20 March 2007

Christopher Go, discovered "Red Jr."

Physics alumnus receives Presidential Medal of Merit

Christopher Go (B.S. Physics, 1991) received the Presidential Medal of Merit during a ceremony held as part of the 25th Anniversary of the Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD) last March 15, 2007.

Go, space physicist and scientist, earned recognition in the international astronomy community for his discovery on February 24, 2006 that a white oval-shaped storm system designated as Oval BA changed to red, resembling the color of the 300-year-old Great Red Spot.


Go received the Medal of Merit from Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Dubbed “Red Jr.” the new spot is almost half the size of the Great Red Spot, which means it is about the same size as Planet Earth. Red Jr. itself was formed in 2000 when three smaller spots collided and merged. The color remained white until December 2005 when Go reported that it slowly turned brown. When Oval BA suddenly turned red, Go was again first to report it through the Jupiter Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers.


An image of Jupiter showing Oval BA (courtesy of Chris Go).

The ceremony was held at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Auditorium in Diliman, Quezon City. (See official press release.)

Go is a planetary imager and is the founder of the USC Astronomical Society. He regularly holds stargazing and other activities at the USC Talamban Campus.


Author: P. J. Lim
21 / March / 2007

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