Bandar Seri Begawan – Asteroid 1997 NC1 made a safe but scientifically significant close flyby of Earth on 28 June 2026, drawing attention from astronomers worldwide – including in Brunei Darussalam. The asteroid, measuring about 1 kilometre in diameter, is classified as an Aten‑type Earth‑crossing object and is estimated to be 50–60 times larger than the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor. Despite travelling at an extraordinary 32,000 km/h, the asteroid appeared only as a faint magnitude‑10 point of light through small telescopes, drifting slowly across the night sky.

In Brunei Darussalam, members of the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD) successfully documented the event from local observation sites. Using a telescope and camera system, the team recorded a 22‑frame time‑lapse sequence between 01:09 and 01:31 local time on June 28, 2026, capturing the asteroid’s subtle but steady movement. Each frame was taken at one‑minute intervals, allowing asteroid hunters to clearly track the object’s path as it passed through the constellation Ophiuchus.

The flyby also highlights the importance of monitoring Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) – a category that includes objects like 1997 NC1 due to their size and Earth‑crossing orbits. Although this particular encounter was completely safe, PHAs are scientifically significant because they help researchers understand long‑term impact risks and refine planetary‑defence strategies.

PABD continues to play an active role in raising public awareness in Brunei Darussalam about near‑Earth objects by sharing observations, educating communities, and encouraging interest in how these celestial bodies are tracked and understood.

From September until October, six Bruneian groups comprise of 30 members (see participants list here) were working under IASC Asteroid Search Campaign co-organized by the Nepal Astronomical Society (NASO) and the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD).

During the campaign, participants from Brunei and around the world used an advanced astrometry software to analyse photographs and real sky data provided by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) telescope in Hawaii.

It involved observing the Near-Earth objects and Main Belts asteroids and reporting for unknown asteroid detections. Information from these preliminary findings will be further study which can take up to 5 years to define the asteroids’ orbit by professional astronomers.

The preliminary asteroid detections by the six Bruneian teams – the Astronomical Society of Brunei (PABD), Hulubalang Brunei, Laksamana Brunei, Panglima Brunei, Pateh Brunei and Semaun Brunei – were confirmed in reports produced by IASC, Hardin-Simmons University, on Thursday, November 04, 2021 (see reports here).

The campaign offers opportunity for people in Brunei to discover new asteroids. It serves to promote scientific research by working on the real time data collected by astronomical observatories to detect any new asteroids.

Next year, PABD will organize the first All-Brunei Darussalam Asteroid Search campaign in collaboration with IASC which will commence from January. It will run regularly and open for citizen scientists and students to enable the discovery and tracking of more asteroids.

This way, it also inspires a growing interest for science amongst our community especially our students.

For more information and registration of the asteroid search campaign: www.bruneiastronomy.org/asteroidsearch

Press Release

Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Alhamdulillah Rabbil ‘Alameen, Wabihiee Nasta’eenu ‘Alaa Umuuriddunya Wadden, Wassalaatu’ Wassalaamu ‘Ala Asyrafil Mursaleen, Sayyidina Muhammaddin, Wa’alaa Aalihee Wasahbihee Ajma’een

Our Respected Mr Suresh Bhattarai, Chairman of Nepal Astronomical Society (NASO),

Notable Mr Hazarry bin Haji Ali Ahmad, Secretary-General of the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD),

My fellow Executive Committee of PABD,

Distinguished participants,

Energetic NASO mentors,

Ladies and Gentlemen;

• It gives me a great pleasure to welcome all of you to this evening first Asteroid Hunting workshop jointly organized by the Nepal Astronomical Society (NASO) and Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD).

• Firstly, thank you NASO for your continuous support. This session is our first monumental step in our long partnership (MoU) journey.

• This workshop will provide us not only essential knowledge in searching space rocks but also a great opportunity to share experiences and success stories of Nepal quest in asteroid discoveries from our facilitator and young mentors. We hope that everyone will gain new insights, knowledge and skills in your most loved passion – astronomy.

• Now, PABD is gearing for another biggest national campaign in Asteroid Hunting under the guidance of our dear Nepal family NASO, in particular Mr Suresh, and the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC). In August last month, we are very lucky that three of PABD members (Qawiem, Sonny, Hazary) were trained by NASO, and now they are involved in Nepal campaign. In October, we will see them in the first Brunei participation in the International Asteroid Search Campaign.

• We are so fortunate, that after discussion with NASO, all PABD and participants today will have their chance to taste real asteroid huntings in October campaign next month by NASO. Thank you Mr Suresh for giving this opportunity.

• We are targeting, InshaAllah, the first All Brunei Darussalam Asteroid Search campaign to be launched in early next year, January 2022. And this 2-day training will be your bridge in your road of searching your first asteroid.

• After this training, I hope that you will encourage more of family members, your little brother and sister, and friends to become Bruneian Citizen Scientists, and also to actively join our Brunei Search campaign that will run annually starting next year.

• I like to announce a good news that all of you will be in the first group to represent 10 Bruneian teams in our Asteroid Search campaign in collaboration with IASC which is expected in February-March 2022.

• Finally, I wish to thank our partner NASO for making this brilliant training happening. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to our project management, Bazillah and team, for your great effort in the planning to ensure the successful implementation of our Citizen Science programme.

• Most importantly, to all participants, it will be a very long 6 hours of hard work to learn in this course, but it will pay off forever! I am proud that you are our first Brunei’s asteroid hunters. So please enjoy tonight’s workshop! We hope for dozens of new asteroid discoveries soon and to unlock your personal achievement, and make proud of our beloved country Brunei Darussalam.

Good luck and Happy hunting!

Wabillahit Taufeq Walhidayah, Wassalamu ‘Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Training Day: Friday & Saturday
Date: 24th & 25th September 2021
Time: 7.15pm – 10.15pm
Duration: 6 hours or more (3 hours x 2 days)
Medium: Online via Zoom
Facilitator: Mr. Suresh Bhattarai, Nepal Astronomical Society (NASO) – Citizen Science expert in Asteroid Search
Funding: Full Scholarship (limited) / BND$15 per person for PABD members / and BND$25 per person for non-PABD members

The training is part of All-Brunei Darussalam Asteroid Search (#AsteroidSearchBN) project which is currently in trial phase. After this training, the second component of the Citizen Science project which is the asteroid search campaign will be developed. This is when the real detection of unknown asteroid using an astronomy tool software and authentic telescope image data happens, and the piloting session is expected to commence in October 2021.

The course will cover Introduction to Astrometry & Digital Sky Survey, Astrometry Software, Calibration and manual search techniques for detecting asteroid. The duration will be about 2 days or about 6 hours of practical to prepare participants for the actual asteroid search campaign at international stage.

For more information and registration: www.bruneiastronomy.org/asteroidsearch

Press Release (12 September 2021):

Source: APOD: 2021 August 29 – Orbits of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (nasa.gov)

The Geminid shower got its name from the constellation of Gemini or the Twins. From Tutong, there were about 10 meteors in an hour visibled on that morning. The rate is expected to increase as the annual geminid meteor shower peaks tonight (13-14 December 2015). That is when more than 50 shooting stars might be visible every hour (depending on your location/sky). Geminids can be spotted starting between 10 pm and before sunrise, and expected to peak at around 2 am.

The moonless night tonight will make geminids one of the best meteor shower for this year. Star gazers will be looking for cloudless skies and location away from light pollution to catch the meteor shower. No equipment is required because a telescope or binoculars limits the view of the sky.

UPDATE (14 Dec 2015 @ 12 pm): Geminids meteor showers reports by some Bruneians on IG, FB and Twitter. Some had their chance to see the “shooting stars” while others were not due to poor weather. Even though the meteor reached its peak, there are still Geminid Meteors visible for a day or two after the peak although at a much reduced rate. Head up and clear sky!

UPDATE (15 Dec 2015 @ 7.15 am): Let GoPro camera ran all night from 10pm last night until 2am in timelapse and amazingly one of hundreds shots had captured a bright post-peak Geminids meteor from Tutong, Brunei Darussalam, at around 1.30 am. Settings used are shown on the photo.