As I get older, I realize that it's not good for you to compare your achievements to other people. Because there are people who have just been born, yet their parents have already been in a high life state. There are also others who were born in a state that is more pitiful than you. It shouldn't be a pity to lift others up, and you also shouldn't brag about your own upliftment. Because no matter how hard you try, there will always be some who are more lucky and more unlucky than you. Some are married to a rich family, and some are also struggling because they are fighting against a serious illness. There are people who are surrounded by the right connections and environment, the right education and money, and some who are surrounded with grave the problems.

        All we can probably do is work hard and wait for the rain of grace to be upon us. If someday we will be able to get together properly, we should realize that we are all but mere farmers and we do not hold the rain.

ORION & CANIS MAJOR

first photo:

Canis Major and Orion's Belt

So I just decided to take a photo of every constellation in the sky from now on. As a first step, here is my photo of Orion and Canis Major. I will take a photo of each constellation one by one, so expect more photos to come.

30 seconds exposure

ISO 3200

*  *  *

Second photo:

Orion Constellation, Pleiades and Mars

My only intention was to take a photo of Orion Constellation. I never thought I would see Mars and Pleiades on the upper right corner of the photo. I was really impressed.

30 seconds exposure

ISO 3200
 

The Great Conjunction

 

By: Neil Urian Secretaria Mabulay

         (Originally written on December 22, 2020)

     A Conjunction happens when two or more planets align, and in our perspective here on Earth, they appear next to each other in the same horizon. In my experience as an Amateur Astronomer, conjunctions occur quite often. Almost every year, I see planets appear to pass each other in the night sky whenever I look up. I myself admit that I don’t look up very often. This is due to the fact that I have a job and a family to spend time with. But on average, I see about one or two conjunctions in a year.

    But this time, this conjunction is different from the common ones. Because this time, the two gas giants – Jupiter and Saturn, will appear closest to each other in 800 years! They will appear very close to each other that they will seem to intersect or to almost collide when viewed from the Earth. This rare type of conjunction is called as ”the Great Conjunction” and it only occurs once in every 800 years.

    Thinking about the great conjunction and its rarity, I could not help but compare and discern the difference between our timescale and astronomical timescale. 800 years ago, Genghis Khan was just about to conquer Europe; and the Philippines was not yet colonized by Spain. 800 years ago, even our great-great grandparents were not yet born. It is bizarre yet amazing to think that the last time this great conjunction happened, the people who witnessed it were barbarians and uncivilized. I bet that they didn’t even know what it was.

    Time has changed since then and a lot of things happened in our history. But in astronomical timescale? Not that much. 800 years may be long for us, but in astronomical timescale it is just a mere blink of an eye. It makes me realize how lucky I am to be alive at this point in time. Because the next time that this great conjunction occurs, I will have been long dead.

Photo Credits: NASA via Starry Night

Full Moon

 October 2, 2020

5 secs exposure of the full moon. 

ISO 800

It's a bit cloudy tonight!

Milky Way Galaxy

 This photo was taken about two days before total lockdown due to COVID-19 Pandemic. It was the first clear night after weeks of rain due to a tropical storm. This is my first photo of the Milky Way Galaxy.

20 seconds exposure

ISO 6400

12.0489N 120.1519E