On Oct. 10, students and visitors assembled to marvel at the moon and Saturn during Astronomy Club at GT’s (GTAC) monthly Public Night. After sunset, the club members set up their equipment with the help of experienced staff volunteers. Slowly, people trickled in to look through telescopes scattered through the dark Howey Courtyard. AJ Chadha, fourth-year INTA and VP of GTAC, illuminated the importance of Public Night to astronomy enthusiasts.
“Our events aren’t the kind of events you would need to know anything to go to. You can be a complete novice and not know anything about astronomy and still have your mind blown away,” Chadha said.
The inclusive and open nature of the club invites all majors who are interested in astronomy to join their Public Nights and their off-campus events. Notably, GTAC has semesterly observations at Deerlick Astronomy Village, where onlookers can see the Milky Way with their naked eye. According to Chadha, public nights are usually people’s first exposure to GTAC.
“We keep this whole area dark, so people start to get intrigued by what’s going on,” Chadha said. The event was filled with alumni and adults who were passing by. Jillian Wombles, MBID 23’, ventured back to Tech to partake in Public Night.
“I couldn’t partake in a lot of the after-school activities,” Wombles said, as she was a commuter as a student. Now, as a research coordinator in Midtown, she decided to come back to be a part of the event, just like many other public members who attended in attendance.
“A lot of people have life-changing experiences when they look at Saturn or the moon for the first time,” Chadha said. “The moon is a massive object, but we are so normalized to seeing it that we don’t comprehend its scale. When you look through a telescope, it really does exist. Seeing is believing.”
The Technique spoke to club members and staff; a unifying factor among them was an interest in astrophotography.
“I started getting into photography, … and when I went on the first Deerlick trip, I got super cool photos, so I wanted to get better at this,” Chadha said. For him, this club was the catalyst for his development of astrophotography as a skill. This hobby was the passion of many people in GTAC and helped expose newcomers to the hobby.
The club culture is family-oriented; new members are accepted with open arms. Their bake sale is one way they bring a warm and fun atmosphere to Public Night.
“[The bake sale] helps people have a better time when they’re sitting around, eating cookies, and watching the stars,” Chadha said.
GTAC strives to create lasting memories for event participants. For example, GTAC allowed attendees to “Pie an Executive Member” during their Pi Day observation. In addition, GTAC embarked on a Solar Eclipse trip to the Ozarks last semester. This trip raised the club’s popularity as it changed the lives of those who went.
“It was a big bonding experience,” Chadha said. “For people who are looking to make friends or are unsure where they stand at Tech, it’s a great way to meet other people because there is no time in Astronomy Club when you are alone.”
GTAC has access to a 20-inch telescope every Monday at their meetings, housed in the observatory inside the Howey Physics Building. The club has shown popular celestial objects, such as the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula, depending on the time of year. Members get to handle the telescope without the oversight of a professor, so they can get hands-on experience with the equipment.
The Technique also spoke to some students to understand the motivation behind attending such an event.
“We walk around campus all the time but never pay attention to the actual sky,” said Abhiti Khare, second-year CS.
Public nights create a place to appreciate celestial bodies, which are often seen but rarely noticed.
“I learned more than I thought. We were talking to another student, and he mentioned the difference between planets and stars,” said Stephanie Kurian, second-year BA.
The club members translated their knowledge with those attending Public Night, as they shared facts about each observed body.
James Sowell facilitated many GTAC events throughout his years at Tech. With the help of longtime volunteers like John Wallom, the first public nights were initiated. Sowell is now retired, but his work continues with passionate club members and staff.
With cookies in hand and friendliness from the club members, this event is educational and relaxing for participants. Their next Public Night will take place on Nov. 7.