It rained heavily for most of our journey from Singapore to Mersing town. But the sky cleared gradually till midnight. After that, it must have been the best sky condition i've ever seen in Mersing since 1999. Not a single cloud passed overhead till sunrise. Unfortunately, the breath of the Milky Way isn't as thick as in previous years. Nonetheless it can be seen stretching from the Cygnus region to the Southern cross region, horizon to horizon, all night long. Enjoying the stars can be made more enjoyable when shared with others. Thanks to my bro for driving us there. He never was interested in astronomy in the first place and slept most of the time under the stars. But i'm sure he enjoyed himself thoroughly seeing nature at it's grandest scale. There must be around 50 ppl during this trip. Some went over to the observing site after dusk, some stayed at the chalet. Those who chose to observe from the chalet stayed put cause they were afraid of the sudden rain which came without much warning the previous night. Either way, the extremely good condition of the sky on the second night and the large turnout of veterans and newbies makes this the most successful trip ever. 
Brother posing with my binos, looking up at the Milky Way in the Scorpious Region. The brightest star in the pic is Jupiter. 
The trademark coconut trees forms a nice silhoutte against the backdrop of stars. Light pollution from the town Mersing can be seen over the hills. 
Wonder what was bro thinking..... 
Tengjie's scope posing with the setting constellation of Crux.  This was taken in the south-western part of the sky, away from the direction of Mersing Town. Evidently from the horizon, light pollution has slowly increased.
Eric and Richard Low posing with the Portaball. By now most people were sleeping. One and a half more hours to sunrise. 
A beautiful sunrise is always a nice way to end a night of stargazing. This is no exception. | 
