Monthly Meetings

Congratulations to ALP Vice-president and Life Member Dr. Jett Aguilar for having his very own asteroid named after him for his dedication in providing neurosurgical services to Filipino children for more than 20 years as well as for his contribution as  an mateur astronomer in the Philippines. He joins other 3 ALP members who also have asteroid named after them for their excellence and great contribution in the field of astronomy in the Philippines namely:

6282 Edwelda (1995) – Edwin Aguirre and Imelda Joson

4866 Badillo (2005) – Fr. Victor Badillo, SJ

30100 Christophergo (2015) – Christopher Go

Asteroid 7431 Jettaguilar revolves around the Sun in between the planets Mars and Jupiter at an average distance of about 463 million kilometers and takes it about 5.4 years to complete one orbit. It is currently about 643 million kilometers from Earth, shining very dimly at magnitude +19.5 in the constellation Sagittarius.

Asteroid 7431 Jettaguilar was reportedly discovered on March 19, 1993 by the European Southern Observatory in Chile and was initially given the designation 1993 FN41.

The naming of the asteroid was proposed to the IAU to recognize Aguilar’s contributions to the medical field and Philippine astronomy. The IAU’s 15-member Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) is the sole scientific organization with the authority and responsibility of assigning names to small solar system bodies such as asteroids, comets and the satellites of minor planets,

International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially named the 8-kilometer-wide asteroid, which is also considered a minor planet, “7431 Jettaguilar” in honor of Dr. Jose Francisco “Jett” Aguilar, a neurosurgeon at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, and Cardinal Santos Medical Center. He is also currently the Vice President of the Astronomical League of the Philippines, Inc. (ALP)

Aguilar has been providing neurosurgical services to Filipino children for more than 20 years and is known in the medical field for successfully removing a parasitic twin from a three-week-old infant in 2019.

He is also the clinical director of the Philippine Movement Disorder Surgery Center, which pioneered ‘Deep Brain Stimulation’ surgery for Filipino patients afflicted with a rare genetic movement disorder called  X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism.

Jett is also an avid astrophotographer for  almost 18 years, and his photos of the Sun, the transit of Venus, lunar eclipses and other celestial events have been published in Spaceweather.com and Sky and Telescope magazine as well as many astro publications.

Jett is  also an avid solar eclipse chaser, and he has traveled overseas with members of the ALP to observe and photograph total and annular solar eclipses in China, Indonesia, the U.S., and Singapore.

The naming of the asteroid was proposed to the IAU to recognize Aguilar’s contributions to the medical field and Philippine astronomy, the agency disclosed.

The IAU’s 15-member Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) is the sole scientific organization with the authority and responsibility of assigning names to small solar system bodies such as asteroids, comets and the satellites of minor planets.

Dr. Jesus Rodrigo F. Torres, an ALP 2017 Father Victor L. Badillo, SJ Astronomy Service awardee, together with Dr. Ruby-Ann dela Cruz , were able to successfully after 4 years to finish the translation of another fellow 2013 ALP Father Victor L. Badillo, SJ Astronomy Service awardee Sr. Dante . Ambrosio ‘s Balatik, an Etno-Astronomy Book. The translation project began in March 2017 when Dr. Torres  attended a lecture-seminar of the History and Heritage Working Group of the Southeast Asian Astronomy Network held in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

As a student-participant,  he knew almost nothing about the topics which were all about Archaeastronomy and Ethnoastronomy. Professor Wayne Orchiston talked to him during one breakfast if he could translate the book Balatik by Professor Dante Ambrosio because he said “we want to read it too!”

Wayne had a copy with him.  Jesus looked at the pages, read a few paragraphs, and he  knew the work will be difficult. Nevertheless, he said he would do the translation, and when he returned to the Philippines,  he worked on it right away.

But administrative work in two big State Universities gave him little time for the translation. The work of Professor Ambrosio, however, began to grow on him and he looked forward to the time in the evenings when he could lose myself to the world of Filipino beliefs and knowledge about the heavens and the phenomena in the sky.  He got so lost in the work that he did not notice the months and years passing. Right in the beginning, he sought the assistance of Dr. Ruby-Ann Dela Cruz whose research in the technical indigenous terms which had became so indispensable that it would be just fair if she was included as a co-translator to his project.

Professor Mayank Vahia of India, and Professor Duane Hamacher of New Zealand informed him also that it would be best if Balatik can be read by interested astronomers in the world.

Dr. Torres knew that he had a noble task of translating the work of Professor Ambrosio, an important aspect of Filipino culture as well which the work expounds, known to the world. Thus after 4 years, the project was finally done and is now ready for publication.

We are deeply saddened about the passing of the first curator of the National Planetarium, and a member of ALP, Mr. Maximo P. Sacro Jr.

Read more