CLARKSBURG The Central Appalachian Astronomy Club and Dominion Resources held Astronomy Day Saturday afternoon at the Gaston Caperton Center Fairmont State University Clarksburg Campus.

This annual event takes place every January and welcomed all ages to come out and enjoy the wonders of the sky.

Joe Gonzales, one of the founding members of the club, said this was the 14th year for the event, and the turnout continues to increase.

One of the featured speakers was Mark Indy Kochte, operation specialist for the Messenger Mission, with an inspiring presentation of "Comets Messengers from the Depths Of Space.

Comet is derived from Greek, and means long-haired star, Kochte said.

Kochte added the Messenger is a spacecraft orbiting Mercury.

Time-lapse photography is one of Kochtes hobbies that he does for fun on the side.

The videos normally take a couple weekends to put together, Kochte added.

Kochte has attended Astronomy Day for the past 12 or 13 years and said it is a great opportunity for people to learn something about space that they do not already know, and they can learn from someone who has direct experience in the subject.

Depth and detail are key when providing information, Kochte said.

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Astronomy Day turnout on increase