Space After 40 Years...

Much have happened since the last time I blogged anything here..

The first eventful one was definitely my coming back to Singapore after a 2 year stay in Rome for studies there. It was a happy and sweet return to a place where I don't feel like some sort of a 'pariah'.

Secondly, I have my trusted Bresser safely shipped back and now have become a part of my astronomy collection together with my Celestron SCT. The Bresser now only needs to be unpack to get its first light soon. The weather now isn't too helpful or encouraging for any star-gazing for the moment.

Thirdly, there are two events worth remembering, one yesterday and another to be experienced tomorrow. Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the 1st Moon landing by US astronauts Neil Armstrong and the crew of Apollo 11. It has been that long since man first stepped foot on the Moon. He hasn't since... Meanwhile, talks and discussions have been underway between NASA and the President taking the space program into the next step - Mars! What the future holds for space and humanity remains to be worked out and the possibilities are certainly limitless.

Next, we would be having a total solar eclipse on the 22nd July, i.e. tomorrow! It will be visible from a narrow corridor through northern India, eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, the northern tip of Myanmar, central China and the Pacific Ocean, including the Ryukyu Islands, Marshall Islands and Kiribati. A partial eclipse, instead, will be seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including most of South East Asia (all of India and China) and north-eastern Oceania.

It will be visible from a narrow corridor through northern India, eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, the northern tip of Myanmar, central China and the Pacific Ocean, including the Ryukyu Islands, Marshall Islands and Kiribati.

So, those of us in Singapore and Malaysia will get to see a little of the action that is scheduled around 8.35 a.m. on 22nd July 2009.

Meantime, have a good week ahead and, remember, look up! ;-)