Monthly Archive for September, 2007

R.I.P. Thomas M. Back

Published on September 27, 2007 in General. View Comments Tags: .

13 September 2007 – Thomas M. Back has passed away (1957-2007). He was a famous optical designer. You can still find a lots of his designs among the market such as the TMB Planetary series eyepieces, TMB Paragon eyepieces, Williams Optics FLT 110mm APO TMB and many others refractors. It’s pity that our amateur astronomy community lost such a great person.

Don’t worry about what telescope you own, or its quality. Just get out under the night sky, and enjoy God’s wondrous universe.

This is what he said to the members of CloudyNights.com when CN reviewed him. I will always carry this quote with me. I was always thinking of getting better equipments and forgot the true virtue that an amateur astronomer got to have.

Let us send our condolences to his family. R.I.P., we will always remember you!

2007 Aurigid Meteor Storm

Published on September 17, 2007 in Meteor Shower. View Comments Tags: , .
Aurigids above clouds
Aurigids above the clouds. A composite of 4 bright meteors imaged in less than 5 minutes

Congratulations to Dr.Peter Jenniskens and Dr.Jeremy Vaubaullion for the correct meteor outburst prediction. He rode on a plane that day above the sky to watch the show. Aurigids were the debris of the ancient comet, Comet Kiess. I hope that none of you was affected by the cloudy curse. I was the unlucky.

The Auriga was at my north equatorial sky but it was always covered with clouds. It was exceptionaly thick that day. It’s quite funny that I just realise that Kluang is actually a basin after my ex-physic teacher told me today. The cloud easily forms here, thus our viable skies are only available for roughly 120 days per year. I am yet to confirm this very rough figure yet. I am going to start the counting from today. The best sky here is around Chinese New Year, roughly January to March.

Dr Jenniskens & His Crews
Dr.Jenniskens and his crews

he above image shows the Aurigids before passing through the clouds which are always the obstruction to our line of sight. Dr.Jenniskens and his colleagues were 15,000 km above the sea-level in 2 privates jets imaging the meteors with spectrometers, cameras and telescopes to measure the velocity, penetration, and chemical composition of incoming meteoroids.