KEARNEY – A comet streaking across the night sky.
The northern lights illuminating a Nebraska landscape.
A supermoon rising over the horizon.
You’ve probably seen these photos on social media recently, or even shared a few shots on your own channels.
They’re examples of our fascination with astronomy.
At the University of Nebraska at Kearney, two students are building a community for anyone interested in the wonders of the universe, whether they simply enjoy observing celestial objects or are dreaming of a career in space exploration.
Kim Larbey, an astrophysics major from the United Kingdom, and Barrett Lee, an astronomy major from Nevada, worked together to create the new Astronomy Club on campus. The student organization is open to any Loper, offering an opportunity to learn more about everything beyond Earth’s atmosphere in a relaxed and fun environment.
As Lee puts it: “You shouldn’t have to be able to pass Calculus III to see this cool stuff.”
“We really wanted to create a club that fosters this curiosity for students from all degree programs,” said Lee, the group’s vice president. “Instead of being intimidated by the math and science, they can come and enjoy our activities and utilize the high-tech equipment we have here.”
“We’re here to have fun, and we’re here to learn,” added Larbey, the club president. “By building this community on campus, we’re bringing more people into the department and showing them what we do.”
The Astronomy Club meets every two weeks. So far, their activities have included a planetarium show, “Interstellar” watch party followed by a conversation about the scientific theories featured in the film and campus stargazing event.
The club also leads night sky observations as part of the monthly “Astro Friday” planetarium shows on campus and members organized a communitywide event earlier this month for International Astronomy Day. That celebration allowed attendees to use the university’s high-powered telescopes to get an up-close view of the moon, Saturn, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet and deep-sky objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy. There were snacks, educational handouts and fun family activities, too.
“Truly, nothing is more awe-inspiring than seeing Saturn’s rings with your own eyes for the first time or viewing once-in-a-lifetime meteor showers through the telescope lenses,” Lee said. “We want to share these special moments with members of the campus and Kearney communities.”
Both UNK seniors, Larbey and Lee are part of a growing UNK Department of Physics, Astronomy and Engineering.
With NASA planning another mission to the moon and private companies such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic emerging in recent years, Lee expects a new “Space Race” era to develop as more countries and corporations explore space travel.
“I think we’re going to see a huge resurgence in people studying astronomy and astrophysics because it’s so prevalent again,” she said.
After graduating from UNK, Lee and Larbey both plan to pursue doctorate degrees before starting their careers in the field.
Until then, they’re focused on growing the Astronomy Club and bringing more out-of-this-world experiences to campus and beyond. They’re already collaborating with other universities and hope to plan out-of-town trips for events such as the annual Nebraska Star Party near Valentine.
“We have really big hopes and plans for this club, because we know people are curious,” Lee said. “I think it’s really important for people to step outside themselves for a second and see the bigger picture, and we’re giving them that opportunity.”
“There’s a lot we can do with this club,” Larbey added. “I’m just excited to build it up and grow this community.”
