Aureus May 2016:
A Stellar Time: Space Science class hosts star parties
Pinpricks of light shine through seemingly endless stillness, forming constellations, a myriad of patterns and pictures in the sky. Observing the night sky in all its wonders as a class, the students in the spring Space Science elective enjoy unique opportunities to attend star parties.
Star parties usually occur once a week, on days when the sky is clear and perfect for stargazing. Students fill in their observation sheets out on the athletic fields with Upper School Space Science teacher Steve Heilig. Heilig has seen students, family members (including grandparents) and neighbors at the star parties; while they’re usually not a big affair, large events can draw crowds up to a hundred people.
Steve Heilig believes that star parties give students an eye-opening experience that helps them succeed in class and experience the marvels of space. “I give the students these star charts, but you’re looking at this small piece of paper and the sky is really huge… it really helps to have somebody to point it out the first time,” Steve Heilig said. “When anybody looks through the telescope… it’s like a time machine, you’re looking into the past.”
The students have seen planets, constellations, satellites, and the international space station. But the sighting Steve Heilig remembers best is the trash hauler from the international space station.
“We were going to see the space station, we were all ready… and we saw something on the path the space station… that wasn't that bright, all of a sudden we looked… we thought ‘what would be in the same orbit, what would be following the same path as the space station,’” Steve Heilig recounted. The amazing part of witnessing the journey of trash hauler was how unlikely their chances of seeing it were; there was barely a one day window between when it was jettisoned from the space station and when it combusted. It’s moments like these that excite students, leading them down a path of discovery instead of monotonous staring into the sky.
Senior Michelle Heilig believes that star parties give students a unique venue to learn about space. “We get to connect concepts from class to things we can actually see,” she said. “[We got] to see, in real life, what we've been talking about in class and to gain some context.”
Her favorite part about attending a star party is finding constellations and learning the stories that go with them. “We looked at Sirius, the brightest star, and saw its rainbow colors and twinkling, and knew that it was due to the atmosphere,” she said.
Senior Peter Baker also has his share of memorable moments at star parties. “My peanut butter and jelly sandwich froze during the first star party…Dr. Heilig set everything up long before the students arrived and it was really inspiring that he was willing to brave the elements in order to better facilitate our understanding,” he said. Some of Baker’s favorite sightings have been the occasional satellite or meteor shower.
Baker also believes that the star parties have helped him succeed academically. “Just as students perform labs in Chemistry and Physics, star parties provide students a way to experience and observe what they are learning about,” he said.
Coming to star parties has allowed Baker to learn about topics related to space that he never would have encountered in the classroom. “Depending on the night there might be something extra worth noting in the sky and that will prompt a whole new tangent of discussion and learning that would have otherwise been missed out on,” he said.
However, the star parties this year have gotten lower attendance than usual. Michelle Heilig believes this is due to the timing of the parties, which is often unpredictable and difficult to deal with. “To see planets we'd need to wake up ridiculously early, and even the evening star parties can be inconvenient,” she said.
Senior Christine Lam also believes that attendance has been an especially prevalent problem this year. “People are interested to an extent, but they’re not willing to show up,” she said.
However, Lam believes that the experience of those who did come was especially valuable. “We have observation assignments and it’s a lot better having Dr. Heilig explain it to me… I know people who didn’t go had a hard time finding stuff [for their homework],” she said.
Lam also believes that the higher quality telescopes have helped her to complete her homework better. “[Going to the star parties] makes the assignments easier and it increases your understanding… I don’t have to guess around,” she said.
The star parties, and by extension, Space Science, have increased Lam’s appreciation of the night sky. “It’s interesting in that I never used to look at the stars… look for specific constellations or look at them closely,” she said. “It’s cool, when you hear about [constellations], to know where they are and to be able to spot them in the sky.”
Baker shares Lam’s renewed appreciation of the stars, and enjoys the new perspective the star parties have given him on the celestial world. “So rarely do students, especially in the city, have the opportunity or the reason to just spend time studying the night sky. It is something so familiar and yet so foreign to many of us,” he said.
Page design: Boraan Abdulkarim, Amodhya Samarakoon, Meghan Joyce
Star parties usually occur once a week, on days when the sky is clear and perfect for stargazing. Students fill in their observation sheets out on the athletic fields with Upper School Space Science teacher Steve Heilig. Heilig has seen students, family members (including grandparents) and neighbors at the star parties; while they’re usually not a big affair, large events can draw crowds up to a hundred people.
Steve Heilig believes that star parties give students an eye-opening experience that helps them succeed in class and experience the marvels of space. “I give the students these star charts, but you’re looking at this small piece of paper and the sky is really huge… it really helps to have somebody to point it out the first time,” Steve Heilig said. “When anybody looks through the telescope… it’s like a time machine, you’re looking into the past.”
The students have seen planets, constellations, satellites, and the international space station. But the sighting Steve Heilig remembers best is the trash hauler from the international space station.
“We were going to see the space station, we were all ready… and we saw something on the path the space station… that wasn't that bright, all of a sudden we looked… we thought ‘what would be in the same orbit, what would be following the same path as the space station,’” Steve Heilig recounted. The amazing part of witnessing the journey of trash hauler was how unlikely their chances of seeing it were; there was barely a one day window between when it was jettisoned from the space station and when it combusted. It’s moments like these that excite students, leading them down a path of discovery instead of monotonous staring into the sky.
Senior Michelle Heilig believes that star parties give students a unique venue to learn about space. “We get to connect concepts from class to things we can actually see,” she said. “[We got] to see, in real life, what we've been talking about in class and to gain some context.”
Her favorite part about attending a star party is finding constellations and learning the stories that go with them. “We looked at Sirius, the brightest star, and saw its rainbow colors and twinkling, and knew that it was due to the atmosphere,” she said.
Senior Peter Baker also has his share of memorable moments at star parties. “My peanut butter and jelly sandwich froze during the first star party…Dr. Heilig set everything up long before the students arrived and it was really inspiring that he was willing to brave the elements in order to better facilitate our understanding,” he said. Some of Baker’s favorite sightings have been the occasional satellite or meteor shower.
Baker also believes that the star parties have helped him succeed academically. “Just as students perform labs in Chemistry and Physics, star parties provide students a way to experience and observe what they are learning about,” he said.
Coming to star parties has allowed Baker to learn about topics related to space that he never would have encountered in the classroom. “Depending on the night there might be something extra worth noting in the sky and that will prompt a whole new tangent of discussion and learning that would have otherwise been missed out on,” he said.
However, the star parties this year have gotten lower attendance than usual. Michelle Heilig believes this is due to the timing of the parties, which is often unpredictable and difficult to deal with. “To see planets we'd need to wake up ridiculously early, and even the evening star parties can be inconvenient,” she said.
Senior Christine Lam also believes that attendance has been an especially prevalent problem this year. “People are interested to an extent, but they’re not willing to show up,” she said.
However, Lam believes that the experience of those who did come was especially valuable. “We have observation assignments and it’s a lot better having Dr. Heilig explain it to me… I know people who didn’t go had a hard time finding stuff [for their homework],” she said.
Lam also believes that the higher quality telescopes have helped her to complete her homework better. “[Going to the star parties] makes the assignments easier and it increases your understanding… I don’t have to guess around,” she said.
The star parties, and by extension, Space Science, have increased Lam’s appreciation of the night sky. “It’s interesting in that I never used to look at the stars… look for specific constellations or look at them closely,” she said. “It’s cool, when you hear about [constellations], to know where they are and to be able to spot them in the sky.”
Baker shares Lam’s renewed appreciation of the stars, and enjoys the new perspective the star parties have given him on the celestial world. “So rarely do students, especially in the city, have the opportunity or the reason to just spend time studying the night sky. It is something so familiar and yet so foreign to many of us,” he said.
Page design: Boraan Abdulkarim, Amodhya Samarakoon, Meghan Joyce