WILLIAMSVILLE, NY (WKBW) — On Thursday evening in Williamsville, Main Street came alive as skywatchers filled the sidewalk to look for the Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas.
- Western New York has experienced an eclipse and a comet in the past six months.
- The 7th Magnitude Podcast team hosted an 'ambush astronomy' event in Williamsville.
- Tim Collins and Terry Farrell engaged the public in stargazing and comet-watching.
- The event aimed to connect people to the sky and raise awareness of astronomical phenomena.
"It's amazing when you get people outside to look up, especially away from city lights. If you look up, you can see the magnitude of the sky," said Farrell.
The duo encouraged passersby to look up in the sky to catch the comet.
"Just offering the public a chance to look at it. We call it ambush astronomy because we stand on the sidewalk and they have no choice," said Collins.
Sonja Gibson looked up to see something out of this world after just looking for a bite to eat, she told me that seeing the astronomical phenomena made her reflect on the precious life we all have.
"It's wonderful. It reminds you that there is so much out there in the world and we go about our business and our daily lives, and it reminds you there is so much out there than just us," said Gibson.
For Collins and Farrell, the power of social media is blazing a trail for a whole new crowd of skywatchers.
"All of the photos that everybody is posting, and I am getting pictures from our colleagues all across the country, and it's just such a fun tool to use and see what everybody can come up with," said Collins.
You can learn more about what's out in the night sky here.
If you missed the comet, a timelapse is below:
