Astronomy is one of the oldest disciplines our civilisation has, and the field continues to enthrall people with curiosity and passion. Dedicated to the skies is Andy Palado, who has committed a portion of his time to creating a hub in the city for like-minded folk.
Andy arrived in Abu Dhabi from the Philippines in 2006. He had always shown a proclivity to gazing at the dark skies. ‘For as far back as I can remember I used to spend hours at night looking up at the skies, waiting to see a shooting star or something else spectacular.’ As he grew older, Andy read all he could about astronomy and even signed up for a few online courses.
‘Once I moved here, I immediately bought a telescope and started looking for astronomy groups. I was having a hard time finding people with similar interests, so I decided to start my own group; Abu Dhabi Astronomy.’ Andy set up a site and began tracking noteworthy celestial events, charting ones that could be seen from Abu Dhabi. ‘What would be great is if we could have an observatory. At the moment though, there are just a few amateurs trying to track the best spots.’
Soon after, people began contacting him from all over the city. ‘Within a few months of setting up the site in 2007, I already had people who wanted to meet and get together with our telescopes.’ If you have ever driven by Marina Mall in the past and noticed a small group of star gazers with monstrous lenses, then you have passed the Abu Dhabi Astronomy group. ‘Unfortunately, now there is so much construction and light pollution in that region that we cannot see anything anymore. We usually go out into the deserts at night for a great view,’ says Andy. The group also sometimes ventures to Al Bateen Beach, a public area that is relatively quiet.
Using the Astromaster Telescope, Andy is able to see deep into the night sky. ‘What always keeps me going is seeing more and more unexplained things. Having more questions just makes me more curious and makes me want to keep watching the skies.’ The website that Andy has developed is packed with useful information for starry night gazers; including upcoming noteworthy celestial events, weather conditions that might affect visibility and good spots to set up your telescope. The website currently has 50 members, all of whom share a passion for the field. ‘We don’t usually all meet at the same time, but we have had groups of 20 going out with our telescopes.’
Visitors to the site will also notice Andy’s passion for astrophotography. Using a Canon EOS 1100D, Andy has been able to take some mesmerizing images of fantastic scenes. He tells us about some great shots he took on Valentine’s Day, when there was a comet passing close to the sun. ‘That was really like a Valentine’s gift for me, from the universe!’
Whether you are a keen night watcher or are just looking to explore astronomy as a hobby, Andy will gladly give you the basics and get you started on this journey. He is always keen on meeting new astronomy lovers; ‘I think the more of us there are, the more the topic will come to the limelight and perhaps we could even have a facility built for us.’ In the meantime though, he will gladly give you the GPS coordinates to meet up in the desert and peer at the sky.
To contact the Abu Dhabi Astronomy Club visit www.abudhabiastronomy.blogspot.ae, or email abudhabiastronomy@gmail.com. To contact Andy directly, call 050 225 9963.
Stargazing facts
• Astronomy comes from the Greek term and literally means ‘stars’ and ‘arrangement’.
• Astronomy is the branch of physics that studies the universe as a whole.
• Light from the sun takes eight minutes to reach the Earth.
• Jupiter is heavier than all the other planets combined.
• On the clearest night, the human eye can only detect approximately 3,000 stars.
