Busan Science High School visit to SST on 31 Jan 2020

SST Astronomy Club had the opportunity to host the Busan Science High School students when they visited SST on the 31 Jan 2020. During the visit, our club members hosted them to a Fox Hunting Session and an Astronomy Debate. We hope that they have enjoyed the visit and we have been a good host.
        

Astrodome (10 Jan 2020)

First light of Astrodome! (During CCA Fair, 10 Jan 2020)
  
   

  

ASEAN ASTRONOMY WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS (26-28 Dec 2019)

Organized by the International Science Council (ISC), Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), the Asean Astronomy Workshop for Teachers was held from 26-28 Dec 2019 at the University of Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai Johor, Malaysia.

Mr. Tan Hoe Teck attended the event and learned a lot about Astronomy Education and networked with teachers in Malaysia and ASEAN countries.
      

   

26 Dec 2019 Annular Eclipse @National Junior College

The South Zone Centre of Excellence for Science & Technology (@National Junior College) organized the solar eclipse party at NJC on 26 Dec 19. This event will provide an opportunity for enjoying a rare natural phenomenon, social mixing, and authentic learning.

NJC will open its High-Resolution Solar Research Observatory (https://tinyurl.com/NJC-HISRO) with 5 solar telescopes and also set up another 15 telescopes in the NJC field for this celestial event. Presented by NJC Astro Club, there will be public lectures, astrophotography, stargazing sessions and of course, the solar eclipse observation session itself.

30 SST Astronomy Club students and 2 teachers participated in this event and watched the solar eclipse with protective gear.

     

The 11th Southeast Asia Astronomy Network Meeting (SEAAN 2019) 26-28 December 2019

The Southeast Asia Astronomy Network (SEAAN) Meeting was first held in 2007 during the Thai National Astronomy Meeting in 2007, hosted by the National Astronomy Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT). Since then the SEAAN Meeting has rotated among Southeast Asian countries. Recent Meetings were held in Bandar Lampung (Indonesia, 2018), Mandalay (Myanmar, 2017) and Hanoi (Vietnam, 2016).

The purpose of the SEAAN Meeting is to bring together people working in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics from Southeast Asia. It aims to facilitate exchanges in both research findings and educational practices, as well as astronomy outreach efforts. The 2018 SEAAN Meeting consists of plenary talks and poster sessions over two days.

In conjunction with the meeting, there will also be an annular solar eclipse on 26 December 2019. This is an extremely rare event and a fitting occasion to celebrate astronomy in Southeast Asia. The details of the programme are found here: https://www.physics.nus.edu.sg/~seaan/

SST and NJC are represented by 8 students in 3 teams to present their research projects carried out under the mentorship of NJC and SST teachers. 

Their articles were published in the The European Physical Journal (EPJ) Web of Conferences, Volume 240 (2020): The 11th Southeast Asia Astronomy Networking Meeting (SEAAN Meeting 2019)in Singapore, December 26-28, 2019. W.K. Ng, A. Yang, S.C.C. Ng, A.H. Chan and C.H. Sow (Eds.)

https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/abs/2020/16/contents/contents.html#section_10.1051/epjconf/202024007001

Our students’ research papers are found here: 

https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/abs/2020/16/epjconf_seaan2020_07011/epjconf_seaan2020_07011.html

https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/abs/2020/16/epjconf_seaan2020_07003/epjconf_seaan2020_07003.html

https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/abs/2020/16/epjconf_seaan2020_07004/epjconf_seaan2020_07004.html

 

 

Investigation of the Sudden Solar Ionosphieric Disturbance using Radiotelescopes

Low-frequency radio telescopes are cheap and useful devices for the investigation of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial emissions. These emissions come either from the Sun and the planet Jupiter to terrestrial emissions. We will deploy a few radios to investigate the VLF from mid-Sep to mid-December 2019. The radios used are Radiojove (20 MHz), INSPIRE (0-10 kHz) and SSID (3-30 kHz). The data collected will throw light on the atmospheric VLF conditions during that period.

Muhammad Adam Aqasha Bin Mohamed Hisham (SST, S3-06), Sneha Athreya (NJC)

Mentor: Mr. Tan Hoe Teck (SST)

Closing up onto our Sun: Solar imaging

Solar activity research provides insight into the sun's past, future (Science Daily, 2018). The solar activity includes observations of large numbers of intense sunspots, flares, and other phenomena; and demands a wide range of techniques and measurements on the observations. This research needs long term data collection before critical analyses can occur, to generate meaningful learning and knowledge. In this project, we will use solar imaging to make observations of solar activity, and take our baby-steps to make contributions in citizen science. Observations will be made in 4 wavelengths to gain a more thorough analysis by looking at different perspectives of the Sun, namely H-Alpha, Calcium-K, G-band, and white light.

Keith Chia Wen Kai (SST, S3-07), Shrivastava Kushagra (NJC), Wong Kang Jun (NJC)

Mentor: Ms. Ning Hwee Tiang (NJC), Mr. Alfred Tan (NJC, Vice-Principal)  

Development of a Solar Storm Radio Telescope

Sudden Ionospheric Disturbances (SID) are transient changes in the ionosphere caused by enhancement in X-ray and EUV fluxes during solar flare events. The Solar Storm Radio Telescope is developed to detect SID via VLF remote sensing. The system, which consists of a loop antenna, preamplifier, and a computer, is able to detect VLF signals with frequencies between 3-30 kHz transmitted from various VLF stations around the Globe. The participants will also be investigating different methods to reduce the background noise in the data collection. This will help to ensure an accurate hit when there is a Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance.

Seow Kit Hint (SST, S3-02), Cao Shangyu (NJC), Gupta Arpit (NJC)

Mentor: Mr. Tan Hoe Teck (SST)