Astronomy & Falak Syarie in Brunei Darussalam
Media Permata, September 17, 2020
Oleh Ak Zaki Kasharan
TUTONG, 16 SEPT β Bersempena dengan cuti persekolahan, sebuah rumah persinggahan di Daerah Tutong yang dikenali sebagai Homestay
Alai Gayoh Anak Pulau (HAGAP) baru-baru ini memberi peluang kepada lebih 15 orang kanak-kanak yang menginap di rumah persinggahan tersebut untuk meneroka keindahan alam semesta dengan melihat kerlipan bintang dari kawasan berkenaan.
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.
Ahli-ahli Jawatankuasa Eksekutif Persatuan Astronomi Negara Brunei Darussalam (PABD) dan seluruh warga persatuan merakamkan setinggi-tinggi ucapan tahniah kepada Yang Mulia Dr Haji Norarfan bin Haji Zainal, Rektor Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), di atas lantikan sebagai Penasihat Persatuan Astronomi Negara Brunei Darussalam.
Penambahan bagi ahli Penasihat PABD telah termaktub di dalam pindaan perlembagaan PABD dengan kebenaran daripada Pertubuhan Pendaftar Negara Brunei Darussalam, Polis Diraja Brunei, melalui surat bilangan rujukan BPD 25/1133 Vol.I bertarikh 17 Muharram 1442H bersamaan 05 September 2020.
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.
The history of the lunar Islamic calendar began with the Hijrah of the Prophet Muhmmad S.A.W.
| 1442H | New Moon (Ijtimak) | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
| Muharram | 19 Aug 2020, 10:41 | 26 Aug 01:57 | 2 Sep 13:22 | 10 Sep 17:25 |
| Safar | 17 Sep +1 19:00 | 24 Sep 09:54 | 2 Oct 05:05 | 10 Oct 08:39 |
| Rabiulawal | 17 Oct 03:31 | 23 Oct 21:22 | 31 Oct 22:49 | 8 Nov 21:46 |
| Rabiulakhir | 15 Nov +1 13:07 | 22 Nov 12:45 | 30 Nov 17:29 | 8 Dec 08:36 |
| Jamadilawal | 15 Dec 00:16 | 22 Dec 07:41 | 30 Dec 11:28 | 6 Jan 2021, 17:37 |
| Jamadilakhir | 13 Jan +1 13:00 | 21 Jan 05:01 | 29 Jan 03:16 | 5 Feb 01:37 |
| Rejab | 12 Feb 03:05 | 20 Feb 02:47 | 27 Feb 16:17 | 6 Mar 09:30 |
| Syaaban | 13 Mar +1 18:21 | 21 Mar 22:40 | 29 Mar 02:48 | 4 Apr 18:02 |
| Ramadan | 12 Apr 10:30 | 20 Apr 14:58 | 27 Apr S 11:31 | 4 May 03:50 |
| Syawal | 12 May 02:59 | 20 May 03:12 | 26 May ΒS 19:13 | 2 Jun 15:24 |
| Zulkaedah | 10 Jun +1 18:52 | 18 Jun 11:54 | 25 Jun S 02:39 | 2 Jul 05:10 |
| Zulhijjah | 10 Jul 09:16 | 17 Jul 18:10 | 24 Jul 10:36 | 31 Jul 21:15 |
The Islamic Hijri calendar is tied to the lunar phase cycle, with each month alternatively having either 29 or 30 days. Based on a year of 12 months, each month beginning approximately at the time of the New Moon (Ijtimak).
Salam Maal Hijrah 1442H.
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?”by Aziz Idris
Borneo Bulletin’s Features
August 3, 2020
The next time you look up at the night sky and see a blinking star, chances are you are staring at Gumala, a star in the southern constellation of Sagittarius.
Brunei Darussalam was among the 112 countries that took their love for astronomy to the next level when it entered a competition by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to name recently-discovered exoplanets and their stars.
The campaign, dubbed the IAU100 NameExoWorlds, was held to mark the organisationβs 100th year anniversary and attracted over 780,000 entries.
The participants were encouraged to name their celestial objects in their respective languages in conjunction with the United Nationsβ (UNβs) International Year of Indigenous Languages.
IAU, the only organisation mandated to name everything in space, said the star was named Gumala and the exoplanet Mastika, thanks to the participation of Bruneian Pengiran Mohammad Rezal bin Pengiran Haji Osman.
Continue reading “Stardom for Bruneiβs gemstones”
One of the brighter meteor showers of the year – the Perseids are coming soon!
They occur every year and visible between July 17 and August 24 . Perseids tend to peak around August 9-13, after midnight.
Continue reading “Brighter meteor showers this year, the Perseids are coming soon!”Borneo Bulletin’s Opinion page
August 1, 2020
First and foremost, congratulations to the Brunei Government, especially the Brunei Climate Change Secretariat (BCCS) for issuing the Brunei Darussalam National Climate Change Policy (BNCCP) recently. We look forward to the Policy as an opportunity to explore further tactics to recover our natural surroundings.
Currently, Comet NEOWISE has generated a lot of public interest, as it is the brightest comet since 1997.
However, watching this supposedly βbrightβ comet β or stargazing in general β is a real challenge in the country.
Continue reading “A call to preserve Bruneiβs dark sky”