“Star Gazer, meet Navel Gazer.” It took me a moment before ET Tan ’s cheeky introduction made sense.
Then I laughed.
Of course! Navel Gazer was the name of my column in The Star. And here was Dr Chong Hon Yew, who has spent almost his entire life gazing at the stars.
He is a rock star in the field of astronomy!
In case you didn’t know, astronomy is a huge thing in Penang.
I first realised this when I attended a panel discussion in 2024 organised by volunteers from the Association of the Malaysian Alumni of the International Science Olympiad (AMISO).
The moderator was Zhi Zheng Ong from Chung Ling. I marvelled as this teenager coolly handled a panel of industry heavyweights 2-3 times his age!
Later I found that Zhi Zheng and quite a few of the committee were astronomy buffs.
Over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern.
Astronomy in Penang seems to attract young people who are curious, disciplined, and very smart.
And at the heart of this ecosystem, I recently learned, is Dr Chong Hon Yew.
A retired physics lecturer from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Dr Chong has spent decades teaching astronomy, and just as importantly, bringing it out of the lecture hall and into the community.
Known affectionately as the “Star Man,” he helped found USM’s Astronomy Club in the 1980s and later became the first president of the Astronomical Society of Penang.
Under his stewardship, astronomy here didn’t remain academic. It became public.
Think stargazing nights.
School outreach
Telescope workshops
Astrophotography
Eclipse chases.
Then there are people like Lim Choon Kiat, who has championed astronomy through hands-on observation sessions, public talks, and his own observatory in Balik Pulau. (I look forward to visiting soon!)
Today, Penang has more observatories than any other state in Malaysia — 10 in total!! — which says a lot about the culture of curiosity that has been patiently built over time.
I was fortunate to meet these gentlemen at the launch of AstroXplore, a collaboration between Tech Dome Penang and the world’s largest planetarium, Shanghai Astronomy Museum.
It felt like a natural continuation of everything Dr Chong and Choon Kiat have been working towards all these years.
Opening up the skies.
Making space for curiosity.
And inviting the next generation to look up … and wonder.
By Alex
Alex is a human interest storyteller.
ET