April 11, 2010 ALP Monthly Meeting  Report
by James Kevin Ty
 

Last April 11, 2010, members of the Astronomical League of the Philippines (ALP) held their monthly meeting at the Manila Planetarium at 3:00pm.  Members who attended were ALP President James Kevin Ty  and son Kendrick Cole (KC) Ty, PRO Armando Lee, wife Myra Lee and son Jason Lee, Andrew Ian Chan,  Berenice Chan, Treasurer Henry So, director Edgar Ang, Tommy Tan, Belen Pabunan, Christopher Louie Lu , Mark Ian Singson, Michael Cruspero, Mark Joven Cortel, Reynen Pansanos, Nel Lagda and new member Maria Cristina Gonzalez.

The meeting started at around 3:30pm with ALP PRO Armando Lee giving a short comprehensive lecture  entitled Galactic Spiral Arms. The lecture topics covered were the following: Spiral arms in the Milky Way and other galaxies, Star forming regions highlighting the spiral features, Mechanisms for formation and persistence of spiral arms. These are topics rarely lectured on and discussed in astro club meetings and it was indeed a rare occasion having this lecture in the latest ALP monthly meeting. A short but comprehensive lecture it was, mathematical model for the spiral arm structure was presented and Dr Lee ended the lecture emphasizing the following point: Spiral arms do not rotate at the same rate as the stars that comprise them, but can be explained as density waves moving relative to the background material. The members were delighted to learn about the topic and they were promised more similar topics in the coming meetings.

ALP PRO Armando Lee giving an interesting lecture on Galactic Spiral Arms.

ALP President James Kevin Ty gives an overview of the upcoming May 16 Venus Occultation by the Crescent Moon.

Afterwards, ALP President James Kevin Ty discussed the upcoming May 16 Venus Occultation by the thin Crescent Moon.  This will happen around 7:35pm with the planet Venus disappearing on the dark limb of the Moon and reappearing again on the bright limb of the Moon more or less around 8:15pm.  Full details of the event will be posted in the ALP main page in the days to come. ALP will setup 2 main observing sites in Astrocamp Observatory in SM MOA area which will be lead by ALP PRO Armando Lee and another in Nasugbu, Batangas which will be lead by ALP President James Kevin Ty. 

The meeting ended at around 5:30pm.