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The Low Pressure Area (LPA) southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan has developed into a Tropical Depression and was given the local name #TinoPH.

At 10:00 AM today, the Tropical Depression was located at 245 kilometers east-southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. It has maximum winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) with gustiness of 80 kph, moving in a west-northwest direction at a speed of 28 kph. It is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility tomorrow morning.


This weather disturbance is expected to make landfall in Southern Palawan this afternoon, between 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Number 1 was hoisted in the said province.

Meanwhile, residents of MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), the Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, Caraga and Panay Island are alerted against possible flash floods and landslides. Metro Manila, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), and the province of Aurora will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms.

Sea travel is risky in the seaboards of Palawan due to moderate to rough seas brought by Tropical Depression #TinoPH.

Of Aliens and Astrobiology

It may sound far-removed from reality, but astrobiology or the branch of biology concerned with the study of life on earth and in space, is actually quite practical. Though this field is relatively new compared to the long-established fields of astronomy, biology, physics, geology and planetary science, astrobiology is essential for securing the future of humans. That’s because it combines the search for habitable environments in the solar system and beyond while researching the evolution and adaptability of life here on Earth. Astrobiology seeks to answer fundamental scientific questions about life—including the conditions for it to flourish here or elsewhere in the galaxy.

Meet Earth, Our Planet

The oldest known fossils found on Earth are around 3.5 billion years old, 14 times the age of the oldest dinosaurs. Different theories and beliefs have sprouted on how life on Earth began. Before the 1800s, most people believed in “vitalism”, an idea that living things were endowed with a special, magical property that made them different from inanimate objects.

Another famous theory is Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species, which explains how the vast diversity of life could all have risen from a single common ancestor. Instead of each of the different species being created individually by God, the theory poses that all descended from a primordial organism that lived millions of years ago.

Flourishing life

Earth is often referred to as a “Goldilocks planet”. Like the third of the three bowls of porridge in the fairy tale Goldilocks, it is neither too hot nor too cold, but just right. This allows liquid water—which is essential to life— to flourish in our planet. But do you know that the Earth hasn’t always carried water? A theory suggests that asteroids struck the Earth, carrying this life-giving substance and other bacteria to our planet.

It is a fact that humans are outnumbered by bacteria. As Evolutionary Biologist Stephen Jay Gould wrote, “Our planet has always been in the ‘Age of Bacteria’ ever since the first fossils bacteria, of course, were entombed in rocks more than 3 billion years ago. On any possible, reasonable or fair criterion, bacteria are and always have been the dominant forms of life on Earth.”


A journal published online by the University of California Berkeley on April 11, 2016 reinforces that humans represent only a tiny percentage of the world’s biodiversity.


Life on Mars?

Martians or inhabitants of the planet Mars have long been the subject of pop culture, whether in jest or all seriousness. But recent explorations in Mars have found water bound in the fine soil of the “Red Planet”, particularly in the Gale Crater. This crater was created when a large meteor struck the planet 3.5 billion to 3.8 billion years ago. They discovered that Mount Sharp, a mound of rock in the middle of Gale Crater, was built by sediments deposited in a large lake bed, tens of millions of years ago. Experts believe that the crater itself was once a vast ocean. An analysis of rocks at the bottom of a mountain in the middle of the crater shows that water flowed at different levels over the course of millions of years. In fact, there are still substantial amounts of ice water at the Martian poles.

The mission of Curiosity, a car-sized rover that’s part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL), includes investigating Martian climate and geology, assessing whether the Gale Crater has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life, including the investigation of the role of water, and planetary habitability studies in preparation for future human exploration.

The question of whether there is, or was, life on Mars may finally be answered by the European Space Agency’s ExoMars mission, which will land a 300-kilogram rover on the Red Planet in 2019.

Chances of life beyond Earth

We assume that one-fifth of all stars have habitable planets in orbit around them. This leads us to conclude that there should be other advanced technological civilizations out there. In our very own Milky Way galaxy, the odds of being the only technologically advanced civilization are 1 in 60 billion. Thus, it’s very likely that other intelligent, technologically advanced species have evolved before us.

According to the History Channel, Frank Drake a notable astronomer, created an equation that was able to “estimate the likelihood of the existence of alien life, taking into account a number of factors including the average number of planets able to support life and the fraction that could go on to support intelligent life.” The equation found that “hundreds of thousands” of planets that could support extraterrestrial beings could and should exist.

So… do aliens really exist? This question has baffled humans ever since prehistoric man noticed the bright stars in our sky. Thousands of paranormal sightings have been recorded on video since then, with many conspiracy theories and fictional films such as E.T. and Alien generating much interest among UFO hunters. Hundreds of pictures and videos of UFOs are taken every year. While some have been debunked as fake, there are still dozens that have left even the experts scratching their heads and wondering if we really have been visited by creatures from another planet.

According to the Telegraph, Charles Bolden, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was quoted: “I do believe that we will someday find other forms of life or a form of life, if not in our solar system then in some of the other solar systems — the billions of solar systems in the universe.”

As technology advances, our research probability also expands. If extra-terrestrial life exists, then perhaps, life on Earth can also exist in other planets. Rather than being a scary thought, aliens now give us hope—that we are not alone, and that with the gradual degradation of our planet, human life can still thrive elsewhere. Such is the possibility astrobiologists are now endeavoring to find out.

By Panahon TV Reporter Patrick Obsuna

There are a lot of theories on how the Moon came to being. But one of the most accepted theories is that it was formed from debris that resulted from a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia. This collision caused a big chunk of mass to eject from Earth which later on cooled down and then became the Moon.

Our Moon, which is the fifth largest Moon in the Solar System, was given names by several cultures and tribes, one of which is “Bulan” given by the Malays, which is close to how Filipinos call the moon as “Buwan”. Because the Greeks named it “Selene” a titan and their moon goddess, the study of the Moon’s geology is called Selenology.

You might wonder why the Moon looks different every night. This is because as the Earth revolves around the Sun, the light reflected to the Moon varies everyday. This phenomenon creates the phases of the Moon.

Moon’s Phases

Because our Moon is massive, its gravitational pull affects bodies of water during certain phases. This affects the tides, but most importantly the lives of people living near the bodies of water.

Tides and Their Effects on Fishing

Due to the combined gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, tides occur. Still the Moon is the major force behind tides because it is nearer to the Earth. Tides are periodic short-term changes in the height of the water surface in a particular place.

During the falling fide is the best time of day to catch fish. This occurs when the tide changes from high tide to low tide. The faster the water is moving out, the better the fishing. This is because the fish take advantage of this time to feed on the smaller fish being pushed out to the sea. Meanwhile, high tide is not ideal for fishing because of the rise in sea level.

Tides affect, not only fishing, but also sea travel. Just before a low tide occurs, sea vessels are moved to shallow spots to avoid them from getting hauled into the coastlines. Many marine animals and plants also benefit from the tides. The daily ebb sweeps nutrients from the shallows, moving the juvenile fish from seashore nurseries to the deep ocean.

The pulling of the seas toward the Moon not only affects seawater depths along the coasts, but also the Earth’s rotation, slowed down by what is called tidal friction. The movement of the bulge of tidal water across the oceans and its attraction to the Moon acts as a brake on the Earth’s rotation. As a result, the length of a day increases.

Perhaps the most important effect of the Moon is the way it stabilizes our rotation. When the Earth rotates, it wobbles slightly back and forth on its axis. Without the Moon, we’d be wobbling much more.

Psychological Effects of the Moon

From the word Luna, the Roman Goddess of the Moon, the word “lunatic” was formed. Since the phases of the Moon have a great effect on the bodies of water, Greek philosopher Aristotle suggested that because the brain is the “moistest” organ in the body, it is more susceptible to the pernicious influence of the moon. Agreeing to this is Miami psychiatrist Arnold Lieber who conjectured that since the human body is about 80% water, the moon works its mischievous magic by disrupting the alignment of water molecules in the nervous system.

This is why strange mass behavior is attributed to the presence of a Full Moon. In Europe during the Middle Ages, “Lunar Lunacy” was also known as the “Transylvania effect”, wherein some believe that certain humans transformed into werewolves or vampires during a Full Moon.

Even today, the Full Moon is associated with strange events, such as increased cases of suicides, homicides, psychiatric hospital admission, emergency room calls, traffic accidents, local fights, and animal bites.

Sleep Deprivations

A small study in 2013 by Chrono-biologist and Sleep Researcher Christian Cajochen at the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel in Switzerland was conducted. Out of 33 volunteer adults, all of them slept less during the Full Moon even when they were not aware of the current lunar phase. But a year later, a broad review of sleep-moon research done by scientists at the Max-Plank Institute of Psychiatry in Germany, found no statistically significant correlation between lunar cycle and sleep.

More recently, a research was published on March 2016 by the Frontiers in Pediatrics from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada. More than 5,800 children aged 9 to 11 were analyzed in 12 different countries. The children about 5 minutes less on nights with a Full Moon. This is “unlikely to be important” from a health perspective, the researchers said, but is definitely interesting. Though the brightness of the Full Moon may be the reason for the decreased sleep, researchers doubted this suggestion because of the proliferation of artificial light these days.

Suicides and Homicides

There have been reported cases of an increased crime rate at an event of a Full Moon. A study was conducted in India on 1978 to 1982 by Dr. Siraj Misbahm a neurologist. He randomly selected 3 police stations—one rural, one urban and one industrial in Bihar, Northern India. These three police stations are at least 300 kilometers apart. Gathered data suggested that crimes committed on Full Moon Days were much higher than on all other days.

Psychiatric Hospital Admissions

A study in 2014 led by Varinder Parmar of Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada looked at psychiatric emergency-department visits 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours before and after a Full Moon. During the 6 hours before and after a full moon, data showed significantly more patients with personality disorders as well as those who needed more urgent care were admitted to the hospital. However, fewer patients with anxiety disorders showed up during the 12 hours and 24 hours prior to and following the Full Moon.

We cannot argue that the Moon plays an important part in our daily lives. A lot of mysteries have yet to been proven about our satellite but until then, take time to appreciate its beauty and its many phases.

By Panahon TV Reporter Patrick Christoffer Obsuna.

Related articles:

Ten Things You Need to Know about the Moon

Five Things You Should Know When the Moon is Full

Moonstruck: A Closer Look at our Lunar Fascination

Warm Weather on Rizal’s Birth Anniversary

The Ridge of a High Pressure Area (HPA) continues to bring generally fair weather in the country. This weather system suppresses cloud formation, causing lesser chance of rains. As it prevails today, partly cloudy to cloudy skies prevail in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao though isolated rain showers and thunderstorms are still possible.

In an interview with PAGASA Weather Forecaster Samuel Duran, he mentioned that no weather disturbance is expected to affect the country within the next two to three days.

Non-working Holiday

While it’s a back-to-work Monday in most areas of the country, some provinces are enjoying an extended vacation today. These include Ifugao, which celebrates its provincial foundation anniversary, and Laguna, the birthplace of Dr. Jose Rizal whose birth we commemorate today.

Here are expected weather conditions and temperatures in these areas:


Warm Wednesday and Monsoon Break

In the midst of the Rainy Season, generally fair and warm weather is expected with the presence of the Ridge of a High Pressure Area (HPA) today.

“Ridge” refers to the extended part of an HPA or an anticyclone. Unlike a Low Pressure Area, this indicates an area where the atmospheric pressure is higher than its surroundings. Formation of clouds is usually suppressed, thus, less chance of rains. As it extends across Luzon, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail in Metro Manila and the rest of the country only with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

In an interview with PanahonTV, PAGASA Weather Forecaster Robert Badrina said that the country is on a monsoon break.

Badrina also said that the country will experience a storm-free week.

Potential LPA spotted

A possible weather disturbance was spotted in Mindanao today.

Based on an interview with PAGASA Weather Forecaster Meno Mendoza, the possible Low Pressure Area (LPA) is embedded along the Intertropical Convergence Zone or ITCZ.

“Ang nakapaloob dito sa ating Intertropical Convergence Zone ay mga maliliit na vortices ng Low Pressure Area at posible itong panggalingan nga ng sama ng panahon.” (Embedded within the Intertropical Convergence Zone are small vortices of Low Pressure Area, which may develop into a weather disturbance.)

Considered to be a breeding ground of weather disturbances, the ITCZ refers to the area where winds from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres meet and create interaction. Meanwhile, vertices are mass of whirling air that may develop into weather disturbances.

Today, Mindanao and Eastern Visayas will continue to experience light to moderate rains and thunderstorms this Thursday. In the rest of the country including Metro Manila, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

ITCZ soaks parts of Mindanao

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) continues to affect Southern Mindanao.

ITCZ is characterized as an area where winds coming from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres meet; this interaction results to rains in the affected areas.

As this weather system prevails, cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and thunderstorms will be experienced in Mindanao today. Rains have been affecting the region since last week, prompting the cancellation of classes and declaration of State of Calamity in Kabuntalan and other areas in Maguindanao due to widespread flooding.

Light to moderate rains will also affect the regions of Central Visayas and Negros Island. In the rest of the country including Metro Manila, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail only with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

 

Rainy first day of school in parts of Luzon and Mindanao

According to the Department of Education, an estimated 28 million students officially opens the school year 2017-2018 today. As students and teachers head back to school, rains will prevail in some parts of Luzon and Mindanao.

According to PAGASA, the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat is still affecting the western section of Northern and Central Luzon, while the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is affecting Southern Mindanao. Due to these weather systems, cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms will be experienced in the Ilocos Region, Zambales, Bataan, Maguindanao, Soccsksargen and Davao Del Sur including Davao City. In the rest of the country including Metro Manila, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail except for isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

In an interview with PAGASA Weather Forecaster Samuel Duran, he mentioned that morning rains will be more frequent as Habagat prevails.

However, Duran clarified that there is no weather disturbance in the county within the next three days.

Moderate rains continue in Palawan

The Southwest Monsoon, locally known as Habagat continues to affect the eastern section of Luzon.

As this weather system prevails, Palawan will continue to experience light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms. In the rest of the country including Metro Manila, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail only with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

With rains concentrated in Palawan, humid weather is still expected to prevail in most parts of the country.

Get to Know Habagat
Every year, when the rainy season begins, Habagat begins to affect the country. Due to its warm and moist characteristics, Habagat causes monsoon rains that could last for a couple of days or even a week. Here are things you must know about this weather system: