UP Astronomical Society

UP Astronomical Society Applicants' Orientation

It has been almost two years when I signed up to attend Astronomy Summer Worksop conducted by University of the Philippines Astronomical Socitey (UP Astrosoc) in Diliman Campus. It was a very memorable and refreshing experience during my one year stay as a member. But it was also almost twelve months since I visited PAGASA Astronomical Obervatory, UP Astrosoc meeting place (tambayan).

How did I become a member of this prestigious organization in UP Diliman?

I was then a student assistant in the Department of Political Science. It was summer 2007. I already finished my work and waiting for the time to hit 5pm, our end of shift. I was surfing the net and looking for some information about Big Dipper when I bumped into the website of UP Astronomical Society. Here is what the site says about the organization:

The University of the Philippines Astronomical Society (UP Astrosoc) is a non-profit, non-political and non-partisan organization in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. It was established in 1991 by 15 undergraduate students under a mango tree. UP Astrosoc now resides at the PAGASA Astronomical Observatory inside UP Diliman.

On the average, the organization has an active membership of 25-30 undergraduate students coming from different colleges in the university. Aside from the usual social activities of a college organization, UP Astrosoc also partakes in several astronomy activities throughout the academic year. These include astronomy classes, observing sessions, public astronomy lectures and forums.

The emblem for the organization is a stylized telescope pointing towards the skies. This is in touch with the organization's motto, Ad Astra Per Aspera -To the stars with difficulty.

Learn more about UP Astrosoc's activities here.

Take a mini tour of the UP Astrosoc headquarters here.

To learn how to contact UP Astrosoc, click here.

I wrote down the contact infos and after my duty, I hurriedly went to the Observatory to enlist in UP Astrosoc's summer workshop. When I arrived there, I learned that they are also looking for new members and I was very excited to signed in.

And that is the beginning of my journey through space, not physically of course, but through my imagination wit the help of writing.

Ad Astra Per Aspera!