Buy Telescopes in the Philippines

In the Philippines, there are lots of astronomy enthusiasts. Many of them are young people dreaming of owning a telescope and using it to "go where no one has gone before." Well, for most of them, the dream just remains a dream. The common problem is looking for a telescope to buy. It's a fact (at least as of this writing) that good telescopes can be hard to find in the Philippines. But the good news is that astronomy groups and organizations have stepped in to fill the void and help make telescopes more available in a country where food takes precedence over everything else.

Telescopes are a luxury in the Philippines but you only have to know where you can find them and then you can pick the right one for you, whether you're a beginner or an advanced hobbyist. For starters, some popular retail stores in the country like the outdoor sports store, Hahn, and sometimes, even National Bookstore, sell telescopes. These are usually refractors designed for land gazing, but you may come upon a fine 2 or 3 inch reflector that's more appropriate for star gazing.

In mall toy stores in the Philippines, you can also find maybe two or three small telescopes, but these will likely be just toys to encourage budding youngsters in the study of science. While you can always try to order a telescope online, the shipping expenses involved may not make that a practical move, unless the purchase is going to be funded by a corporate entity or institution. For telescopes for personal use that are affordable yet useful, you should go to individual dealers of local astronomy clubs. There won't be a lot of choices, and some will be hand made (especially the mirrors), but that's okay. They know their stuff and you can bet that you will also get reliable advice.

The astronomy/telescope community in the Philippines really revolves around the major national groups like the Philippine Astronomical Society (PAS) and the Astronomy League of the Philippines (ALP), but there are school organizations and regional/local groups that can point you to the right person. Information about them can be obtained from their websites and blogs like this one can be pretty useful in finding an astronomical telescope that you can buy.

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Perchance to See the Perseids in the Rainy Season

The Perseid meteor shower (August 11-13) is perhaps the most anticipated every year because of the high frequency of meteors. In 2009, it's hyped for it's up to 200-meteors-an-hour frequency. Still, the Perseids is one shower that not everyone can appreciate, especially if you're somewhere in the world where it's the rainy season. Yes, areas like Southeast Asia usually get typhoons in August and it's almost always cloudy. Residents of countries like the Philippines, where meteor shower gazing has gained popularity in the past decade, always have trouble appreciating the Perseids. So what can be done?

It's really beyond your control to change the weather where you're at, so the next best thing might be to take a look at satellite weather photos and try to determine the place in your country where there will be clear skies. If there are storms, ask the weather bureau where the skies will likely be clear when the shower comes, which is usually on the 12th and 13th of August. More often than not, you may need to fly to the selected place for observation and get accommodations well ahead.

Choose a place on the map where you can expect crystal clear skies. These areas will be obvious on weather satellite images. It pays to plan ahead and get to know the place a little bit by researching over the Internet. You have to consider ease of travel and security. Of course, you also have to determine if there's a place where you can observe the shower in peace and away from city lights. If you are in a group, consider getting assistance from a travel agency specializing in the place you've chosen.

Observing meteor showers is really easy. The best thing to do is to lie down on the ground just after sunset, look up and wait for the meteors to light up the sky, like the one in the photo above by Mila Zinkova. You may be lucky to get a few surprises like bolides, which are big meteors that break up upon entering the atmosphere! The Perseids would appear to have a central origin, the radiant, in the vicinity of the constellation Perseus (left).

If, despite your efforts, no suitable place to observe the Perseids has been arrived at. Then you can contact someone from another country and have that person do the observing for you. Documenting the shower with either a still or video camera is a good idea. If you don't know anyone else on this earth willing to do the observations for you, then just wait for the Geminid meteor shower. It's supposedly the next best thing to the Perseids, and it happens in December - on the 12th and 13th. Skies are usually crystal clear on that month and you'd likely get a good show.



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