University of Michigan Students Spark Astronomy Interest at Saline Senior Center

University of Michigan astronomy students brought the cosmos to the Saline Area Senior Center with a hands-on stargazing session, space photos, and interactive tools. Learn how to explore the night sky with free apps and expert tips.

Photo: Astronomy Students Presenting photo by Sue Kelch

Members of the Saline Area Senior Center (SASC) were treated on Monday, June 2, 2025, to an Introduction to Astronomy presentation by students from the University of Michigan’s Astronomy Department.  The Astronomy students have been presenting at various senior centers about telescopes, constellations, and celestial objects with hands-on/take-home handouts, including a Star Wheel and a list of resources.

The presentation began by showing the Big Dipper and using its stars to navigate to the North Star, the Little Dipper, and Cassiopeia, noting that each never sets from view in Southeast Michigan.  Using the Star Wheel, the audience then learned how to find a constellation in the current night sky by aligning the time and date on the wheel.     

Next, spectacular space photos were displayed, taken from Hubble, then compared to the next-generation James Webb telescope. It was noted that the coming generation of space exploration will focus on habitable worlds by using telescopes explicitly designed to search for signs of life on planets orbiting other stars.

Diving deeper into science and research, the audience listened to explanations about black holes, neutron stars, the speed of light, and the study of our galaxy with other planets and stars.  Of current astronomical interest is Betelgeuse – the nearest supernova to Earth and the second-largest star in the constellation Orion.  Scientists think it may explode and provide a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical show.  Should it explode, it could outshine the full moon and be visible during the day for weeks or months.  Thankfully, it is so far away that it won’t harm the Earth.

Finally, for those stargazers who are interested in viewing the night sky, they were shown stargazing equipment they may want to invest in, including binoculars, telescopes, and the latest in astrophotography.  And along with the Star Wheels, everyone received a reference sheet which included useful free Phone Apps for stargazing and websites for the latest astronomy events and skycharts showing light pollution maps and forecasts.

One of the presenters, MariaJose Colmenares Diaz (Majo), recalls how her interest in the field of Astronomy was sparked. As a junior majoring in Physics at Venezuela’s Universidad de Los Andes, she took an elective class, “Introduction to Astronomy.”   That made up her mind, as “the amazing professors taught with a lot of passion, which awoke my interest.” 

Now Majo’s goal is to become a Professor of Astronomy, and adds, “I get a lot of joy from teaching. I would like to get a postdoctoral fellowship to continue my research.”

The SASC would like to thank Majo, Anne, Thomas, Cayenne, Marbely, and Nishant for an interesting and thought-provoking presentation on Astronomy.  You have awoken our interest!

For information on the University of Michigan’s Astronomy Department, go to www.lsa.umich.edu/astro 

Interested in a free app for stargazing?  Try Sky Guide, Stellarium, or Good to Stargaze

Websites recommended to stargazers include Starwalk News https://starwalk.space/en/news and ClearDark sky www.cleardarksky.com 

For local public events of interest, visit the Detroit Observatory https://detroitobservatory.umich.edu  and University of Michigan Planetarium  https://lsa.umich.edu/ummnh/visitors/planetarium-dome-theater.html#view=week