Public night at UNL's Behlen Observatory is Nov. 11

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Behlen Observatory near Mead will host a public night from 7-10 p.m. Nov. 11. The viewing is free and open to the public.

Provided the sky is clear, visitors will be able to view a variety of objects with the 30-inch telescope and with smaller telescopes set up outside the observatory. These include the moon, the planet Mars, star clusters, double or multiple stars and possibly the planet Uranus.

At intervals of 2.13 years, Mars is especially close to Earth as Earth passes the red planet in their orbits around the sun. This time the closest approach occurs on Oct. 29 when Mars will be 42.8 million miles from Earth.

This approach is not as close as in August 2003 when the distance was only 34.4 million miles. Nonetheless, Mars will be higher in the northern sky this time, providing a better view of its surface.

The southern hemisphere of Mars is tilted toward Earth and it is now summer in that hemisphere. This will make it difficult to see either of the polar ice caps, but the dark markings on the planet should be easily visible. Dust storms are also common on the planet during this season and may be visible with the telescope.

Several times during the evening, Kevin Lee, research professor in physics and astronomy, will present an illustrated talk on spectra, and Edward Schmidt, professor of physics and astronomy, will present a talk on objects in the night sky.

Further information can be found on the observatory Web site at http://astro.unl.edu/observatory or by calling Schmidt at (402) 472-7304.

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 to 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 to 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) 472-7304