EACH time a shooting star zipped across the black sky, stargazers gathered at an observatory in Pulau Betong, Balik Pulau in Penang, went “ooh” and “aah”.
Explosion in sky startles early risers in Malaysia (July 23) -- Fire in the Sky -- Sott net sott.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sott.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Heavenly convergence: A photo of The Great Conjunction between Jupiter (left) and Saturn captured by ASP and the Penang Mufti Department. Bernama
BALIK PULAU: Skywatchers and stargazers in Penang had the year-end treat of witnessing the “great conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn, an astronomical event that was last visible on Earth on March 4,1226.
The great conjunction refers to the close alignment between the two planets, with the closest at 0.1 degrees apart.
During this phenomenon, the planets appear so close that a finger at arm’s length can cover both planets – when they are actually millions of miles apart, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
800-year astronomical event observed in Penang freemalaysiatoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freemalaysiatoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Geminid meteor shower watch in Penang ‘almost ideal’ 14 Dec 2020 / 10:02 H. Photo by Antoni Cladera / Photopills.com
BALIK PULAU: Students and astronomy enthusiasts in Balik Pulau, Penang had one of their best experiences observing the Geminid meteor shower as the environmental condition at the observatory was near perfection.
Caused by an asteroid named 3200 Phaethon, the Geminid meteor shower is one of the most active and dependable meteor showers occurring around December every year.
Astronomical Society of Penang (ASP) senior member Lim Choon Kiat said that the time period between 10pm Sunday (Dec 13) and 9am Monday (Dec 14) was when the maximum number of Geminid meteors can be seen.