Westchester Residents Look to the Sky
A Westchester group meets regularly to look up at the stars.
The Westchester Amateur Astronomers has been in existence for more than 25 years. The group, which has more than 150 people, meets once a month for a lecture at Pace University and also gathers in Pound Ridge for observing.
The group is a diverse one, featuring novices who want to try out a telescope to professional astronomers. The group features both young and old, with ages ranging from 12 to 90.
Matt Ganis, an astronomy professor at Pace who works for IBM as a technologist, is one of the members of the group.
“I’ve been interested in astronomy for as long as I remember,” Ganis said. “There is something about space that always interests young people. You like to think about what else is out there. How can I take a look at something that’s millions of light years away?”
Ganis said that he and his fellow astronomers are a welcoming group, always happy to show off their telescopes or latest findings.
“It’s a great environment to learn about telescopes,” Ganis said. “You have people that have no idea how to use telescopes, and somebody will help you figure it out and help you further you hobby. It’s a fantastic event.”
Read more in the January 10 edition of The Examiner.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.