NATIONAL PLANETARIUM'S SAFE SOLAR VIEWING DRAWS CROWDS AT 'RANCAKKAN MADANI'

By Samantha Tan Chiew Tieng

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 6 (Bernama) -- The National Planetarium is offering visitors a unique opportunity to view the sun directly and safely through specialised telescopes at its exhibition booth in conjunction with the ‘Rancakkan MADANI Bersama Malaysiaku’ programme here. 

National Planetarium representative Adli Roslan said two telescopes have been prepared to allow visitors to view the sun’s layers up close — the photosphere using a white-light filter and the chromosphere using a hydrogen-alpha filter.

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“Through these telescopes, visitors can experience live solar observation. It’s not easy to observe the sun safely as it requires specific equipment and dedicated filters,” he told Bernama today.

He said the initiative not only enables the public to understand the sun’s true structure and colour, but also helps spark interest in space science among young people.

“We brought actual equipment, including specialised telescopes, so visitors can safely witness the phenomenon. From there, they can explore topics such as stars, the solar system and the origins of the universe,” he said.

At night, the Planetarium also offers viewing sessions of Saturn and the full or post-full moon through telescopes.

“Night observations are scheduled to begin around 7 pm for Saturn, while moon observations will take place around 9 pm,” he said.

Adli added that the booth receives between 300 and 500 visitors daily, with many expressing excitement after seeing the sun’s colours and features through the telescope.

“From there, they begin asking questions about stars and how life in the universe began,” he said.

The National Planetarium is an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) tasked with promoting public awareness of space science, observational technology and astronomy.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM), through its Health Services division, set up a field hospital to showcase its capabilities in providing medical services both domestically and abroad.

Medical Officer Colonel (Dr) Faira Rosmarina Mohd Rustam said the exhibition aims to raise public awareness of the field hospital’s functions and ATM’s involvement in international humanitarian missions and local disaster operations.

“This field hospital is a scaled-down version of the actual facility we deploy during humanitarian missions.

“One example was the 2005 mission to Myanmar following an earthquake, where we sent a Forward Anesthesia Surgical Trauma (FAST) team to perform surgeries and provide medical treatment,” she said.

She added that ATM medical teams have also served in various international missions, including during the earthquake in Türkiye, where a field hospital was established to treat affected communities.

Domestically, she said ATM’s Health Services contributed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic by setting up field hospitals at Penang Hospital and supporting the Kepala Batas Hospital with additional ICU facilities.

“We want the public to know that ATM’s health services are not limited to military or wartime operations, but also play an essential role in humanitarian work, public health and the government’s health diplomacy efforts,” she said, expressing hope that the exhibition will inspire more young Malaysians to join ATM.

“Many people assume ATM only involves infantry work, when in fact we have extensive health components. When they see how we operate, they realise ATM is also involved in non-conventional missions such as disaster response and humanitarian relief,” she added.

The three-day Rancakkan MADANI programme, which began yesterday, features more than 300 public service offerings, a career carnival, interactive exhibitions, family activities and various special promotions.

It is a continuation of the ‘Setahun Bersama Kerajaan MADANI’ and ‘Dua Tahun Kerajaan MADANI’ programmes in 2023 and 2024 respectively, serving as the government’s annual direct reporting platform to the public.

Organised by the Prime Minister’s Office through the Performance Acceleration Coordination Unit (PACU), the national-level event targets around 300,000 visitors. On its first day, the programme recorded 127,611 attendees.

-- BERNAMA