Back when I was in secondary school, around year ten, I decided to join our school's astronomy club. One of the most memorable activities we ever organised was an overnight stargazing camp on the school rugby pitch to observe a rare meteor shower.
There were about fifteen of us in the club, along with our physics teacher, Mr Davies, who was an absolute enthusiast. A couple of my close mates had also signed up, so the atmosphere was really friendly and relaxed. In terms of preparation, it actually took quite a bit of effort beforehand. We spent two or three weeks learning how to calibrate the school's optical telescopes properly and charting star maps by hand. We also had to get special permission from the headteacher, sort out sleeping bags, and borrow some red-light torches so we wouldn't ruin our night vision.
The main reason I found it so fascinating was simply the sheer wonder of seeing the night sky so clearly. We managed to spot dozens of shooting stars streaking across the sky, and we even caught a glimpse of Saturn's rings through the main telescope. It was completely different from reading about space in a dry textbook; it really brought science to life for me. On top of that, sitting around under the open sky in the early hours, sharing hot chocolate from flasks and chatting about the universe, gave all of us a real sense of camaraderie. It genuinely sparked my curiosity about science, which has stayed with me ever since.