Solar system goes on the road

In a darkened tent, a fourth-grader asked, “Sir, where’s Jupiter right now?”

“Here,” Professor Edmund Rosales instantly pointed to a spot where the solar system’s largest planet was supposed to be in a simulation of the sky as seen from the earth.

“Wow, fast!” exclaimed the impressed students of Diliman Preparatory School.

Impressive, indeed, how the Digitalis Dome could simulate the sky from any vantage point on earth to show celestial phenomena like a supernova aborning, trace the path of planets in the solar system, and zoom in on their moons. It awed even technology-savvy kids.

Rosales, who worked at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education  of the University of the Philippines (UP), was the right person for the task as UP sent him for further studies in astronomy to universities in the United States and Japan.

The activity at Diliman Prep was part of SkyXplore, the first science education road show in the country to focus on astronomy and to have the only mobile planetarium.

The road show has been to hundreds of schools nationwide since former Sen. Anna Dominique “Nikki” Coseteng, the president of Diliman Prep, launched  the SkyXplore Astronomy Awareness Program in May 2010.

She created the corporate vehicle, Discover and Probe the Skies Inc. (DPS), to make it possible for everyone to explore the universe.

Unlike fixed-site domes,  SkyXplore’s is portable. And because it is digital, it  can manipulate time and space to show past, present and future locations of the sun, the moon, the stars and the planets.

Q&A feature

SkyXplore has an  “Ask an Astronomer” component. Students may ask questions and get easy-to-digest and up-to-date information suited to their ages and abilities.

The SkyXplore event at the Diliman Prep gym was complemented by a photo exhibit on the solar system, deep sky objects, space exploration and other aspects of missions launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Near the panels of photographs were meteorites on wooden plaques,  described as  “among the rarest materials that exist on the planet, far less common  than gold, diamonds or even emeralds, and also the oldest things that humans could ever touch.”

SkyXplore can also show a video of the official movie of the International Year of Astronomy, “The Eyes on the Skies,” and offers a companion book on  the  telescope that details the history of the groundbreaking invention, its  scientific importance and breakthroughs achieved through it, among other things.

Other astronomy videos can help students understand what lies beyond the known universe.

A bonus activity of SkyXplore is solar viewing that allows students to view the sun through solar telescopes that detect light with wavelengths in, or not far outside,  the visible spectrum. Participants can also use high-powered telescopes to look at the night sky.

Also featured are parlor games, trivia questions about “The Eyes on the Skies,”  workshops and other events to help make the exercise more fun and meaningful.

Astronomy week

In February, to mark the National Astronomy Week, SkyXplore went to the National Museum and conducted an Astro Quiz, on-the-spot essay writing and poster-making contests for elementary and high school levels, and a photo essay contest for high school students.

The event was cosponsored by the Philippine Astronomical Society and the Nido Science Discovery Center.

And since SkyXplore aims to empower not just the youth but also the general public, it linked up with the Philippine Science Centrum for a solar viewing and a lecture by Rosales for 800 guests at the Marikina Riverbanks.

SkyXplore will continue to go places, literally, as it pursues its mission of fostering “nationwide awareness and appreciation of astronomy and space exploration’s significance in our society … by providing the best quality, modern, thought-provoking, entertaining and most comprehensive educational programs and activities that enhance and complement conventional classroom methods.”

DPS Astronomy Center is at Suite 507 Jocfer Building, Commonwealth Avenue, Barangay Holy Spirit, Diliman, Quezon City; telephone Nos. 8812759, 4427893, 09175376571 and 09285079700. E-mail dps.astronomy@skyexplore.

co.cc. Visit www.skyxplore.

com.ph and www.facebook.

com/skyxplore.