Reaching For The Stars With The Philippine Science Centrum and SkyXplore

I just asked my little boy if he remembers what we saw through the telescope last week and he answered with exuberance, “Mars! Jupiter! And, uhm…Stars!”  My little boy is just 2 1/2 years old and for him to remember what we did during the Star Gazing Event last week meant that the event was successful not only in drawing a huge crowd but also in imparting knowledge to those who participated in the event.

Last February 23, SkyXplore and The Philippine Science Centrum teamed up to bring the public closer to the skies through a Star Gazing Event at the Amphitheater of Riverbanks.  The site was just about two blocks away from our house and the kids always have great fun during our visits to the Philippine Science Centrum that I immediately told my husband to block off his schedule that night as we were all going to the Star Gazing Event.

Children as young as 2 and as old as 70 :D, patiently waited in line to take a close glimpse of Venus, Mars, Jupiter and its Galilean moons.  They also eagerly listened to Professor Edmund Rosales, Skyxplore’s head astronomer, as he animatedly shared his vast knowledge about astronomy.

Now this was not your ordinary classroom lecture,  Prof Edmund was able to catch the interest of the attendees through his wit and candor.

Have you been wishing on the first star you see at night but your wish never comes true?  Well, check that “star” again and see if it twinkles.  If it’s not twinkling then it’s a planet, most likely Jupiter or Venus, you’re seeing.  So next time you want to wish upon a star, choose one that twinkles.

Have you seen a UFO moving fast in the night sky?  That’s just one of the many satellites orbiting the Earth.  We were lucky to have seen one during the Star Gazing Event.  It was like a tiny dot of light moving really fast across the night sky. Really cool!

Students now know this well but those in my generation who have not kept abreast with developments in astronomy may not know this at all – Pluto is not a planet anymore.  It is considered as a dwarf planet.  Apparently, it did not pass one of the three criteria which are (1) it orbits the sun, (2) it is spherical in shape and rotates on its axis, and (3) it is the largest body within its orbit.  Since Pluto’s orbit crosses that of Neptune, it does not pass the third criterion; hence, it’s exclusion from the planets.

I could go on and on with all the trivia I learned from Professor Edmund but then, you may have questions of your own you’d like for him to answer.  Just visit the SkyXplore Facebook page or the SkyXplore website and fire away with your questions.

My little Astronomer-Wannabes taking a peek at Jupiter and Mars

Mommy Bloggers Gene, Arcee, Olga, Bev, Pehpot, and Nina with some of the KidXplorers

The entire family really had an awesome night last Thursday.  It was made more fun by other mommy bloggers who also came with their families in tow.   On top of the wonderful experience we shared,  The Philippine Science Centrum and SkyXplore also gave us gifts for joining the event.   With what we learned and with the fun we had, we really should be the one giving them gifts. 😀

Thank you so much Philippine Science Centrum for inviting our family to this event.  We’ll be taking the little ones there again for some Science fun.