ALP February 14, 2010 NAW Public Stargazing Session Report
by:  James Kevin Ty & Armando Lee
Images by  James Kevin Ty & Armando Lee

RAJAH SULAYMAN PARK , BAYWALK

Last February 14, members of the Astronomical League of the Philippines (ALP) staged a free public stargazing session at Baywalk to start off  their National Astronomy Week celebration. Among the members who were there to help out that evening were ALP President James Kevin Ty and son Kendrick Cole (KC) Ty, ALP VP Jett Aguilar , ALP Treasurer Henry So, Dennis Buenviaje, Vincent Lao, Dante Noche and wife Rosie, Lou Balayan, Ellaine Pena, Mark Ian Singson, Michael Cruspero, Kevin Dagunan, Crispin "Mopper" Riosa, Christopher Lee, Bel Pabunan, Maximo Zabanal, Cornelio Lagda, Lalaine Yorobe, Liza Quitlong, Mary Ann Ramirez, Desiree del Rosario, Procula Amarillo, Rosemarie Balatbat, Jennifer Sy, Mark Joven Cortel and Reynen Rose Pausanos. Friends of our members who were also there to support the event were , Lara Roldan , Bernie Esporlas, Kim Hye Sung or Mike, Kristy Abello and  Ellaine Pena's family

They started to setup their equipment at around 6:30pm and setup their free public viewing banner to informed the public that there is a free public stargazing session that will be held that evening.  Among the members who brought their equipment to share the night sky with the public were James with his TV-101 refractor on GP-DX mount and ALP's 8" Meade SCT on LX10 mount ; Jett with his Celestron Nexstar 5 SCT; Planetarium's 4" Skywatcher refractor on EQ-4 mount and Celestron C8 SCT; Armando Lee, although was not around as he is in charge of the AstroCamp Observatory that day, brought along his William Optics ZS80ED refractor on CG5 mount and Orion Mak127 on CG5 mount and Dante brought his homemade 8" f/6 Newtonian reflector on dobsonian mount.

Wow!  Mars is beautiful !	ALPer Dante Noche is all smile as he share the beauty of the universe with his homemade 8" f/6 Newtonian.
(L-R) ALPers Marc Ian SIngson and Michael Cruspero pose beside their WO Zenith Star 80ED refractor.	ALP VP Jett Aguilar posed beside his Celestron Nexstar 5 SCT.
(L-R) ALPers Kevin Dagunan and Crispin Riosa beside their Orion Mak 127 scope.	Its posing time! (L-R) ALPers Kevin Dagunan, Crispin Mopper Riosa, Benci Lee and Kim Hye Sung (Mike)
The Gwapings - ALPers Henry So, Dennis Buenviaje and Vincent Lao	ALPer and Planetarium Staff Nel Lagda beside the Celestron C8 SCT
Lots of people got a chance to view the universe for free that evening	ALPer Ellaine Pena and her family were there to celebrate NAW stargazing session
ALPer and Planetarium Staff Nel Lagda and ALP Treasurer Henry So had their hands full in containing the numerous people who attended the free stargazing session! :)	ALPers Dennis Buenviaje, Henry So and Vincent Lao manned the ALP 8" SCT
ALPer Kevin Dagunan shares the night sky to the public with the Orion Mak127.	ALP VP Jett Aguilar points his Nexstar 5 on planet Mars as the people waited for their turn at teh telescope.
ALP President James Kevin Ty and his astro kid KC Ty pointed the TV-101 refractor on Orion Nebula.	ALP guests Bernie Esporlas and Korean friend Kim Hye Sung or Mike as he is fondly called had a great time at the stargazing session.

More than 500 people were able to have a chance to look at stars and planets through different type of telescopes that evening.  As expected , there were again sounds of "Wow!" , "Oh My Gosh!" , "Is that planet Mars?"  that can be heard around the vicinity :) LOL .

ALPers then help each other to accommodate the large crowd by asking them to line up so that they can wait in line for their turn at the scope.  The sky that night was good amid expected light pollution at the site.  ALPers first trained their telescopes at planet Mars which shows a nice orange disk in which the polar ice cap was clearly seen under  fair seeing! 

As the sky gets darker, telescopes were trained at brightest star Sirius, M42 Orion Nebula, M45 Pleiades star cluster. The stargazing session lasted till around 9:15pm and ALPers called it a night and set up for their traditional group picture shot before they packed up and went home with a happy heart that they were again able to share the night sky with numerous people at the Baywalk.

Wacky Shot !!!  See you again on February 20th PAC at Planetarium and Free Public Stargazing Session after the PAC!

ASTROCAMP OBSERVATORY, SM MOA SMBY

ALPers Dr Armando Lee and wife Myra Lee celebrated the opening of NAW 2010 in San Miguel by the Bay Park together with their son Jason Lee by spending time watching the 1st night/round of the 2010 Pyromusical Competition held at the seafront of SMBY Park. After the fireworks from the Philippines and USA, the Astrocamp Observatory opened its doors to the people inside the park in celebration of NAW 2010. There were around 70 people who availed of the entrance to the Astrocamp Observatory provided for by the VIP tickets of the Pyromusical event that night and looked through the 11 inch SCT telescope pointed at planet Mars and Saturn. A 10 inch dobsonian telescope was already used to show views of Pleiades star cluster and the great Orion Nebula.