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Luni Hijrah 1442 Calendar

The history of the lunar Islamic calendar began with the Hijrah of the Prophet Muhmmad S.A.W.

1442HNew Moon (Ijtimak)First QuarterFull MoonLast Quarter
Muharram19 Aug 2020, 10:4126 Aug 01:572 Sep 13:2210 Sep 17:25
Safar17 Sep +1 19:0024 Sep 09:542 Oct 05:0510 Oct 08:39
Rabiulawal17 Oct 03:3123 Oct 21:2231 Oct 22:498 Nov 21:46
Rabiulakhir15 Nov +1 13:0722 Nov 12:4530 Nov 17:298 Dec 08:36
Jamadilawal15 Dec 00:1622 Dec 07:4130 Dec 11:286 Jan 2021, 17:37
Jamadilakhir13 Jan +1 13:0021 Jan 05:0129 Jan 03:165 Feb 01:37
Rejab12 Feb 03:0520 Feb 02:4727 Feb 16:176 Mar 09:30
Syaaban13 Mar +1 18:2121 Mar 22:4029 Mar 02:484 Apr 18:02
Ramadan12 Apr 10:3020 Apr 14:5827 Apr S 11:314 May 03:50
Syawal12 May 02:5920 May 03:1226 May žS 19:132 Jun 15:24
Zulkaedah10 Jun +1 18:5218 Jun 11:5425 Jun S 02:392 Jul 05:10
Zulhijjah10 Jul 09:1617 Jul 18:1024 Jul 10:3631 Jul 21:15
Table shows the starting date of the Islamic day (at sunset) which commences nearly after the birth of the new lunar cycle. Traditionally, sighting of the new moon crescent marks the end of the month. Date and time of the moon phases are given in Brunei local time.
+1Β  Start of Islamic month on the next day
ž Lunar Eclipse
SΒ  Supermoon

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.

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When is the Best Time to See the Milky Way from Brunei?

Mr Yong Kim Sin photographed the starry Milky Way last night, August 8, 2020, at around 9:15 pm above Luagan Lalak, Labi in Belait, Brunei Darussalam. (Fujifilm X-H1 10mm f4.0 ISO 3200 60sec)

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.

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Stardom for Brunei’s gemstones

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 organisation’s 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 Nations’ (UN’s) International Year of Indigenous Languages.

Pengiran Mohammad Rezal bin Pengiran Haji Osman drew inspiration from Brunei’s precious gemstones when naming the star and the exoplanet. PHOTO: AZIZ IDRIS

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.

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A call to preserve Brunei’s dark sky

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 β€œbright” comet – or stargazing in general – is a real challenge in the country.

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The Brightest Comet in Years is visible in Brunei Now

By Hazarry Haji Ali Ahmad, the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam

Summary:
β–ͺ Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) has survived its closest encounter with the Sun on Sat, July 4, 2020 in its journey through the Solar System
β–ͺ Currently, massive amount of Comet’s dust particles and water are vaporised by the Sun producing very bright coma and long tail which is visible to the naked-eyes
β–ͺ Comet is expected to make it’s appearance in the evening twilight from July 15, 2020 in Brunei Darussalam
β–ͺ Closest approach of Comet NEOWISE to Earth happens on Thursday, Jul 23 2020 at a distance of 0.69 AU, or 104 million km
β–ͺ The comet orbit takes around the sun about 7,000 years, it truly is a once in a lifetime event!
β–ͺ Use this live sky chart to locate the current comet position from our Brunei’s sky
β–ͺ PABD members will scout the comet. Join to share your comet photos from Brunei and latest comet discussion via our Telegram Channel t.me/bruneiastronomy and discussion group t.me/AstronomyBN

Update (Sunday, 26 July 2020)

Comet Neowise bids farewell this week. There are still time to capture the comet before it gets father away from us. NEOWISE’s brightness is rapidly fading and the bright moon is interfering with comet each night, washing out the display.

A wonderful evening with the Neowise comet for a lifetime’s keepsake! (Photo by the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam )

Members of the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD) had the privilege to be with Dr Ceri Powell, the Managing Director of Brunei Shell Petroleum, at House 49 in Panaga, Brunei Darussalam, for a stargazing session on July 26, 2020.

Being amongst the most influential women leader in oil and gas, Dr Powell is also an eco-activist who fascinates about the night sky. It was a golden opportunity to exchange ideas in astronomy/nature and snap this awesome group photo with a well-known scientist. It was not that difficult to capture this single shot photo with the comet in the background– simply a DSLR camera on a sturdy tripod [with a 50mm lens + some light + 5 seconds exposure + ISO1600 + clear sky]. The hardest part was to remain standstill for 5 seconds, repeat and hope for the best shot.

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Press Release: Brunei Darussalam Receives Telescopes for All Award by IAU

IAU.org – 17 communities of underrepresented groups around the world have been selected to receive telescopes signed by astronauts and Nobel Laureates. This is the first group of telescopes to be distributed by the Telescopes for All: Inspiring Stars & Stars Shine for Everyone Collaboration.

Winning proposal of “Making Space for All – MASA” by Nur Bazilah binti Zainal Abidin, member of the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam, won the Telescopes for All award by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Telescopes for All is a collaboration between the International Astronomical Union Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO), Stars Shine for Everyone (Sterren Schitteren voor Iedereen, SSVI) and Universe Awareness/University of Leiden. The programme seeks to broaden the horizons of children, parents and educators alike, to spark an interest in science, and to promote equal opportunities for pursuing a career in astronomy. The Telescopes for All programme is one of the legacy actions arising from the IAU100 celebrations and follows the successful collaboration in 2019. The 17 telescopes were donated by BRESSER.

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Gerhana Matahari Memukau

Oleh Lyna Mohamad
Gambar oleh Bahyiah Bakir
Media Permata

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 21 JUN – Pemerhati dan peminat tegar astronomi di seluruh dunia termasuk di negara ini hari ini bukan sahaja berpeluang menyaksikan fenomena alam, gerhana matahari anulus (cincin), malahan terpukau dan teruja dengan keunikannya.

Fenomena yang berlaku ketika bulan melintasi antara bumi dan matahari – tidak terlalu hampir dengan bumi dan tidak terlindung sepenuhnya daripada cahaya, meninggalkan kesan lingkaran yang boleh dilihat.

Gerhana matahari cincin itu berlaku dalam tempoh satu atau dua tahun dan hanya boleh dilihat dari laluan sempit melintasi planet. Ketika fenomena itu berlaku, beberapa kawasan akan bergelap selama satu minit 22 saat.

Negara Brunei Darussalam melalui Persatuan Astronomi Brunei Darussalam (PABD) turut menantikan fenomena ini dan mengadakan penstriman langsung di platform media sosial mereka.

Gerhana matahari cincin yang dirakamkan di kediaman ahli PABD di Kiarong.
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Tidak Lepas Peluang Saksi Gerhana Matahari Separa

Oleh : Rohani Haji Abdul Hamid
Foto : Hamzah Mohidin
Pelita Brunei Edisi Isnin 22 Jun 2020

KIARONG, Ahad, 21 Jun. – Kejadian gerhana merupakan antara tanda-tanda kebesaran
Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala yang mentadbir seluruh alam.

Di samping itu, gerhana juga adalah satu ibadat kerana kita dianjurkan melakukan
perkara-perkara yang berkebajikan, bersyukur atas kurnia itu dengan melakukan sembahyang, bersedekah, berzikir, berdoa serta menjauhkan daripada melakukan perkara-perkara mungkar, maksiat serta perbuatan syirik.

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