Astronomy Club provides forum for space-lovers
January 12, 2017
The new Astronomy Club recently began activities at Grosse Pointe South to provide a platform in which students may discuss star-gazing and interstellar physics among each other. The club just began its activities on Dec. 8.
There are no regular plans in terms of content for meetings currently, as the club is just starting to get its feet on the ground, but plans for various field trips are being made, according to club member and co-president Gen Yarema ‘18.
“Right now we’ve been planning what we’ll be doing for the year,” Yarema said. “We’ve been thinking about doing some field trips to science centers, planetariums, Dark Sky park at metro beach, Cranbrook, things like that.”
For the casual lovers of astronomy, this club will allow discussion of the advances made in the field without the conventional club hierarchal structure.
“Eventually we’ll be talking about news and space type things when we find it,” Yarema said. “It [the club] is mostly just conversational; I’ve been serving as secretary and Maggie (co-president of the club) has been doing the president’s work, but other than that there’s really no need for elected offices.”
Club advisor and science teacher Troy Hernandez echoed Yarema’s statements, describing its emerging status.
“The purpose of the astronomy club right now is to see what the student interest of the student body is, and try to focus it on things that are going on in astronomy currently,” Hernandez said. “Right now, the students are gathering information and activities on what they’d like to do with the club.”
As for its focus and scope in topic, the astronomy club plans to discuss more modern and emerging discoveries in the field, according to Hernandez.
“Different things with galaxies, dark matter, and black holes; which seems to be an interesting part.”
The other co-president, Maggie Huber ‘18, describes the club as a welcome atmosphere for those who are unsure on their interest in the topic.
“The purpose of the Astronomy Club is for people that have a common interest in astronomy and physics to be able to go on really cool field trips, and talk about it,” Huber said. “And for people who don’t even have an interest in astronomy, we do have presentations and things where you can learn a lot.”
Field trips do not require stringent attendance to club meetings, according to Huber.
“ur field trips will be really fun, you don’t have to know a lot about astronomy to do that,” Huber said. “It’s just people with a common interest having fun.”
Meetings for the Astronomy Club take place Thursday mornings at 7:30 am in Hernandez’s room.