SINGAPORE: Moongazers around the world turned their eyes to the skies on Saturday (Oct 28) night as part of International Observe the Moon Night 2017.
It is an annual worldwide public event initiated by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that aims to encourage “observation, appreciation and understanding of our moon” according to the space and aeronautics agency’s website.
The most important part of the night is the act of observing, especially for those who have never looked at the night sky before, Noah Petro, the deputy project scientist for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, told space.com.
“We have a number of opportunities for people to see what’s up in the night sky,” he told the news organisation. “It’s very exciting, especially if somebody doesn’t do it normally.”
NASA also hosted an event at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland featuring hands-on activities and exhibits and a “guided tour” of the moon.
The moon as seen from Woodlands. (Photos: A Kannan)
Closer to home, technical supervisor Mr A Kannan managed to capture photos of Saturday’s waxing gibbous moon from his home in Woodlands at 11pm.
“The beauty of the moon intrigues me,” he told Channel NewsAsia. “Today it is quite cloudy. But since it is a worldwide event, I wanted to capture the moon pictures for my record(ing) purposes on this special day.”
Photo of the moon taken on International Observe The Moon Night. (Photo: A Kannan)
