Saturday, December 6, 2008

Astronomy Degree Offered in the Philippines

The first Astronomy program is offered in the Philippines.

Before, Rizal Technological University - Dept. of Astronomy only offered Astronomy as a subject, but now with the development of Astronomy in the Philippines RTU now offers a graduate degree. This is a first in the Philippines.

The degrees available in RTU is a degree leading to the Master of Science in Astronomy and the Bachelor of Science in Astronomy Technology.

The BS Astronomy Technology is a five-year program that covers topics of Astronomy and Engineering. The MS Astronomy was created to prepare future research astronomers and leaders in astronomy education in the country.

Aside from that, as part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 celebration in the Philippines, they are planning to create a "Certificate in Astronomy" via Distance Learning Education (DLE).

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Astro-Journal 2

When Heaven Smiles

At the start of of the month of December, many people were surprised at the beautiful display of the night sky. My cellphone started showing messages from my friend saying, "look, the moon and the stars are smiling." I stepped out the house, grabbed the camera and looked for the moon on the western horizon. From what I could remember, I began to assume that the stars were not stars but the planet Jupiter and Venus which have been coloring the early night sky of November. When I finally saw the moon, I was surprised! It really displayed a smiling face.

Looking closely, I was sure that one of the eyes was Jupiter, the other I wasn't sure. I began snapping pictures and was disappointed that I couldn't get a good picture ( how i wished i had a CCD camera ). I went home, and told my friends that they were planets and not stars. After eating dinner, I heard from GMA 7's 24-horas that my assumptions were correct, the eyes of that smiling face was Jupiter and Venus.

A smile from the heavens to welcome the month of December, the season of Christmas. Merry Christmas and clear skies to all!



Image by Greg Morales