Blue moons and shooting stars.

Byline: Michael L. Tan

I HAVE a feeling most Filipinos, myself included, missed a spectacular sky show last month. I didn't realize this until I read on the Internet about the dazzling Leonid meteor showers last Nov. 18, and how Asians had a particularly breath-taking view. The rave reviews were confirmed when I ran into friends who did catch the Leonid meteors here in Manila. There were hundreds, they said, of these shooting stars that made for a truly exhilarating experience.

The fact that there was no local media coverage of the Leonid meteor showers, before or after the event, reflects the lack of interest Filipinos have for such events. Which is unfortunate because this lack of interest is one reason we still have such low scientific literacy compared to our Asian neighbors.

Right now, Filipinos get …