Students gathered on the terrace of James Branch Cabell Library on Oct. 26 to get a closer look at the Hunter's Moon and try out new telescopes recently acquired by The Workshop. Throughout the evening, groups of friends took turns looking through the equipment, sharing their first views of the moon and asking questions about what else they might be able to see.

About 70 students attended the viewing event, held in partnership with VCU's Society of Physics Students. The event introduced a new telescope collection coming to The Workshop and gave students an opportunity to try the equipment before it becomes available for checkout.

The collection includes three telescopes suited to different levels of experience. The ZWO Seestar smart telescope connects to a smartphone or tablet, allowing users to capture images of the sun, moon and other celestial objects. The Explore Scientific FirstLight telescope offers both manual and motorized viewing capabilities, while the RedCat 61 is designed for advanced astrophotography.

For many students, the evening was their first opportunity to see the moon through a telescope. As they took turns using the equipment, many began asking when they would be able to check out the telescopes and explore the night sky on their own.

The event was led by Workshop student employee Karina Achico as part of her Transformative Learning internship, with assistance from fellow interns Amber Hashimi, Hannah Nguyen and Jo Paz. Paz also created informational zines introducing attendees to the resources and opportunities available through The Workshop. VCU Catering provided hot chocolate and apple cider throughout the evening, and funding from the VCU Foundation helped make the event possible.

The Workshop’s telescopes will be available soon for students to borrow.