The Astronomy Club at Illinois State University aims to educate students about the universe and to bring them together over a shared interest in outer space.
The Astronomy Club hosts star parties, observations of the night sky on the quad, guest speakers, camping trips, planetarium shows and more.
The club will soon be hosting a Solar Eclipse Viewing party at 12:30 p.m. on Monday at Schroeder Plaza on the ISU Quad. The event is free, and all students are invited to attend.
Astronomy Club president Brayden Sefranek shared about his experience with the club in the past, speaking of the club’s former president, Amy Saladino.
“I am currently a junior and joined Astronomy Club back in 2021 when I was a freshman,” Sefranek said. “I was introduced to the club by the past president, Saladino, who inspired me to take the reins of the club and push it further than she ever could have.
“Amy’s goal was to preserve and maintain the Astronomy Club until someone stepped in. If she had not stepped in during COVID-19 and maintained it as she did, Astronomy Club would not be on campus,” Sefranek continued.
Sefranek also shared about his past experiences with astronomy and what piqued his interest in the subject.
“Astronomy has always been a passion for me,” Sefranek said. “However, my dad made me realize just how much I love it when we went stargazing at my grandpa’s old farm in Savanna, IL. He gave me a pair of binoculars to view the night sky. What I saw forever changed my perspective on the universe and its inhabitants.”
“When I joined the Astronomy Club, it became a passion project for me to see the club grow and collect countless members and become an inspirational RSO on the ISU campus,” Sefranek continued.
The Astronomy Club holds bi-weekly meetings in the ISU Planetarium in the Felmley Hall of Science. Planetarium director Tom Willmitch and club advisor Jay Ansher help to manage these meetings.
During the Astronomy Club’s bi-weekly meetings, members often go outdoors to stargaze and invite other members of the community to join and use the planetarium’s star projector, dome and smartboard.
“Most members will always remember the times we spent outside, looking up at the night sky and learning about space and the cosmos,” Sefranek said.
“My favorite memory will always be attending a TCAA public viewing session for the first time at the Sugar Grove Nature Center thanks to the Astronomy Club and getting to the Milky Way Galaxy once again, which I hadn’t seen since I was a child,” Sefranek continued.
Sefranek explained that they also invite guest speakers to come to talk to the club on various astronomical topics.
The Astronomy Club also travels to the Sugar Grove Nature Center in Chicago to speak with amateur astronomers occasionally. These meetings take place in Adler Planetarium.
“We hold all of these things to help broaden the education of members and the ISU student body,” Sefranek said.
“Now, as civilization moves closer to space, society yearns more and more for info and knowledge and experiences related to space, not just for astronomy goals, but for their own goals not related to space. Astronomy is an astounding tool for societal hope and inspiration for all ages and communities,” Sefranek continued.
According to Sefranek, the Solar Eclipse Viewing Party is meant to awaken students’ interest in the cosmos. Attendees will each receive a free pair of solar eclipse glasses and the ability to view the eclipse through a telescope.
“During the 2017 eclipse, we had over 10,000 students on the Quad all at once,” Sefranek said. “We are hoping to do that again.”
Vice president of Astronomy Club Riley Wasler shared about his experiences as well as highlighting some of his favorite memories.
“I got involved in the club when I was a junior,” Wasler said. “At the time, the club was smaller and less active compared to what we do today.”
“My favorite memory from the club is giving the general relativity presentation,” Wasler continued. “I was able to make a complex topic simple and easily understandable. Another one is watching our current president, Sefranek, grow our club into what it is today.”
According to Wasler, the club’s biggest offering is their event to view the solar eclipse on April 8. This is because the Astronomy Club provides services that the university would not provide otherwise.
“Also, Astronomy Club provides a way for fellow astronomers to talk to one another,” Wasler said. “As someone who studies physics, it is nice to have a way to communicate to non-physics majors about the heavenly bodies and laws of physics.”