On Wednesday, November 12, Outdoor Adventure hosted a stargazing trip to Garey Park where students could explore the wonders of the night sky alongside many of the area’s most experienced astronomers.

Students met at the Howry Outdoor Adventure Center around 6:00pm, just after the sun had set. Out on the deck behind the building, patio chairs formed a circle around the fire pit where participants roasted marshmallows and sipped hot cocoa. Despite the warmth of the evening, we thoroughly enjoyed this time to socialize with each other, chatting and laughing as the stars began to emerge.

Around 7:00, we loaded the van, bringing plenty of water, folding chairs, and picnic blankets. Although students had the option to drive themselves when this trip was offered in the past, we traveled together to ensure everyone arrived at Garey Park safely. About 15 minutes from campus and less obstructed by light pollution, Garey Park offers a beautiful, clear view of the night sky perfect for this community stargazing event. 

Inside Garey Park, cones illuminated with red lights (key for reducing light pollution and preserving night vision) designated a street for viewing the sky through telescopes and a large, open field for setting out chairs and picnic blankets to relax and gaze up at the stars. 

Lining the street, volunteers from the Williamson County Astronomy Club had set up nine telescopes in all, including a pair of binoculars, providing attendees with the opportunity to observe several celestial bodies up close. Most attendees spent the evening drifting from one telescope to the next, taking time to listen to the insights and information provided by these joyful and generous volunteers. 

First finding our way to the telescope with the shortest line, we were able to view the Pleiades, a cluster of over 1,000 stars. While seven of these stars are visible to the unaided eye, viewing this collection through the telescope revealed dozens of other stars and was wonderfully awe-inspiring.

A highlight of the night was Saturn’s positioning as it rose to the center of the sky throughout the evening and its rings appeared straight-on. Three telescopes and a pair of binoculars focused on this planet, each with a varying degree of magnetism. As we waited to view the ringed planet, astronomers happily answered our questions and shared information about Saturn. One volunteer explained that the planet is 29.5 light years away from Earth, meaning that the light we currently see from Saturn was emitted over 29 years ago. When we were able to view Saturn from the telescope, the tiny bright light we had been watching became a brilliant white circle, its rings appearing as a line running straight through the planet. One telescope with an especially magnetized image displayed four of Saturn’s moons, including Titan, Rhea, and Dione to the left of the planet and Tethys to the right. Each moon fell in a straight line extending from both sides of Saturn, creating a parade of lights through the eyepiece of the telescope.

One telescope focused on the Andromeda Galaxy, which is 2.5 million light years away, and despite being the closest galaxy to the Milky Way, appears only as a gray smudge even when viewed through a telescope. 

Another astronomer showcased long-exposure photos of the Triangulum Galaxy, also known as M33, that he had used his telescope to take. He explained that the photos were taken three minutes at a time and then averaged together to create a clearer image. Photos of the swirling galaxy surrounded by hundreds of stars attracted viewers all night, portraying the beauty of our universe.

The final station we ventured to had been drawing long lines throughout the event. This astronomer exhibited the ET cluster, scientifically known as NGC 457, an open star cluster in the constellation of Cassiopeia. As we looked back and forth between the constellation and the image shown in the telescope, the astronomer explained that this cluster inhabited what looked like an empty patch of sky to the unaided eye. He told us that the cluster is 8,000 light years away and is approximated to be 21 million years old, clarifying that we can understand a star’s age due to its color.

After making our way to each station, we took a moment to be still, returning to our “home base” and lying on picnic blankets to look up at the stars. The sky had shifted since our arrival; Saturn was making its way to the center of the sky and the Pleiades crept high above the tops of the trees. The air had turned chilly, and as each member of our group made their way back, we began to pack up our belongings and then head to the van, arriving safely back on campus a little after 9:00.

Thanking the Outdoor Adventure trip leaders and saying goodbye to our new friends, we each went our separate ways, walking under the stars with a little more knowledge of our vast and beautiful universe.