Moon and planets viewing event with the physics department

With Stevens being so close to New York City, skywatching is not often a popular (or possible) outdoor activity. Nighttime light pollution, lack of open space, and a general lack of opportunity to take some time and look up at the stars make sure of that. But despite all of the challenges, city skywatching is not at all impossible, in fact, it is a great chance to get outside and appreciate the universe.

Stevens students did exactly that on November 9 at Pier C Park. With daylight savings, the sky in the evenings is now dark enough to see Jupiter and Saturn at the same time. This month also had a full moon very early, enabling skywatchers to view that as well. The event, run by professor Ting Lu, used telescopes from the Physics Department and the Society of Physics Students. The goal was to give students in astronomy classes a chance to see the objects they study out of the textbook and in the night sky, as well as to grow an interest in space in the general community, outside of the physics department. The opportunity to see the stars is often inspiring, with Professor Lu saying: “No matter how many times you’ve seen the rings of Saturn or the colored bands of Jupiter and its moons, you’ll be amazed all over again every time you peek through the eyepiece. That sense of being in awe motivates people to learn more about the subject.”

Outside of our campus community, there are many other ways to get involved with star watching. The first is simply with the naked eye. Lunar eclipses are a great chance for this. This past week, on November 8th, at around 5 a.m., a total lunar eclipse was visible on the East Coast, dazzling skywatchers. This will be the last full lunar eclipse until March 2025, although partial eclipses will be visible before then. This month also features the Leonid Meteor shower, named after Leo, the constellation from which the meteors will appear to come from. Both of these are visible to the naked eye, all one needs to view them is a clear night and a bit of time. 

To get more involved with astronomy, the New York area has great resources for beginners. The Amateur Astronomers Association of New York hosts observing events and even free planetary science classes throughout the year that are open to the public, many of which are at parks and observatories in the city. They also publish ‘Skylights’ of moon phases and constellations to watch out for this month. 

Whether you have an avid interest in astronomy and physics or just enjoy getting outside, there is definitely something to be gained from looking up at the sky, even when living in a city. Professor Lu went on to say: “I think people are drawn to astronomy because of the vastness of space and all the fascinating objects out there. Even within our solar system, there are objects with strikingly different properties, not to mention that our solar system is just one of the billions of star systems in our galaxy and there are so many other galaxies in the Universe!”