By Nick Michael
Assoc. News Editor
The South Pasadena High School Astronomy Club held its first Astronomy Night on Sunday, September 27, commemorating a supermoon lunar eclipse. This phenomenon occurs when both a lunar eclipse happens during a full moon and when the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit, giving it an enlarged appearance. The last time this happened was over thirty years ago, and the next one isn’t expected to occur until 2033.
The event was held on the softball field from 6:30-8:30, and the club set up three telescopes to observe the eclipse. Unfortunately, heavy cloud coverage offered limited visibility of the moon for most of the night. However, towards the end the clouds lifted, fully revealing the eclipse.
“Most lunar eclipses occur at two or three in the morning, so not a lot of people get to see them,” president of the Astronomy Club Inesh Rathi said. “Luckily, this one occurred at a reasonable hour.”
The event drew a sizable crowd of about 30 people, including the school principal, Ms Janet Anderson. Free drinks and cookies were served, and everyone who came had access to the telescopes.
“The event went extremely well,” Rathi said. “The clouds were an obstacle, but they eventually cleared up. We plan on hosting three more Astronomy Nights this year, and we hope to go on a stargazing camping trip at the end of the year, if funds are available.”
