By Nicholas Moll, Liberal Studies – Mathematics   

On the evening of October 14th into the 15th, the Southern Maine Community

College Association of Cosmic Explorers met for the first time to host a space party.

After a period of being dormant, approximately 20 students met in front of Ocean

View cafeteria to dust off their telescopes and focus them into the heart of our solar

system.

The club meets every Wednesday at 3pm, in Hildreth 201 to plan future

events, develop research initiatives, and discuss their place in the cosmic scheme of

things.

During the first meeting the club observed many celestial objects such as

Betelgeuse (the highest star in the Orion constellation, possibly the only star we will

see, with the naked eye, explode in our lifetime), the Pleiades star cluster, Mars,

Venus, and Jupiter and its moons.

SMCC ACE is also planning to visit nearby research institutions like U-Maine

Orono and MIT to discuss how professionals conduct research, to gather more

information about how their programs operate, and to get some advice about their

telescopes. They will also discuss the universe and the beauty of the entirety of it.

The first project they’ll be working on is the construction of a few radio

telescopes to make observations of our ionosphere. This will be actual research that

will be sent off to aid a coalition of scientists who need as much information as they

can get!

So come on down to Hildreth 201 to check them out. Have you ever looked at

the night sky in wonder, and wanted to know more? All are welcome! Astronomy

and Chill?

For more information about SMCC ACE please contact our advisor Kevin

Kimball at kkimbal@smccme.edu, or the club president Evelyn Waugh at

evelynlwaugh@smccme.edu.