Dozens of stargazers were greeted by a row of telescopes set up at Beach Bluff Park on Tuesday night, April 21, for the Stargazing Over Preston Beach event, hosted by the Clifton Improvement Association and the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club.
“We’re always trying to find programs that interest people and relate to the environment,” said CIA Vice President Sharyl Levenson. “Alexa [Carr] joined us, and she has been extraordinary in thinking of different programs to offer to our members.”
After Carr contacted the NSAAC, the two groups decided to hold a star party at the Preston Beach parking lot on the eve of Earth Day.
“Astronomy is just one of many ways to get people to appreciate nature,” said NSAAC star party coordinator and amateur astronomer Brewster LaMacchia of Andover. “I think understanding the scale of the universe — starting with our own planet, then our solar system, and going through the Milky Way galaxy to other galaxies — is a bit humbling.”
Members of the NSAAC were on hand to guide attendees as they aimed telescopes at different celestial objects. A highlight of the night was Jupiter’s swirling cloud bands alongside the four Galilean moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto — which orbit the solar system’s largest planet.
“I’ve always been interested in space,” said Julian Troake of Boxford. “We come out to these star parties and show people some really interesting stuff. It’s a great way for us to learn as well as for members of the public to learn.”
Stargazers young and old took turns peering through the eyepieces, observing the planets and stars that surround Earth.
“This is my first time at an event like this,” said Charlotte Gray, a junior at Marblehead High School. “I love astronomy. I’m taking an astronomy class. I think it’s so fascinating, and I really wanted to learn more and see some of it with my own eyes. Just the vastness of everything — it’s incredible how huge the universe is.”
In the weeks following the launch and safe return of the Artemis II mission around the moon, there was a palpable sense of wonder among the crowd, especially among younger attendees.
“I’m excited to see a lot of planets and stars because I’m coming to look through a big telescope,” said Gemma, 7. “My favorite planet is Saturn because of its rings, like hula hoops.”
Another highlight of the night was the Orion Nebula, a “stellar nursery” more than 1,200 light-years away that contains more than 700 stars in various stages of formation. Nebulae like Orion allow astronomers to glimpse the processes that led to the formation of the solar system more than 4 billion years ago.
“We were born from stars,” said LaMacchia. “When the universe formed, it was all hydrogen and helium. There was no carbon, no oxygen, no phosphorus, no nitrogen — all the things that make us possible. Where did all that come from? The stars. I think understanding that process of how we got here — the physical us — everybody should know where we came from.”
