PAG-ASA 150th Anniversary and Compound Tour

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration ( PAG-ASA ) Quezon City , Philippines

PAG-ASA exhibit area

We were invited by Mr. Resly George Amador  for an open house tour of PAG-ASA and its exhibit. It was scheduled last March 26, 2015 . We met at around 10:00am at the PAG-ASA planetarium. The planetarium is smaller compared to Luneta but it had a seating capacity of between 80 to 100 people at any given time. The Open House and Tour was conducted in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the institution. History : It all started  on January 1, 1865  when Jesuit priest Fr. Francisco Colina set up simple meteorological instruments in an abandoned pigeon house.

Planetarium within PAG-ASA compound

That led to the Observatorio Meteorologica de Manila — designated as the official weather forecasting institution in 1884 through a Spanish royal decree.

PAG-ASA head from 1860’s to the current

On April 28, 1884, King Alfonso XII issued a decree recognized the observatory  as an official institution of the  Spanish colonial government in the Philippines .

Mr. Resly Amador together with teachers of Pasay City Science High School

At the start of the 20th century, meteorological observations were transferred from the Roman Catholic Church to the American colonial government. By act of the Philippine Commission, the Weather Bureau of the Philippine Islands were established under Act No. 131 on May 22, 1901.

outdoor observation area

The government agency was created on December 8, 1972 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 78 reorganizing the Philippine Weather Bureau into PAGASA

Stevenson Screen

The Stevenson screen holds instruments that may include thermometers (ordinary, maximum and minimum ), a  hygrometer , a psychrometer , dewcell , barometer and a thermograph  Stevenson screens may also be known as a cotton region shelter, an instrument shelter, a thermometer shelter, a thermoscreen or a thermometer screen. Its purpose is to provide a standardized environment in which to measure temperature, humidity, dewpoint and atmospheric pressure.

Engineer Marc Francis C. Calpo

Stevenson Screen is a box shape, constructed of wood, in a double-louvered design. It is slightly tilted to avoid the direct rays coming from the sun . The whole screen is painted with several coats of white to reflect sunlight radiation  .  The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) agreed standard for the height of the thermometers is between 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in) and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) above the ground.

 poster making contest

weather instruments on display

National Radiation Center

Mr. Arman Griarte

Sometimes, There are people who would steal these items , thinking that they are very valuable objects , Some thinks that those are for magical instruments. Although the instrument is not cheap each instrument is said to cost around Php 69,000 to Php 70,000 each .

Campbell Sun Stokes

It was invented by John Francis Campbell  in 1853 and modified in 1879 by Sir George Gabriel Stokes . The original design by Campbell consisted of a glass sphere set into a wooden bowl with the sun burning a trace on the bowl. Stokes’s refinement was to make the housing out of metal and to have a card holder set behind the sphere.

They are placed in some observatories in different parts of the country.  Hence the name was coined after the two famous inventor – Campbell Sun Stokes.

The glass sphere – typically 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter – is designed to focus the rays from the sun onto a card mounted at the back and is set on a stand. The card is held in place by grooves of which there are three overlapping sets, to allow for the altitude of the sun during different seasons of the year. In the northern hemisphere the winter card is used from 15 October to 29 February, the equinox  card from 1 March to 11 April and 3 September to 14 October. The summer card is therefore used from 12 April to 2 September. Each card is marked as to the hour, with local noon being in the center, and is read in 10ths. In the northern hemisphere , the unit is set in a stand facing south to enable the maximum amount of sun to be recorded. It is important to place the unit in an area where the sun will not be blocked by buildings, trees or flagpoles.

Panahon Television

Panahon.TV is the earliest weather & environment-related news television program airing live at 5:00-5:30AM on People’s Television (PTV). Panahon.TV airs from Mondays to Sundays with hourly express updates from 5:30AM until 8:00PM, also available on live streaming via Ustream.

We manage to get a sneak peek on Panahon Television within the DOST -PAG-ASA compound. We were greeted by Mr. George Vincent Gamayo – Segment Producer of the program.

Note: We would like to ” Thank’ all the people of PAG-ASA and Panahon Television for their warm accommodation.

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Panahon.TV/info?tab=page_info

PANAHON.TV: http://www.panahon.tv/

PAG-ASA : http://pagasa.dost.gov.ph/

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