Under the Stars

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Oct 01

2017

by Norman Marigza

Last September 29, the journalism students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines – College of Communication brought together astronomy enthusiasts from around the university and the general public to attend a lecture and stargazing event. The program was a fund-raising activity for the iCommunicate 13: Alpas, which is the developmental collegiate magazine of the College of Communication. Alpas in the Filipino language means to break free, and in the same essence the group seeks to break free from the usual and typical stereotype, surpassing all challenges and soaring high to reach the peak of excellence.

The group coordinated with the Manila Street Astronomers and the PUP Physics Society to bring astronomy communication and awareness to the university. The activity composed of a lecture by two of MSA's founders, and a telescope viewing event. The first lecture was entitled Why We Love Space by AWB's National Coordinator for the Philippines, and MSA co-founder. Here he talks about how our culture has inspired a generation of astronomy and space enthusiasts and the common love we have for space. Due to heavy traffic in the Philippines, an impromptu lecture was presented by Marigza on the role of the Filipino Youth in Astronomy. The next lecture was given by MSA founder Gary Andreassen on Astronomical Perspectives. This was his trademark lecture on which he presents why the MSA exists and how astronomy puts us all in perspective.

The audience then proceeded to the stargazing portion where the rest of the MSA team setup the telescopes at the university's oval. Six telescopes were setup to give the participants a chance to view the Moon and image it through their phones.