![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Astronomy Club members learned about astrophotography and visual astronomy in a meeting on Oct. 18.
President Eric Dong (11) began by describing the most prominent objects in the night sky, including constellations, solar system planets and bright stars. He introduced various astrophotography instruments like astronomy binoculars and camera telescopes, demonstrating the use of an equatorial mount, a tool used to align a camera with the rotation of celestial bodies.
“Learning about the entire process behind visual astronomy was really enjoyable,” club member Isabelle Niu (10) said. “The presentation grew my interest in observational astronomy, especially since it introduced simple approaches for taking and processing astronomical images at home.”
Eric discussed image processing of low-contrast photos to enhance the visibility of stars in photos. He then showed photos of exterior galaxies and solar photography taken by physics teachers Chris Spenner and Mark Brada.
“I’m hoping that going forward, members continue to show interest in actually looking at things rather than just learning facts about astronomy,” club adviser Mark Brada said. “I have a couple of telescopes that I could set up for us. We would have to meet in a location outside of town, but it’s certainly doable.”
Astronomy Club teaches members theoretical astronomy in preparation for competitions like the USA Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad. Officers also give lectures about a variety of topics, from black hole physics to special relativity, educating members about the universe. The club hosts speaker events with experts in astronomy with opportunities for attendees to learn about specialized fields in collaboration with Space for Space, a nonprofit organization dedicated to global education about astronomy.
“Since our meetings are determined by popular interest, I really hope we can do some visual astronomy one day,” Eric said. “I’m sure they learned a lot about actually using telescopes and are eager to learn more. Maybe we can even do an outing one day.”
