Sunday, June 12, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Dr. Dante L. Ambrosio
How often does one's culture reflect in the heavens? How have the stars been witness to the life of those they share their light with?
Dr. Dante L. Ambrosio was one who searched for the answers to such questions by looking into influences of culture in Astronomy here in the Philippines. Dr. Ambrosio was a professor of the Department of History at UP-Diliman. He responded to the appeal of PAGASA to compile local legends about celestial objects for educational purposes during the celebration of the IYA 2009. He presented a study of how the Badjaos in Tawi-tawi used the stars and constellations for daily living. The Badjaos knew the stars by the name Mamahi. They also had different asterisms - informal constellations, named after things they use and see.
It is sad to hear that Dr. Ambrosio passed away last June 4. His work in Ethnoastronomy helps us know how the stars have influenced the different cultures in the Philippines as it has influenced other nations with their myths and legends. I may not have known him personally, but reading about his work in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and having used it in my thesis's review of related literature, has added to my amazement of the night sky.
To Dr. Ambrosio, may you rest in peace and take your place amongst the heavens.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Making Your Way to Professional Astronomy in the Philippines
Astronomy is one of the sciences where almost anyone can get fascinated with. There are many who just gaze at the night sky in complete wonder and amazement. Sad to say, astronomy education in the Philippines is not that known. One of the reasons behind this is the disadvantage in the Philippines of the separation of all the islands in the archipelago, which in turn makes it hard for information to go around. As I began taking my steps to professional astronomy I realized that very few people are aware of an astronomy degree here in the Philippines.
Rizal Technological University is a school in Mandaluyong that offers astronomy education. They have three programs - an undergrad degree in BS Astronomy Technology, a grad school Diploma in Astronomy, and a MS Astronomy. They are the first and only school in the Philippines to offer astronomy (I believe I have a post on this which I will check later). I heard about this via the Astronomical League of the Philippines.
Being in an archipelago, you have to keep track of the latest in Astronomy and how to go about it via the internet. Through the web, you can make contact with the different Philippine Astronomy clubs. You can check them or the PAGASA web site for news on what's in the night sky. For those who pursue astronomy outside Luzon, specifically Manila, you may have a hard time getting in touch with these groups, however keep note that you have better sky conditions. Light pollution and pollution for that matter is a hindrance from the big city so don't be down - you can actually see more than we want.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Total Lunar Eclipse of 2011
On June 16, 2011 there will be a total lunar eclipse visible to the Philippines. This is one of the two total lunar eclipses that will be visible in the Philippines, the other being on the 10th of Dec. The moon will pass almost exactly in front of the Earth's shadow and thus a totality of 1 hour and 40 mins. However, the moon will set before the moon exits the umbra.
Below is the time line of the eclipse phases predicted by Fred Espenak as provided by the Astronomical League of the Philippines
Below is the time line of the eclipse phases predicted by Fred Espenak as provided by the Astronomical League of the Philippines
| TIME (PST) | ALTITUDE | AZIMUTH | |
| Moon Enters Penumbra | 01:24:27am | 45 deg | 212 deg S |
| Moon Enters Umbra | 02:22:57am | 37 deg | 225 deg S |
| Moon Enters Totality | 03:22:29am | 26 deg | 234 deg SW |
| Maximum Totality | 04:13:44am | 16 deg | 240 deg SW |
| Moon Exits Totality | 05:02:42am | 06 deg | 244 deg SW |
| Moonset | 05:30:00am | 00 deg | 246 deg SW |
| Moon Exits Umbra (not visible) | 06:02:14am | ---------- | ----------- |
| Moon Exits Penumbra (not visible) | 07:00:41am | ---------- | ----------- |
Friday, May 13, 2011
Comet Hyakutake at BenCab Museum
While I was studying in Dumaguete, my cousin tagged me in one of her photos in facebook. It was a picture of an astronomy related painting that she took from the BenCab Museum in Baguio City. When we came home to Baguio I finally got the chance to see the wonderful paintings in BenCab's museum. Being a visual artist as well I was really fascinated! Finally I got to see the painting - it was entitled Comet Hyakutake, an oil painting by Elmer Borlongan. Since I began doing astronomy paintings I enjoyed seeing other artistic creations of space.
Elmer Borlongan (below) is a fine arts graduate from the University of the Philippines and an artist awardee of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thin Waxing Crescent
After seeing the sunset from Baguio, we went down to Baguio's athletic bowl where they were holding the night market. I was still familiarizing myself with my aunt's camera settings for low-light photography by taking shots of SM and Baguio Cathedral. Later, I noticed the crescent moon setting in the west so I went across the field to get a better view. The earthshine on the moon's dark side was clear from my view.
The Setting Sun from SM City Baguio
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| the Sun's disk peaking out of the clouds. Sony DSC-H50 red filter |
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| fiery sun with built-in red filter of the Sony DSC-H50 |
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