Junior Alexa O’Shea has always been fascinated by earth’s solar system and other galaxies.

“I know there are a lot of kids, like me, that would like to learn about outer space, but we don’t have a class that teaches it,” O’Shea said.

There is not currently a course at Xavier that teaches students about astronomy, so she decided to start a club. O’Shea asked science teacher Mr. Nate Greene if he would be interested in moderating the club. Mr. Greene was happy to help, and the two were able to make the dream a reality.

“I thought it sounded like fun, so I decided to team up with her to make this go forward,” Mr. Greene said.

Members of the Astronomy Club will be learning how to use telescopes to observe the night sky. They will learn about constellations in the classroom during the day. Club members will also be learning about the planets that exist in earth’s solar system, as well as those in other solar systems. By night, Astronomy Club members will know what constellations and planets to look for and how to use a telescope to find them. Depending on the night the club meets, they might be able to see some of these foreign planets through the telescope.

The club plans to meet at least once a month. Meetings will be held primarily at night, as that is the most ideal time to observe the phenomenons of outer space. Club members plan to meet on evenings when particular space spectacles are occurring. O’Shea mentioned that, in some cases, this may mean meeting at three in the morning. There is an observatory in the Palisades that Astronomy club may be able to use. It is not open to the public, but they sometimes extend their facilities to students looking to study the night sky.

“I know it’s a really big topic,” O’Shea said. “We just want to learn about everything outside of our world.”

There are currently 80 students signed up to participate in Astronomy Club. If you would like to join, email Mr. Green at [email protected].

Lizzie Leu

News Writer