LOS ANGELES — While Los Angeles is home to the biggest stars in the world, a monthly get-together is proving that the city’s rich and famous have nothing on the universe.
The Silverlake Star Party, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, started with just a few telescopes in the middle of the city. But it has grown into a hip, evening hangout, where members gather montly and invite hundreds of strangers to look through their personal telescopes.
“It’s unbelievable, it’s very beautiful,” said member Bobby Cabbagestalk. “The wonderment, the excitement, the surprise of seeing Saturn for the first time, Jupiter for the first time, Orion’s nebula for the first time. It touches you in a way that you don’t really expect, and it kind of just puts things in perspective.”
The society hopes to get people interested in the universe. And while stargazing in the middle of the city may no seem like the ideal place to see the stars, the society members make it work.
“In a busy, dense, light, polluted area, there’s always something in the sky to look at. There’s always an opportunity to make a connection with the universe,” Cabbagestalk said.
Some organizers are astronomers and experts, but others, including Cabbagestalk, are simply passionate. During the parties, they explain what people are seeing through the telescope, pointing out constellations and planets.
“These stars and planets are suspended above us every night, every day, the moon as well. And I think we just take it for granted,” Cabbagestalk said. “So, when people come here, it allows them to kind of slow down and change the perspective of the world around them and the universe around them as well.”
The event is free and open to people of all ages. All it takes is someone willing to look up.
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