATE (Thursday, 07 May 2020): A possible naked-eye outburst of Comet SWAN! Despite of bright moonlight and thin clouds, Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) is still visible from Brunei just before nautical twilight today, May 07, 2020 at 0520. The greenish coma is due to molecules of Cyanogen and Carbon gas ejected from the comet nucleus. In the following days, the comet is located very low on the Eastern horizon in early morning twilight, before it fades in full daylight next week.
Another comet observer, Abdul Waliyuddin, a member of Brunei Darussalam Astronomical Society (PABD), managed to capture the beautiful Comet Swan as it makes its way through our solar system. Waliyuddin said “The pre-dawn skies of Seria gave way to a clear view of the celestial ceiling this morning. It was spewing a tail of gas and dust that can extend up to hundreds of millions of kilometres away from its epicenter from Seria, Belait, Brunei Darussalam”
Comet SWAN was only discovered two months ago. There is much to be understood and learned from our skies. Whatever science tells us about the biology of our fingers will always be lesser than the true reality of the wonders of our finger. Likewise, whatever we know about our skies will always be lesser than the actual existential reality of the grandeur of space.
