For Richard Mathews, who has just stepped down as deputy representative of the Australian Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei, nightlife in Taiwan’s bustling capital city is all about finding a clear patch of sky so he can gaze at the stars.
Mathews, who started his Taiwan stint three years ago, said he has been traveling around and outside the city to find places that are suitable for skywatching, a hobby he picked up at the age of 15.
“Light pollution in downtown Taipei is quite high,” he said in a recent interview. “To get a good observation site in Taiwan, you have to leave the city and go as far as you can.”
Photo: CNA
Mathews said his best skywatching experience in Taiwan was in Pingtung County when he attended an Aboriginal activity there last year.
“I remember seeing Orion dominating the sky,” reminding him when he was living in Canberra and he could see the Milky Way clearly almost every night.
“I would like to enjoy my hobby whenever I can,” he said.
From the time his father gave him a telescope when he was a teenager, Mathews, 55, has been an avid skywatcher.
He admitted that he was first drawn to the subject because it enabled him to show off in front of his parents.
He used to spend hours in the cold in his backyard, trying to figure out what was out there in the mysterious darkness, a pursuit that he said made him happy.
He later realized that it is “a natural part of our curiosity to want to know more,” he said.
Knowledge of the stars is practical as well, he said, adding that he can tell where north is simply by “looking up.”
“It does not work every time to prevent me from getting lost, but I can always tell the direction, even in foreign countries,” he said.
Mathews has extended his interest in astronomy beyond a personal level. Last year, his office invited two distinguished astronomers from Australia to give lectures at Taipei Astronomical Museum. One of them, Brian Schmidt, was the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics last year. The other, David Malin, is a pioneer in the field of astrophotography.
“It shocked me when I saw about a hundred local fans packed into the museum, asking for their autographs,” Mathews said.
This March, Australian scientist Rachel Webster will visit Taiwan to promote astronomy as well as to celebrate International Women’s Day, which falls on the eighth day of the month, Mathews said.
Taiwan’s skywatching community is not only large, but also quite active, he said.
The government has made strong efforts to promote astronomy, he said, adding that there is a museum fully dedicated to the subject — something that Australia does not have.
Raising his tablet PC above head to find Saturn and Jupiter via the application Google Sky Map, Mathews said he would miss Taiwan after ending his service in the country.
“There are many resources for skywatching in Taiwan,” he said. “I am glad that I have seen the Big Dipper here because it’s too far north to see in Australia.”
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it