Public invited to join stargazing tonight

CEBU, Philippines — The University of San Carlos (USC) Astronomy Society together with Indiana Aerospace University (IAU) Astronomical Society will be holding a stargazing event today at 7p.m.

The event will be held at the Cebu City Public Library grounds on Osmeña Boulevard as USC and IAU societies wish to showcase to the public planets and constellations until 10 in the evening.

 Adrian Abac, chairman of the USC Astronomy Society, said the public can get the chance to see Jupiter and Mars.

“If the weather permits, we would be able to see cosmic objects, such as the planets Jupiter and Mars, as well as the stars in the constellations Orion and Leo. The Orion Nebula at the heart of Orion would be visible as well,” Abac said in a text message to The FREEMAN.

There will also be presentations about basic astronomy, and facts about astrophysics and cosmology, among others.

The activity aims to remind the public that the Earth is the home planet and that everyone must take good care of it.

According to Maria Rosario Chua, the public librarian, the stargazing is just among the activities that the public library is conducting as part of its 99th anniversary.

Other activities include launching of Batang Kabataan, watercolor painting 101, storytelling by Nanay Evert, star gazing by USC and IAU, and projection mapping by Youth for Livable Cebu.

All the events are free of charge and everyone is welcome to participate.

 “We are committed to serving the general public, from kids to the elderly who either love science, hate it or those who don’t even know they love science,” Abac said.

Cebu City North District Rep. Raul Del Mar, Mayor Tomas Osmeña, and the sponsors of the activities and programs are expected to attend today.

On the other hand, Chua said the city’s library, which is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week, has catered to more than 7,000 library users in just three weeks.

The 24-hour operations started last March after a netizen's request online got the attention of the mayor. — Mary Kristine M. Cameros, CNU Comm Intern/KBQ (FREEMAN)