Rain 'Mars' Watch-II, Just For A While

For weeks, the tempo built up. The community of Singapore's amateur astronomers was abuzz with talk of a second Mars Watch event on 23 August 2003 at Bedok Reservoir.

(The first one at Chinese Gardens on 02 August was a non-event, thanks to clouds.)

Much was at stake today. Diary columns of newspapers and space websites listed the event. More people would turn up. If good views of Red Planet remain elusive, they might see red and label the Mars Watch series a jinxed idea. The organizers may lose heart.

Who can wait till 2287 AD to see Mars this close again? Will the Weather God be kind and smile please?

The day was blazing and bright alright. But when night neared, clouds gathered again.

Oh no, not again.

Oh yes, sorry.

It poured. For hours. Island-wide.

Another washout? Not quite

Around 10 pm, the Wind God decided to take the wind out of Weather's sails.

The Wind-Cloud duel at lofty heights was a spectacle to behold from terra firma.

You get an almost 360-degree view of the sky at the reservoir. And more!

The seemingly still waters of the oval-shaped reservoir appeared a giant-sized mirror. Whatever happens up there, its reflection down here looks even more beautiful. Feast for the eyes. Respite for the neck muscles.

The cloud cover started to disintegrate. Piece by piece, clouds began dispersing. And then it happened!

Eureka! As if to justify the name of the event, Mars -- Mars alone -- appeared well above the eastern horizon, shiny and stunning, ensconced in a small patch of clear sky.

Amazing, isn't it, that it should gift the audience an exclusive, unique experience. Where one earth can one possibly find the sky with only Mars?

Did God decide to give the onlookers what they craved? It appeared as if He screened the entire sky with a huge sheet of white paper, then punched a hole in it through which you could glimpse Mars without other distractions.

The picturesque venue -- it is flanked by the reservoir on one side and a column of old, lively trees on the other -- suddenly throbbed with life and energy, never mind the still stuffy, sultry and still evening. (The clouds are moving apart -- but where's the breeze?).

The 15 tripod-mounted, hi-tech telescopes lining the reservoir bank formed an arc. And 15 orderly queues materialized quickly. The show is on. As luck would have it, it turned out to be a grand one at that.

Grand? Yes.

Pity the usual lures of a Saturday evening seemed to have kept the Singapore media from the event again. Not to worry. Trust the Internet to capture the excitement that TV, radio and newspapers miss. :-)

Five hours of discovery, wonderment and fun ensued. From 10 pm to 3 am.

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