Wonder At The Universe Above
WARSAW — The Warsaw Astronomical Society is a nonprofit group started in 1980 by people in the local area who found each other to be interested in astronomy. People began to connect by hearing about the club through word-of-mouth.
With 20 consistent members, the group is one of the longest standing active astronomical societies in the area. The society pulls members from Bremen, Plymouth, Columbia City, Manchester, Akron and all the surrounding region. The club has interesting members who come from all walks of life, from astronomical dabblers to life-long learners.
The members are very familiar and comfortable with each other, making meetings fun and observation nights laid back. Along with camaraderie and being surrounded by like-minded people, members of the society enjoy educating the public by providing the necessary equipment to see the sky. Just like putting on a pair of glasses for the first time, the public can get a fresh look around their world.
Two members, teachers at Harrison Elementary, started up a junior astronomical society at the school when they came into possession of a telescope. They then applied for two grants that allowed them to build an observatory on the school property and obtain another scope that would help see the sun, both are used by students interested in learning astronomy.
“The club members come and supports them whenever they need it. We’ve worked together on projects. We’re going to be doing something called Sun Day on Saturday, where we invite the public to come out and look at the sun through the special scope,” informed President Kurt Eberhardt. “Then the kids will take them on a walking trail that will be scaled to the size of the solar system, carrying a booklet with them that has the scale of the planet.
“They’ll keep pointing back to the sun to demonstrate where the planets would be located and give a little information about it. The idea is to help them foster their interest in astronomy with the hopes that they’ll go through the school system appreciating it.”
The society will hold talks and presentations at the Warsaw Community Public Library if there’s a special event approaching and will also help Potawatomi Park by holding public observation nights with the observatory the society helped built.
“I think it’s terrific to go out and look at things,” chimed Paul Surowiec. “You’re basically looking in a time machine at stuff that happened hundreds or millions of years ago.”
Many of the members enjoy helping people take their first look into space whether it be seeing the rings of Saturn or craters on the moon. They take groups from the city who don’t really get to see what’s above them and give them a whole new look at the universe.
“We have the attitude of always continuing to better yourself and learn. Astronomy is a continually changing science,” added Vice-President Michael Stephan. “As technology continues to improve, we learn more about the universe. Looking through a telescope, you see the vastness of the universe and where our place is in it as humans.”
The Warsaw Astronomical Society is a great outlet for the hobby, which can range from observing and reading to computing and astro-photographing. The educational component is ever present as members share their knowledge and theories.