This was my first outreach with the Houston Astronomical Society, and little could I know at the time just how much it would change my life! Here I am just over two months later, and I’ve already found incredible friends and mentors among the club. Good people, who take me seriously and treat me well, and it all started here, with meeting Ed, Steve, and Amelia. Before this point, while I had done plenty of outreach and meetings with the Texas Astronomical Society, I had never found any friends within TAS who treated me as more than just a kid. Now, that’s all changed, thanks to the wonderful people of HAS.

Night Sky Network Log:

Event Date: Thursday, 2/23/2017
Name of Event/Service: Cross Creek Ranch Dark Skies Party
Type of Service: Public Outreach
# of Hours: 2

Description of Service Performed: We set up in the parking lot of the community center at Cross Creek Ranch around sunset. I used my Orion XT8 to show visitors primarily Venus, as well as Mars, the Orion Nebula, and the double cluster. There was a steady stream of visitors, and we were kept busy almost all of the night.

Comments: This was my first outreach event with HAS, though I’ve done outreach with other clubs before. I met Steve, Amelia, and Ed for the first time at this starparty, and they were all immensely helpful!