The impending rainstorm will be celebrated by ALMOST everyone in drought-ridden California this week.
Unfortunately for the Cypress College Astronomy club, the unexpected rain means their star viewing party planned this Wednesday will be canceled. Club advisor Michael Frey announced the bad news on the club’s Facebook page Sunday morning.
The Weather Channel website forecasts a 100 percent chance of rain Tuesday, with morning and evening showers predicted for Wednesday. Furthermore, the dense clouds predicted will put a serious damper on the club’s intended meeting time of 6 o’clock.
The rain will most likely be falling over Cypress, and even if the showers stop for a few hours, the cloud cover will prove stellar gazing impossible.
According to Astronomy professor Ron Armale, even if the showers aren’t active Wednesday evening, the excessive humidity could create an expensive problem.
“Even if there is a hole in the cloud cover,” Armale explained, “just like the windows on your car, the mirrors inside the telescopes will collect moisture droplets if exposed to extreme humidity. This could cause extensive damage to the inner machinery.”
Any damage to the delicate telescopes could be extremely costly. Armale stated that many of the telescopes the club planned to have available for viewing cost around 3,000 dollars. Any damage to the fine instruments inside could cost a small fortune to have repaired.
Fortunately for club members and Astronomy enthusiasts alike, the club plans to have many more star parties next semester. For more information on club activities and updates, join the Astronomy club Facebook page and talk to members.
