Seeing through a telescopic hole to grasp the vast universe up close is no ordinary experience.
At one point in our lives, our imagination ventured to different parts of the universe—wondering how the stars, planets, and moon look like apart from their representations in books and on the internet.
Since 2013, Manila Street Astronomers (MSA) has been conducting free public viewing sessions in various locations in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. These free telescope viewings are done regularly, at most six times a month on two consecutive Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays timed during the First Quarter and Full Moon phases.
According to the Manila Street Astronomers, “Our goal is to get as many people to have the opportunity to look at the telescope for the first time. To inspire them, to let them appreciate the beauty of the Universe, and to let them go out with a sense of wonder and curiosity to keep learning and asking questions.”
The group consists of amateur and professional astronomers, as well as astronomy and science enthusiasts with the goal of promoting astronomy to the general public by providing free access to telescopes. They are inspired by the father of sidewalk astronomy, John Lowry Dobson (1915-2014). He revolutionized backyard astronomy by setting up telescopes on sidewalks and letting passerbies get an opportunity to look through a telescope.
The MSA shares Dobson’s sentiment that “The true value of a telescope is how many people have viewed the heavens through it.”
On a Facebook post, Daphney Ticbaen expressed her gratitude towards MSA, “When I was younger, I’ve always dreamed of being an astronomer someday. Out of sheer luck, I was able to peek into a telescope once again and appreciate how beautiful the moon is. Thank you for this wonderful chance, Manila Street Astronomers!”
“It was an amazing experience. Kasi you don’t always get a chance to observe the moon up close and I realized sobrang ganda niya. What’s more interesting is how passionate they are in educating people about astronomy, we didn’t just get to peek into the telescope, we sort of had a 30-min Astronomy 101,” DLSU-D student Darrianne Reyes stated in an interview in front of McDonald’s Antlers where a free night sky telescope viewing was held on the last week of November.
Such overwhelming experiences motivate the Manila Street Astronomers to continue their cause. After all, who wouldn’t want to share such over the moon experience to other people for free?
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