My best (so far) astro experience

It was one of my excellent astronomical experiences in UP Astrosoc. It was my first astrocamp, which was held at the Quezon City High School. The night sky was at its best - no trace of any clouds. Venus was the first attraction of the night and we had to observe it first thing when the program started because it was already setting. Several lines of very enthusiastic students waited for their turn in getting a peek of Venus at its crescent phase at the telescope. Some students thought it was like the moon. It was my first time to see the crescent phase of Venus with a very good resolution, thanks to Kiel's telescope (finderscope palang, telescope na ng astro! astig talaga). The waxing gibbous moon was the next attraction, with its visible craters. Kiel's telescope had another lens (nakalimutan ko yung tawag), which doubles the magnification power of the first lens. I have never seen the moon so big (malaki talaga, parang astroimages lang ni ate erika). I never got tired looking at it and I think the students did so too because they kept coming back to the telescope. Another first encounter was seeing Saturn! (sobrang saya nun). During the peak hours of the morning, we continued observing Saturn. Through Kiel's scope's double powered magnification, we were able to see two of Saturn's moons. They were moving so fast. Saturn's rings were on edge-on position so we were not able to see the rings clearly. I was also very pleased because (finally) I was able to fulfill my duty as an Observation and Instrumentation Cluster member. I was able to point the telescope to Saturn when the teachers requested to see it. I also learned the right ways of assembling the tripod and aligning the telescope.

I was also able to see the whole of the Scorpius constellation and I was amazed of the wide area that it occupies in the sky. It had a long tail ending in a J-shape. When the rocket-making activity failed to push through because the air pump malfunctioned unexpectedly, the students just watched "The Day the Earth Stood Still". While most of the students were asleep, Atheio decided to search for M objects using Kiel's scope. Using the Stellarium as guide, we targeted for M22 at the constellation Scorpius. Unexpectedly, we stumbled upon M6 (Butterfly Cluster). We announced this to the students who were still awake and they enthusiastically lined up at the scope to get a glimpse of it. A few minutes before sunrise, Jupiter became visible to our sky. Using the second lens of Kiel’s scope, we were able to see the bands on Jupiter’s atmosphere and 7 of its moons. Mars and Mercury were just a few degrees below Jupiter but we were not able to observe it because the rays of the rising sun had already obscured them.

During the awarding (giving of certificates), the students were still very enthusiastic (ang tibay nila, mga walang tulog yan ah) in doing the astro clap (Clap! Clap! Clap! Jupiter! Comet! Clap!) and the Lakbay-Langit cheer (Lakbay-Langit! Tuklasin ang kalawakan *nambonggang-bongga!*). As the students passed us on their way at home, I could see on their faces that they really enjoyed the camp. Most of them were saying thank you and goodbye to us. One of them even took a picture with Tatang (oi celebrity daw oh haha). Even their teacher was very happy to have us. They were hoping for another astrocamp next year. If it was possible, they want to have it yearly.

During the whole camp. I never felt tired (bakit ba ganun, pag nago-observe di ako dinadalaw ng antok). When I got home, I even had to force myself to sleep because I still need to attend another astro activity tonight. Speaking of that activity, the apps night of batch *** (wah nakalimutan ko pangalan, basta yung tagalong ng corpuscular rays) was very fun. They showcased very creative performances and dance numbers. It was a very hilarious night. Sila na pala ang pangalawang batch na tagalog ang pangalan (una kami, ang batch Sinagtala!)

I was able to experience the astro and society part of the org in two nights. Galing! I’m happy to be back after a break of almost two months. The sky itself is telling me not to give up my astro dreams.

Thank you UP Astrosoc for another wonderful experience!

Ad astra per aspera!



-+ooo+-

Dahil din sa mga karanasang ito (lalo na sa astrocamp), nalaman ko kung gaano kadakila ang adhikain ng organisasyong ito. UP Astrosoc is a non-profit org and we do not ask for payment when we do astrocamps and other activities. Kumukuha ng pondo ang org mula sa sponsorship at fund-raising activities.

Napahanga din ako ng lubos sa mga kapwa miyembro ko na napakadedikado sa kanilang mga responsibilidad sa org pero at the same time hindi napapabayaan ang acads at ang spiritual life. Nakaka-inspire. Marami akong natututunan.

I love astro more!!!

Lalalalala....