Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: cbsua.sipocot@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

Critical Reflection: Astronomical Events on

March 2024
Dineros, Ella Mae C.
Zorilla, Rica Pearl R.

Critical Reflection (STAR method)

Situation/Task:

March has been an exciting month for celestial events, as it offers

diverse features of astronomical events that have been observed in the night
sky, from meteor showers to planetary alignments. Last month was a blast
that provided us a lot of opportunities for stargazers
and astronomers alike, like us to enjoy and be amazed
by the wonders of the cosmos.

Last time, our teacher in Astronomy grouped us

into two to observe the astronomical events that
happened last March. Rica Pearl Zorilla and I, Ella Mae
Dineros have worked together to do a critical reflection
examining the events that occurred last March. We
share one task, and that is to observe March celestial events with keen
interest and to critically reflect on their significance. Armed with basic
astronomical knowledge and different online resources, we’ve proceeded on
this journey to deepen our understanding of the cosmos.

The following events that occurred last March:

March 3 – Asteroid 3Juno at Opposition. The largest asteroid stony asteroid

named Juno at opposition Wherein the situation occur during that
night was a beautiful aged appearing brightest and brilliantly color
which located and can be viewed in the constellation of Aquarius.
March 8 – The Wishing Well Cluster is Well Placed. It is an astronomical
event that mostly happened in Southern constellation of Carina,
composed of 400 brightest stars which anyone can see the seven
red giants (seven white dwarfs) with stellar ensemble.
March 9 – Best Weekend for the Messier Marathon. The best night for the
Messier Marathon which typically happens at the new moon
between March and early April. It is due to the Earth’s planetary
position in an annual orbit.
March 14 – Peak of the γ-Normid Meteor Shower. Southern hemisphere
meteor shower . Six meteors per hour. At the constellation Norma.
March 20 – March Equinox. Northward equinox occurred. It is an
astronomical event wherein the Earth is perpendicular to the sun
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: cbsua.sipocot@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

that makes the distances of the north pole and the south pole from
the sun equal. As a result it causes equal day and night.
March 21 – Close Approach of Venus & Saturn. The planet Venus and
Saturn made a close approach, passing within a mere 20.7
arcminutes of each other. On that day, they’ve reach their highest
point in the sky during day time.
March 24 – Mercury at its Evening Peak. Mercury is at its peak and has the
greatest elongation. At that time, this planet is at 17° from the sky
and becomes bright in the evening and becomes brighter than the
other stars.
March 25 – Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. This occurs when the moon moves
through the faint, outer layer of Earh’s shadow which is the
penumbra.
March 30 – Makemake at Opposition. Makemake is a dwarf planet that is a
member of a group in a disc-like zone beyond the orbit of
Neptune. Makemake will reach opposition, and be well-illuminated
and placed for viewing from our perspective here on earth.

Action:

Before this task was given, some March astronomical events have already
occurred and some of the astronomical events in March do require telescope
or binoculars. Here are some actions that we take in doing actively this
adventurous venture:

 We look for an online platforms that offer live

streams or webcasts of astronomical events.
 We have subscribe to astronomy websites like
APOD, YouTube channels, and social media
accounts that are use for giving an update and
heads up for the incoming astronomical events.
This also gives us real-time updates and
educational content about celestial events.
 We have utilized a virtual planetarium application in order to observe
the night sky virtually. We’ve utilized Stellarium and Google Sky that
can be manipulated using our mouse or screen. These two allows us
to simulate the night sky, identify constellations, and track the positions
of planets and other celestial objects like Makemake who’s not visible
even if we use the telescope.
 We also watched some recorded videos that have provided us into
observing astronomical events without telescopes or binoculars.
 We also joined in online groups, and social media communities like
NASA’s group page where astronomy enthusiasts share their
observations, experiences, and advice.
Aside from that, we’ve also gathered information from online websites which
allow us to read some explanations of why such astronomical events occur.
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: cbsua.sipocot@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

Results:

As a result of the action, we set out on an exciting quest to learn more

about the field of astronomy in March 2024 by actively looking for different
astronomical phenomena from the information we gained in different platforms
such as blogs and YouTube channels and websites
which is exceptional for its giving reliable and
interesting content. This activity gave us fresh insights
on our role in the universe and how we interact with it,
in addition to feeding my intellectual curiosity which
build our basic knowledge in regarding to this;
astronomical events happens all throughout this March
2024.

By evaluating the information, we have gathered, it led us to unlock our

wonders and curiosity - learning from different events, the imagination drives
us upon reading each titled event on a particular day in March to create an
enthusiastic understanding. Those events can evenly watch through
telescopes, binoculars, and other technology that can magnify what totally
happening in space. The media platforms that we have subscribed and
comprehensively read about resulted in being more engaging and interested
to this field. Additionally, providing this virtual planetarium application we can
see the natural phenomena that were taken past few days or events weeks
ago, this was the best application we utilize for even more better watching and
witnessing those events happen through the virtual stream. For us, it was a
great experience for us since it is not just doing as a requirement, we
cultivated our sense of patience, and how we can do it with fun. Throughout
the observation, reading and searching, we kept our record to this critical
reflection and pinned down our personal thoughts, ideas, and even emotions.
From our perspective and beliefs, it led also to have hopes and dreams – by
meditation inspired by each event even it's not real-time. In successfully doing
this venture. I together with my partner exchanged ideas, pieces of
information that enriched our understanding beyond what solitary
observations, learning, and ideas yield to our mind.

Learnings:

In the field of Astronomy, the branch of science can really beckons our
spirit to look upwards and beyond our earthly confines, invites a contemplative
perspective toward the universe. The anticipated astronomical events of
March 2024 provided such an opportunity for me to indulge in the vastness of
our celestial surroundings, embracing both the
scientific knowledge and the reflective understanding
that accompanies such an experience. This activity
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: cbsua.sipocot@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

thought us everything, increasing our personal learning as we search for and

engage with information from different reliable resources we trust.

In the first venture that suck us as we begin, emotions and full of

excitement drive us. As we explore, this March 2024 filled with a series of
astronomical events that manifest in the night sky instilled in us a sense of
eagerness to understand it whole. The first thing we learned in this activity is
to appreciate those events with patience in learning, since events differ from
each other, every event that is mentioned is pretty suited to stargazing, this
was truly enjoyed as you watch with anyone such as family, friends and even
your co-worker. Upon our discovery through research, the quest, wonder, and
curiosity of our mind are gradually unlocked by understanding the nature of
each event leading us down a rabbit hole of educational content from
scientific research, virtual simulation (watch), and astronomy blogs. We learn
this one by one as we have to comprehend it variety and its place within the
cosmic ballet that continually unfolds above us. Research became more than
just acquiring facts; it made us a way to connect with our beloved and
hardworking astronomers. As we learn about this, it makes us gain more
interest in astronomical events as well as intertwined with our fabric of
understanding regarding our universe. Additionally, it also ignited our critical
thinking skills by satisfying our unanswered questions, we also tried to
understand how astronomers predicted those events and that is because of
astrology, astronomers on their specialized skills, and technological
advances. During our activity, we also struggled to understand critically the
events but with the help of the ideas connected from the data, it makes things
simple. We appreciate also their efforts to understand and keep bridges to
come up with this successful activity.