Comet C/2023 A3 streaked through the night sky over the Dingdu Pavilion in Beijing on October 22, 2024. Photo by XING Guangli, Journalist at Xinhua News Agency

These days, the hottest topic in amateur astronomer circles is undoubtedly the fact that Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) visited our solar system. Away from the city and looking west into the night sky, people can catch a glimpse of this distant visitor that has come to the Earth across more than 60,000 years. The comet is mysterious and beautiful, so much so that social media have played up its visit, which has attracted many people who otherwise don't care about astronomy to look up at the vast night sky, hoping for a glimpse of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. "We are focusing on the motion of this comet. Unfortunately, it's been raining for days in Hangzhou, and we have no time to go out of town, missing the best time to see it." NI Shulei, a senior research specialist at the Research Center for Astronomical Computing of Zhejiang Lab (ZJ Lab), and vice president of the astronomical association "Xingsuo Youth Club", talked about this comet with a hint of regret.

"Xingsuo Youth Club" is a newly established employee community of interest at ZJ Lab. Its members include not only astronomers like NI Shulei, but also fans who have never been exposed to astronomy before. As it clears up in Hangzhou, they are planning to organize a star-chasing trip these days, hoping to capture the tail of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS while it is still at the perihelion.

ZHANG Tianwei, the president of this club, is a postdoctoral fellow at ZJ Lab's Research Center for Astronomical Computing. During her undergraduate years, she chose "willfully" to switch from Peking University Health Science Center to the Department of Astronomy, and then went to the University of Cologne to pursue a PhD in astronomy. Just like NI Shulei, she was full of imagination about the sky above her head when she was a child, and chose to devote herself to astronomical research without hesitation. However, unlike other fellows who are immersed only in experimental data and codes, ZHANG Tianwei and NI Shulei also spent a lot of their spare time on the popularization of astronomy.

In April this year, NI Shulei took part in the "2050 Youth Reunion" with new leaflets and PPTs. At this gathering of young people, NI invited the guys to participate in the search for astronomical phenomena such as supernovas and gravitational lenses. "We'd like to launch a Citizen Science program to encourage public engagement in scientific research and assist scientists in collecting data. This will not only enhance public understanding of and interest in science, but also highlight the strength of ordinary people in addressing scientific challenges."

"A person close to a black hole will experience different forces on his head and feet. As a result, his body will be stretched, and every organ will be broken down into cells, then into molecules, atoms, and even more fundamental particles, when the body and consciousness will disappear." In ZJ Lab's "Looking for Teens in AI" science exploration activity, ZHANG Tianwei told the children about nebulae and black holes and introduced the position of our Mother Earth in the Milky Way galaxy. The students were so enthralled that they pestered ZHANG Tianwei to tell them more, making her the most popular science popularization volunteer in that day's activities. "Black holes and nebulas are astronomical concepts that people are curious about but difficult to understand. Therefore, we need to explain them in more vivid language to bring science to the general public," said ZHANG Tianwei.

Astronomical exploration is not limited to data calculation and word of mouth, but more importantly, it is to see far and connect with stars. At ZJ Lab, by the Qiantang River, and in Tianhuangping, Anji County, members of "Xingsuo Youth Club" set up telescopes and invited the public to experience the joy of stargazing. Coming back to the office, they are faced with colorful starry sky images or a tremendous amount of astronomical data, from which they explore the distant unknown and touch the boundaries of the universe. "The name 'Xingsuo Youth Club' represents a group of young people who are devoted to exploring the starry skies, full of motivation, and in pursuit of knowledge and truth. By establishing 'Xingsuo Youth Club', we hope to provide a platform for the exchange of views and information among like-minded fellows to come together and learn, explore, and share astronomical knowledge," ZHANG Tianwei wrote on the application for the establishment of "Xingsuo Youth Club". "Astronomy means the unknown to me. Nowadays, astronomical research requires more data and calculations to unlock more mysteries." NI Shulei added, "More than 260 fellows have joined the Xingsuo Youth Club. I believe that, encouraged by our example, more grown-ups and children will become interested in astronomy."

Taking pictures from nothing to find something. Having grown out of nothing and from zero to one, our scientific research needs more efforts from latecomers. Today is the first Astronomy Day of China in "Xingsuo Youth Club". On this basis, the young people of ZJ Lab will harness the strength of the crowd and build a ladder with passion that leads towards the starry sky.