AHS junior, Ricky Wojcik, chooses to spend his time exploring the wonders of the sky and shares it for fun and for profit. On Monday, Oct. 10, Wojcik was featured in a talk called “Space Junk,’’ part of the Astronomy Night series hosted at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies at Hallam Lake. Like many students before him, Wojcik enjoys studying the stars in the AHS Planetarium with science teacher Travis Moore so much that he decided to take it one step farther into the universe.

“Last year I took the OAM class offered at the high school, and I loved it! I think astronomy is one of the most interesting and promising fields of study,” Wojcik said.

On Aug. 10, senior, Olivia Oksenhorn gave insight to the constellations and the night sky during a presentation with Ben and Anna Belinksi and Nic Vitari on Aspen Mountain that was open to the community and guests.

“It’s the coolest thing to go out into the night sky and know what you are seeing,” Oksenhorn said. “I love sharing it with other people.”

Wojcik has also shared his knowledge of astronomy with guests at the Little Nell. During the recent ACES talk and in front of two dozen people,

Wojcik said that meteor showers are best seen in August and that the zodiac signs are one month off, according to the way the sun rotates around the earth.

Cloudy skies that evening kept the ACES group from using a telescope to further explore the solar system.

Travis Moore thinks it’s great Wojcik is using his knowledge and understanding of astronomy outside of the school walls.

“It’s really cool to see him applying it into the world what he learned in the classroom,” Moore said.

Moore also isn’t surprised Wojcik has been industrious in sharing his passion for planets with the greater public.

“Ricky was in my OAM class last year, and took charge on his own,” Moore said.

Inspired by Travis Moore’s OAM class, AHS Junior Ricky Wojcik now gives talks on planets, the sky and the solar system.