One topic Space Club frequently discuss- es is the potential for life on exoplanets.

“Exoplanets are planets outside of our solar system, orbiting a different star than our Sun,” Berki said. Many such planets contain an atmosphere similar to our own, which could be conducive to life. Berki ex- plains that the presence of natural features or water on an exoplanet might give a clue that the planet is capable of supporting liv- ing creatures. But of course, there’s a big difference between discovering an atmo- sphere and discovering the creatures them- selves.

“It’s more likely that aliens will come and find us. We haven’t really gotten that far in space. The farthest we’ve gone is to the moon,” Berki said. She concludes it’s un- likely we would discover them first, “unless there’s some secret alien meeting on the moon.” More mundanely, she also notes that simpler forms of life, “like little mi- crobes or bacteria” could be found outside of our planet. Those, too, could be viewed as aliens.

Space Club members discuss a smorgas- bord of issues across the cosmos. Students interested in exploring the mysteries of space should stop by room 307 on Fridays during lunch.

Her dad insisted he had never seen any- thing like it before. On a late-night drive, Sumaya Berki and her father spotted pecu- liar bright pillars in the sky.

“They were moving really strangely, like an animal,” Berki said. She and her father were instantly curious. They chased the lights for about 20 minutes in their car. All the while, Berki checked her phone for possibilities. Were there meteor showers in the area? Satellites? Could anything explain this phenomenon? As her Google searches came up empty, her excitement grew. This could be it.

“My dad, he really believes in aliens. I mean, I guess I do too, because the universe is really big,” Berki said. Could this be the moment they’d been waiting for?

As Berki and her father approached the source of the mysterious luminescence, their hearts sank.

“We felt really foolish when we end-

ed up in the parking lot of a trampoline park,” Berki said. In front of the building, there was a large projector, creating the dancing lights. Their search for extraterres- trial life would have to wait.

Despite her disappointment on that night, Sumaya Berki, junior, still believes in aliens. As a member of CHS’s Space Club, she explores her love of the un- known. Space Club members gather every Friday at lunch and exchange views about the universe and beyond. They take field trips, including an excursion to the UM planetarium last year, and are also saving up to buy a telescope.

“When I first came to this club, I bare- ly knew anything about space,” said Hy- acinth Held, another member of Space Club. “I couldn’t even list all the planets off the top of my head. But then through being in Space Club, I’ve learned so much and I’m having lots of fun.”