Behlen Observatory public night is Dec. 17

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Behlen Observatory near Mead will be open to the public from 7-10 p.m. Dec. 17. There is no admission charge.

Provided the sky is clear, visitors will be able to view a variety of objects through the 30-inch telescope and other smaller telescopes set up outside of the observatory. Early in the evening, these will include the moon and the planet Uranus, while the planet Saturn and the Orion Nebula will be visible during the last hour of the public night. Other objects that can be observed throughout the evening include star clusters and double stars. Saturn, with its spectacular ring system, is one of the most beautiful and interesting objects in the sky. Depending on the stability of the Earth's atmosphere that night, it may be possible to see that the broad, bright ring is actually divided into two rings by a narrow dark gap known as Cassini's division.

At 7:30, UNL astronomer Kevin Lee will give a talk titled "The Year in Astronomy" in which he will discuss some interesting developments in astronomy during 2004. At various times during the evening, UNL astronomer Edward Schmidt will give a slide talk describing the objects currently in the evening sky.

Directions to the Observatory:

From LINCOLN: Take U.S. 77 north to six miles past Ceresco, turn east on Nebraska 63 and go eight miles to 10th Street (which is the road to Mead). At that corner there is a large brown sign on the left that lists a number of locations on the field lab, including Behlen Observatory. Turn left and go one mile north to Avenue H. Turn right on Avenue H and continue east two miles until you reach Eighth Street. Turn left on Eighth Street and follow it north 0.6 miles to the observatory, which will be seen on the left.

From OMAHA: Take Nebraska 92 west to Mead. At Mead, turn south on Nebraska Spur 78F and follow it about five miles to Avenue H. Turn left on Avenue H and continue east two miles until you reach Eighth Street. Turn left on Eighth Street and follow it north 0.6 miles to the observatory, which will be seen on the left.

CONTACT: Ed Schmidt, Professor, Physics & Astronomy, (402) 472-2891