Interlace hosted a celestial viewing night on Aug. 13, debuting its astronomy program to guests ranging from elementary school children to young adults to seniors. 

The evening began with dinner and crafts as the 45 attendees arrived and got to know each other over pasta and samosas. The craft, shrink art keychains, was hosted by Interlace’s Astronomy Program Director Sophie Saibi, who shared tips on achieving even color, estimating how much the paper would shrink, and coming up with cute space-themed designs. 

After attendees finished drawing their designs, Interlace volunteers baked them so they would shrink and added keychain hardware. 

Following the crafts, the event moved outside where Saibi projected images of the night sky from her telescope. She highlighted the structure and activity of various celestial objects, including the Pinwheel Galaxy and the Lagoon Nebula. 

Throughout the evening, families bonded with each other and new people over their curiosity about space. Discussion under the stars brought attendees of all ages together, enabling new intergenerational friendships and strengthening existing ones.