Northern Center for Lifelong Learning looks to the stars

As spring moves forward, spending time outside looking up at the stars is becoming less of a chilly prospect. Students of the Northern Center for Lifelong Learning prepared for sky watching Wednesday by attending a hands-on lesson in astronomy.

NCLL members climbed into the Starlab, an inflatable planetarium at NMU’s Seaborg Science Complex, to glimpse the wonders of the cosmos. Seasonal constellations, planetary science and eclipses were among the topics covered. The goal of the presentation was to inspire attendees to look at the night sky in a new light.

“I hope that they will go outside and try to find these planets and the stars, and of course, a lot of these folks are grandparents,” said Scott Stobbelaar, retired director of the Shiras Planetarium and the event’s presenter. “I’m hoping they can share this with their grandkids, too, and so they’ll look up at the real sky and see these objects, and if they have a telescope, maybe they’ll actually be able to find the planets and see what they’re really like.”

The stargazing event was just one of many presentations and events put together by the NCLL. For more information on lifelong learning, visit the NCLL’s website or call (906) 227-2979.