By Anne Garsea
Looking to grab the best view for Sunday night’s supermoon lunar eclipse, a few members of the Astronomy club attended an eclipse viewing party held at Brookhaven College.
On September 27, the eclipse viewing took place in the plaza between building X and building K located on Brookhaven campus from 7 p.m. to midnight. This event, in conjunction with the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas (TAS), was an opportunity for students and family to learn more about the stars, as well as the eclipse.
“I think it’s important to learn about the universe, because growing up we never really had the opportunity to learn about outer space,” senior co-president Michaela McMillan said. “I was very excited to be around others from my community and share the view and wonders of space that not everyone has the chance to see.”
Many Brookhaven teachers and members of TAS brought out their own telescopes, many with reflecting mirrors and some with attached binoculars, good for taking photos of the eclipse.
“These telescopes will reach deep sky objects,” sponsor Dr. Hademenos said. “You could literally see all of the planets in the solar system, and it was perfect for viewing the eclipse at night.”
Due to the major light pollution, the RHS telescope has not been used much. The telescope will be used at future star gazing parties and club meetings, but Hademenos said it is difficult when trying to plan specific dates and times due to weather and light.
“The thing with telescopes is, you can only use it at night, so we have to arrange our viewings to specifically evening times, around 8 or 9 p.m.,” Hademenos said. “One time we did it, we just met up at school. Even though it was only about five of us, we got to see some pretty cool things in the sky.”