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April 20, 2023 ALP Partial Solar Eclipse Image Gallery

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Below are images taken by members of the Astronomical League of the Philippines. Therefore, all images are the property of ALP as well as the imager mentioned. Any intention to use the images should seek permission to the ALP as well as the main author of the image.

James Kevin Ty 

Images taken using Canon EOS M6 mirrorless camera on Borg 76ED Refractor with TV 2.5x Powermate.  Baader 3.8 Solar Filter mounted on Vixen GPDX mount. 1/1000 sec exposure at ISO 200.

 

Jett Aguilar

Images taken using Lunt 100 hydrogen alpha telescope to capture whole disk images of the partially eclipsed sun as well as a Takahashi TSA 102 refractor with a Baader Astrosolar filter (ND5) and a Canon 7D DSLR at prime focus.

 

Kendrick Cole Ty

Partial Solar Eclipse at Maximum taken using Canon EOS 500D DSLR on Cankn EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS L Lens set at 400mm f/11. 1/750 sec at ISO 100.

 

Raymund Sarmiento

Images taken using a Mobile Phone Huawei Mate20Pro with a Kase Mobile Scope and a DIY 3d Printed Baader Solar Fllter Adapter. Tracked using a Desk Top Polarie Sky Tracker. 

 

Val Thomas Abapo

Image taken from Cebu, Philippines using WO GT71 Refractor with WO 0.8 Reducer  and Celestron Skyris 132c camera.

 

Peter Benedict Tubalinal 

Images taken using Orion ST80 Refractor with 15mm Expanse Eyepiece and Smartphone.

 

Steven Bacalian

Images taken using Canon EOS 60D DSLR with Celestron C90 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope mounted on Skywatcher Star Adventurer. 

 

Vincent Gella

Partial Solar Eclipse at Maximum taken using Celestron Powerseeker 80MM with Celestron 32mm Plossl with 
Baader Solar Filter 5.0 and Celestron EQ-2 Equatorial mount.

 

Renan Acosta

Images taken using Samsung Fold 4 Smartphone with 30x zoom.

 

Jowen Kibtiani 

Images taken from Polomolok , South Cotabato using Real Me 8 5GB Smartphone with Celestron 20mm Erecting Eyepiece on Celestron Powerseeker 70EQ Refractor on EQ-2 mount.

 

Miguel Cano

Safe projection method used by Miguel Cano using binoculars to show a sharper eclipsed Sun. 

 

Teddy-Ty Chua

Image taken using Samsung S21 ultra.. 70x zoom and Solar Filter.

 

Fung Yu

Image taken using Canon 70D DSLR with Canon EF300mm lens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2023 Father Victor L. Badillo Astronomy Service Award

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ALPer Raymund Sarmiento is this year’s Father Victor L. Badillo Astronomy Service Awardee for 2023 for his “For his innovative development of EQMOD, an open source telescope mount control software, which greatly aided astronomers worldwide.”

Raymund is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of GMA New Media, the technology arm of GMA Network.

Serving as CTO of GMA New Media for the past 20 years, he is the co-inventor of some of the R&D projects for the organization, with patents obtained and applied locally and abroad.

He has extensive experience in AI and robotics, recently creating from scratch a Rubiks Cube Solver Robot.

An amateur astronomer as well as member of ALP since 2004,  he also developed a Telescope Observatory / Automation algorithm called EQMOD, which he launched as an open source project in 2006. It remains active to this day.

February 25, 2023 ALP NAW 2023 Closing Event Free Telescope Viewing Session

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Last February 25th, the Astronomical League of the Philippines (ALP) concluded National Astronomy Week 2023 with another Free Telescope Viewing Session at SM by the Bay at SM Mall of Asia , Pasay City.

Members who were present are ALP President James Kevin Ty and son Kendrick Cole KC Ty, Treasurer Andrew Ian Chan, Secretary Justine Co Chan, director Peter Benedict Tubalinal, Joyce Gonsalves, Pam Sabado, and Teddy-Ty Chua.

They initially meetup at Coffee Bean at around 3:30pm to have a short monthly meeting there to discuss logistics as well as install new motor drive on the Joyce’s Celestron Astromaster 114 Newtonian reflector for the free telescope viewing evebr later at 6pm.

James brought along his Borg 76ED Refractor on Vixen GPDX mount, Andrew with his Skywatcher 80ED refractor on Vixen GP mount, Joyce with her Celestron Astromaster 114 Newtonian reflector on CH-2 mount, Teddy-Ty with his Celestron Nexstar SLT127 Maksutov-Cassegrain reflector and Pam’s Svbony SV501P 60mm short tube refractor on sturdy tripod .

They started the event at around 6:00pm by viewing the planet Venus as the sky was also cloudy. They later observe Waxing Crescent Moon also through passing clouds while the people waited patiently as the Moon comes in and out of cloud opening.

More or less around 300 people were able to get a nice view of planet Vebus and the Waxing Crescent Moon. It was also ALP’s 1st free telescope viewing event since the last NAW event in February 2020.

At around 9:15pm, the group had their traditional group picture taken before packing up and went to McDonald’s in Blue Wave to have late dinner before going home.

 

February 19 & 25, 2023 NAW Free Telescope Viewing at SM by the Bay (SMBY)

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There will be a free telescope viewing event by the Astronomical League of the Philippines (ALP) on February 19, 2023 and February 25, 2023 at SM BY the Bay (SMBY) near the fountain area in celebration of National Astronony Week 2023.

On February 19th, the event will start at 3:30pm with a free solar viewing session wherein the public get a chance to view the Sun safely with our member’s solar telescopes. The solar session will end at around 5:00pm.

Afterwards ,  night time free telescope viewing event will start at 6:00pm to 9:00pm. The event is free to everyone to join and get a chance to view planets Jupiter, Venus, Orion Nebula, double star Castor and many more!

On February 25th, ALP will held its NAW closing event with another free telescope viewing session at SM by the Bay (SMBY) from 7:00pm to 9:30pm. The event is free to everyone to join and get a chance to view the Waxing Crescent Moon, planets Jupiter & Venus, Orion Nebula, double star Castor and many more!

See you all there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 22, 2023 ALP Astro Experts Series Webinar 2023 with David Levy

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Impact! When a comet collided with Jupiter

The Astronomical League of the Philippines welcomes the New Year with a fascinating online talk revisiting the first observed impact of a comet with the planet Jupiter.

Join us this coming Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 10:30 AM Philippine Standard Time (02:30 UTC, 9:30 PM EST January 21) with David Levy, the co-discoverer of of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, as he talks about comets and the story of comet SL9s historic spectacular collision with the planet Jupiter 30 years ago.

David Howard Levy is a Canadian amateur astronomer and science writer based in Vail, Arizona. To date, he has discovered 23 comets and 61 minor planets, and has written 34 books, mostly about astronomy.

Abstract: 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the discovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. The comet was discovered by the team of Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker and David Levy on March 24, 1993, using an 18-inch Schmidt camera at Palomar Observatory near San Diego, California. Fragments of SL-9 crashed into Jupiter during the summer of 1994, producing some of the largest impacts ever observed in our solar system. David will talk about how they discovered the comet and the danger of such objects colliding with Earth in the near future.

Register now for this free webinar using this link

bit.ly/3VTWgzS

or by scanning the QR code from the poster using your cellphone camera.

After registration, check your registered e-mail for the webinar link. See you!

December 17, 2022 ALP Astro Experts Series Webinar 2022 with Father Christopher J. Corbally, SJ

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What was the Star of Bethlehem?

This was the celestial phenomemon that guided the three Wise Men to the birthplace of the infant Jesus Christ. Was it a miracle? A fable? Or scientific reality? Jesuit professional astronomer Father Chris Corbally will try to shed some light on this gospel mystery from the perspective of modern astronomy as well as from exploring ancient wisdom.

Join us this December 17, 2022 for a free online talk by Fr. Chris Corbally, S.J., “What was the Star of Betehem?”, 8:30 PM Philippine Standard Time (7:30 AM EST, 12:30 UTC).

Fr. Christopher J. Corbally, S.J., is a Jesuit priest and astronomer with the Vatican Observatory Research Group in Tucson, Arizona. He is also an Adjunct Associate Astronomer at the University of Arizona’s Department of Astronomy. Father Corbally principally uses spectroscopy to investigate the evolution of stars, and he is co-author of the comprehensive volume, Stellar Spectral Classification. He was the Project Scientist for the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope on Mount Graham, Arizona, and served as President of the International Astronomical Union’s Division IV (Stars) from 2009 to 2012. Father Corbally was ordained in the Society of Jesus in 1976 and earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Toronto in 1983. In 2020, the International Astronomical Union recognized his contributions to astronomy by naming asteroid 119248 Corbally.

Register now for this free webinar using this link – bit.ly/3USJBxF

or by scanning the QR code below using your cellphone camera.

After registration, check your registered e-mail for the webinar link. See you there!

November 8, 2022 Total Lunar Eclipse Image Gallery

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Below are images taken by members of the Astronomical League of the Philippines. Therefore, all images are the property of ALP as well as the imager mentioned. Any intention to use the images should seek permission to the ALP as well as the main author of the image.

James Kevin Ty

Images taken using Canon EOS M6 mirrorless camera on Borg 76ED Refractor at prime focus. EFL= 500mm f/6.5. Vixen GPDX mount.

 

Jett Aguilar

Image taken using Canon EOS 6D DSLR on Takahashi TSA-102 Refractor with Canon EF 1.4x Teleconverter

 

Kendrick Cole KC Ty

Image taken using Canon EOS 500D DSLR on Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 US L Lens set at 400mm f/5.6 mounted on Vixen Polarie star tracker.

 

Andrew Ian & Justine Chan

Image taken at Tandang Sora, Quezon City 7:04pm using Huawei Nova 7i mounted inside the paper tube of a packaging tape which I used as a makeshift stabilizer. 30s single exposure at ISO-100, w/ minor adjustments in PS Express app

bsh

Imelda Joson & Edwin Aguirre

Composite image taken from Horn Pond in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA using a Takahashi FS-78 apo refractor and a Canon EOS DSLR camera for the close-up shots.

 

Francisco Lao, Jr.

Stages of the Nov. 8, 2022 Total Lunar Eclipse through maximum total eclipse.
The eclipse started off with some clouds over the Moon, and then high thin clouds took over. The eclipsed Moon was quite dark, likely due to the low elevation and thin clouds. First two images had the Moon inside the penumbra, the lighter shadow of the Earth.
Individual images were taken with a Nikon DSLR with a Tamron 18-400mm telephoto lens set at 400 mm, with a 2x teleplus.

 

Raymund Sarmiento

Images taken using Canon 7D DSLR on 500mm f/8 mirror Lenz mounted on Vixen Polarie Star Tracker.

 

Alberto Lao

Composite with lighted Rockwell, Makati buildings. Eclipsed moon taken with Nikon Coolpix P1000. Buildings with Samsung S22 Ultra.

 

Eric Africa

Image taken in Ohio, USA using Canon T6i DSLR on Borg 90FL (operating at 82mm with a front-mounted UV/IR filter) with a Borg 1.4x tele-extender to bring the total focal length to about 700mm.

 

Christopher Go

Image taken from Cebu City using Nikon D5200 DSLR on Celestron C8 with 0.63x Reducer on AP900GT mount.

 

Peter Benedict Tubalinal

Image taken in Loyola Memorial, Marikina City using Orion ST80 Refractor  with 15mm Orion Expanse eyepiece on EQ3 mount with Vivo YY73 smartphone. 1/10seconds to 1/80seconds exposure at ISO 200. Snapseed (for the multiple images, collated using Collage Maker)

 

Mark Ian Singson

Image taken in Imus, Cavite using Canon EOS M50 mirrorless camera on Celestron C90 Maksutov-Cassegrain.

 

Vincent Gella

Image taken using Xiaomi Red Note Smartphone ( Afocal Method) on Celestron Travel Scope 70MM Refractor with 40MM Plossl Eyepiece on Vixen Polarie Star Tracker mount.

 

Pamela Sabado

Images taken at UP North Science & Technology Park, Quezon City 6:49pm using Xiaomi 12 Pro wide-angle lens, f/1.9 at ISO 6126 (for closer photo) and ISO 4828 (had to let more light in to counter intermittent cloud cover)

 

Miguel Cano

Image taken at Daraga, Albany.

 

 

 

November 12, 2022 ALP Astro Expert Series Webinar 2022 with Scott Roberts

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“The Power of Stargazing”

Join us this November 12, 2022 (Saturday), 8:30 PM Philippine Standard  Time (6:30 AM CST, 7:30 AM EST, 12:30 UTC) on “The Power of Stargazing” by Scott W. Roberts. This is part of our regular Astronomical League of the Philippines Astronomy Experts Speaker Series for 2022 and registration is free.

Scott Wayne Roberts (born 1959) is a designer and marketer of amateur astronomy equipment. He is well known around the world for his dedication and avid support of educational public outreach in astronomy and space exploration, as well as his tireless popularization of amateur astronomy. He is the founder and President of Explore Scientific, one of the largest manufactures and distributors of telescopes and astronomical equipment in the world. He also founded the Astronomy Outreach network in 2000 and has served on the board of directors of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the International Dark-Sky Association, the National Sharing the Sky Foundation, and Astronomers Without Borders. In 2000, the International Astronomical Union officially named asteroid 1993 OA3 as “15779 Scottroberts” in his honor.

Abstract: Scott Robert’s talk on “The Power of Stargazing”  is about how commercial telescopes are made, and the transformative and beneficial effect they can have on people as they explore the night sky and begin to understand for themselves their connection with the cosmos.

Register now for this free webinar using this link 

https://bit.ly/3DB1daY 

or by scanning the QR code in the poster shown here or below using your cellphone camera.

After registration, check your registered e-mail for the webinar link. See you there!

Scott Roberts image courtesy of Starmus

November 8, 2022 Total Lunar Eclipse

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On the early evening of November 8, 2022, there will be a total lunar eclipse that will be visible in the Philippines as well as from Asia, Australia, North America, parts of northern and eastern Europe, and most of South America. The Moon will rise with more or less 25% umbral partial phase already at 05:19 pm PST (Philippine Standard Time) so it is best to find an observing site with a clear eastern horizon. This eclipse will pass almost centrally along the Earth’s shadow thus totality for this eclipse will be long at around 1 hour 26 minutes! Moon will enter Totality at around 06:16 pm PST with maximum totality phase occurring at 6:59pm PST with the Moon at around 22 deg high in the eastern horizon near the constellation of Aries. Totality will end at around 07:42 pm PST. Afterwards, the Moon will gradually start to exit the umbral shadow until it exits umbral phase at around 08:49 pm PST. The Moon will totally exits the penumbral phase at 09:56pm PST signifying the end of the eclipse event.

The Moon is expected to be dark red in color during totality as it will almost pass the center of Earth’s umbral shadow thus it is favorable for imagers who have a motorized tracking mount or use a higher ISO to compensate for longer exposure needed. Good luck to all and clear skies!

August 20, 2022 ALP Astro Expert Series Webinar 2022 with David Eicher

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“GALAXIES: Inside the Universe’s Star Cities” webinar by David Eicher, Astronomy magazine Editor-in-Chief, on August 20, 2022 (Saturday), 8:30 PM Philippine Standard Time, 7:30 AM CDT, 8:30 AM EDT, 12:30 UTC.
The Astronomical League of the Philippines is inviting you to attend the free webinar lecture entitled “GALAXIES: Inside the Universe’s Star Cities” by no other than David Eicher, Astronomy magazine Editor-in-Chief, on August 20, 2022, Saturday, 8:30 PM Philippine Standard Time.

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