- Philippine Journal of Astronomy
As its contribution to the
development of Philippine Astronomy, the Astronomical
League of the Philippines initiated the creation of the
very first astronomical journal in the country, the
Philippine Journal of Astronomy or PJA. This journal
publishes refereed technical papers, non-refereed
general astronomy articles, astronomy reviews,
conference proceedings, and letters from readers and members of the astronomical community.
Members of the editorial board have been chosen for
their experience and
expertise on different fields, such as observational
astronomy, imaging and instrumentation, astronomy
education, astrophysics and cosmology.
For details, please visit the PJA web page at
http://www.astroleaguephils.org/pjastro.html.
Maiden issue can be
downloaded at
http://www.astroleaguephils.org/pja_mar2009.pdf.
- Philippine Astronomy Convention
The convention is an annual
meeting of professional and nonprofessional astronomers,
and is the major astronomy convention in the country.
This event serves as a formal forum for the exchange of
astronomy relevant ideas and research findings. The 1st Philippine
Astronomy Convention (PAC 2009) was successfully held on
February 15, 2009
during the National Astronomy Week 2009 celebrations, on
the third week of February, at the Rizal Technological
University. The university is the only educational
institution in the country which offers degree programs in Astronomy:
the Bachelor of Science in Astronomy Technology, Diploma
in Astronomy, and Master of Science in Astronomy.
For details, please visit the PAC web page at
http://www.astroleaguephils.org/pac.html
For details on the 1st PAC
(2009), please visit
http://www.astroleaguephils.org/archive/news/090215pac2009.html
- Total Solar Eclipse Expedition – July 22, 2009
The ALP will be
sending a solar eclipse expedition team to Wuhan, China
to document the longest solar eclipse of the century!
This will be a momentous and memorable occasion for all of us since this eclipse belongs to the Saros 136 family, similar as with the one observed in Manila way back in June 20, 1955. ALP will conduct scientific research
studies, thorough documentation, as well as imaging of the said eclipse. Data from the expedition will then be submitted to corresponding scientific institutions in the US.
ALP Wuhan Total Solar Eclipse Expedition Full Report
ALP Shanghai TSE Expediton Full Report
ALP Jiaxing TSE Expedition Full Report
ALP Philippines Partial Solar Eclipse Full Report
- 100 Hours of Astronomy - IYA Cornerstone
Project
The Sidewalk Astronomers has named Dr.
Armando Lee as its
National Organizer of the Philippines
for 2009. The Astronomical League of the Philippines,
together with Dr. Lee, is taking a lead role in
organizing the 100 Hours of Astronomy event in the
country. Observation sessions are planned for April 2 -
5, which will coincide with the International Sidewalk
Astronomy Night (ISAN), and the Global Star Party on
April 4th.
The 100 HA project is in line with the ALP's objective
which is to promote observational astronomy in the
country. The International Year of Astronomy was put
into motion to commemorate Galileo's first use of the
telescope as an astronomical instrument. The IYA
is a momentous occasion for observational astronomy, and
astronomy, in general, as a field of study.
For details, please visit the 100 Hours of Astronomy
website at
http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/
IYA 100 Hours of Astronomy Global Star Party Report
IYA 100 Hours of Astronomy SUN-day
at Boardwalk
- Philippine Solar Index Program
As the center for astronomical data
archiving and requisition in the country, the
Astronomical League of the Philippines is responsible
for producing the Philippine Sunspot Number (Rp)
and the Group Sunspot Number (Rg) with the assistance of astronomers sending
sunspot data to the society.
The relative sunspot number or Wolf Number is computed
using the equation Rp = k(10g +s), where:
Rp corresponds to the Philippine Sunspot Number;
g = number of visible sunspot groups; and s
= total number of individual sunspots. The k-coefficient
used is unity or 1. The Group Sunspot Number is computed
by averaging group counts of individual observers.
The solar monitoring program
is headed by the Chair of the Commission on Solar Activity, under the Solar & Heliosphere
Division. Currently, the commission is chaired by Raymund John Ang, and the division director is James
Kevin Ty.
For details, please visit
the
Philippine Solar Index Program.
- Annual Philippine Messier Marathon
In order to enhance the
observational skills of members and foster astronomy
awareness to the public, the Astronomical League of the Philippines organizes the Philippine Messier Marathon every March, on the weekend closest to the Vernal Equinox.
Certificates are given to those who have earned the
highest points among the participants.
For details, please visit
the
3rd Annual Philippine Messier Marathon Open.
- StarPeace Global Special Project
StarPeace project is a Global Special project of IYA 2009 which intends to hold common and public star parties near the border lines in cooperation with astronomy groups from different countries with shared land border, in IYA 2009. Both groups in two neighbor countries hold common and public star parties in regions around their borders according to geographical conditions of the region. Although political border has separated people of both countries, applicants of the sky observation look at the sky simultaneously and the sky joins them. Furthermore, scientific speech, astronomical photos exhibition and etc may be established at the same time depending upon activity potential in same border point.
For details, please visit
the
StarPeace Global Special Project - IYA 2009.
