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Community Corner

Residents Spend the Evening Under the Stars

Over 60 people gathered in Shorefront Park to learn about the stars at the second annual Evening Under the Stars.

The heat wave did not stop astronomy lovers from stargazing at Shorefront Park Thursday night as part of the event run by professor Tom Madigan.

Madigan, who has teaching credentials at Queensborough College, both Nassau and Suffolk County community colleges, and being on the advisory board at the Montauk Observatory, presented a slideshow about the types of stars, constellations and planets that can be seen from Patchogue.

The approximately 60 audience members asked Madigan questions such as why Pluto is no longer considered a planet and why NASA is not doing anymore manned space missions.

Audience members came locally and as far out as the Bronx to see the stars.

Aniella Badamo brought her kids, ages 2, 5 and 7, to the event after having attended it the . Matt Galcik came all the way from the Bronx to hear Madigan's lecture and participate in the star gazing. Galcik even brought his own telescope.

Several of Madigan's astronomer friends came to the event, some wielding impressive looking telescopes. Dave Barnett and Steve Bellavia from the Custer Institute and Observatory in Southold joined Madigan in educating the crowd, and allowing them to use their telescopes when the clouds cleared away enough to see something.

Unfortunately, cloudy weather obstructed much viewing through telescopes at the event following the lecture.

Check the photo gallery for highlights from the event.

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