Star Party slated for Alumni Weekend

Physical and Biological Sciences News

For the first time, Alumni Weekend will feature a night of stargazing, science, and music.UC Observatories, Lick Observatory, and the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics are joining forces to put on a Star Party, replete with jazz, informative talks from foremost experts on astronomy, constellation identification, and telescopes for viewing celestial objects once night falls.
“We want to bring Lick Observatory down the mountain,” said Ilse Ungeheuer, communications specialist at UC Observatories/Lick Observatory.
Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, just east of San Jose, is part of University of California Observatories (UCO), a multicampus research institution headquartered at UC Santa Cruz. It is housed in the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, along with the Astronomy and Astrophysics Department.
Asher Wasserman is an astronomy graduate student and member of the UCSC Astronomy club, which owns 10 amateur telescopes that will be at the Star Party.
The event is not only an opportunity for interdepartmental collaboration, but an opportunity for alumni and the campus community to get together and explore the stars.
Wasserman studies the motions of stars in distant galaxies and how that motion relates to the composition of dark matter.
He says that while he is busy making progress in his highly technical niche, he relishes the opportunity to share in the general public’s fascination with moons, stars, telescopes, nebulas, black holes whirling planets, spinning galaxies, and the other wonders of extraterrestrial space.
“I definitely see that a fundamental part of my job as an astronomer is to convey to people what it is I do,” said Wasserman.
If the weather cooperates on the last Saturday in April, Wasserman will have the opportunity to do just that. He won’t be alone.
The Star Party—slated to begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 at the Oakes College Lower Lawn—will feature a robust roster of speakers, including Chancellor George Blumenthal. 

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