Star Craving

By Jessica Gerhardt ’11

The paparazzi should’ve been out for the Griffith Observatory Star Party on August 17, when SoCal alumni ranging from the classes ’62 through ’13 met up to take in a view of the heavens. Star Parties involve astronomers and stargazers from around Los Angeles, who congregate on the lawn outside the observatory, setting up telescopes directed at various celestial objects. At the beginning of the evening, finding each other proved to be more challenging than one might expect, due to the number of nerdy folks who tend to come together at Griffith, but eventually we all gathered on the observatory lawn, introduced ourselves to one another, and chatted about Olde Reed. Then we proceeded to explore some of the exhibits, taking cheesy photos with the displays, and eventually made our way outside to the telescopes, where we got to enjoy the sight of the moon, Saturn, a double star in the constellation Cygnus, and many other pieces of astronomical
eye candy.