Suparirk Kharuehanon, chief of astronomical academic service at the institute, said on Monday that the Doi Inthanon mountaintop in Chiang Mai province had been dark enough for observing the Milky Way this past Saturday. With a few more tweaks in cooperation from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) and other allied organisations, Doi Inthanon could receive “Dark Sky Certification” from the International DArk-Sky Association, he said. To prove the dark environment at the top of Thailand’s highest peak, Suparirk released photos of the Milky Way captured over Doi Inthanon at 5am on February 10. He said that although the moon was shining brightly, the lack of light pollution allowed the Milky Way to be seen clearly over the mountain. Suparirk added that the Milky Way should be visible in the southeastern sky from 4.30am throughout this month.

Source: The Nation Bangkok February 12, 2018 08:26 UTC