Public night at Behlen Observatory is Jan. 26

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Behlen Observatory near Mead will be open for public observing 7-10 p.m. Jan. 26.

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 of the observatory. These include the moon, Saturn, star clusters, double or multiple stars, and the Orion Nebula.

At various times throughout the evening members of the observatory staff will give illustrated talks.

The constellation Orion will be high in the sky during the public night. Viewed through binoculars, the middle "star" in the sword of Orion turns out to be a small, fuzzy patch of light while the 30-inch telescope reveals a glowing cloud of interstellar gas called the Orion Nebula. The visible nebula is just a small part of a large, dark interstellar gas cloud. All of the stars visible in the telescope formed from the cloud and new stars are still forming within it. These newly formed stars heat the front surface of the cloud to a temperature of about 15,000 degrees Fahrenheit, causing the gas to glow.

There is no admission charge for the public night. Further information can be found on the observatory Web site (http://astro.unl.edu/observatory) or by calling Edward Schmidt, professor of physics and astronomy, at (402) 472-7304.

Behlen Observatory will also be open on the evenings of Feb. 16, March 23 and April 20. The Student Observatory on the UNL campus will be open to the public on the evenings of Jan. 19, Feb. 23, March 30 and April 13. It is located on the Stadium Drive Parking Garage, 10th and T streets.

Directions to Behlen Observatory (maps are available on the web site):

FROM LINCOLN: Take U.S. 77 north from Lincoln. Six miles past Ceresco, turn east on Nebraska 66 (formerly 63) and go 8 miles to the Mead road. Turn left and go 1 mile north to Avenue H. At this corner, there are large brown signs on both sides of the road listing various locations of the UNL Agricultural Research and Development Center. Turn right on Avenue H and continue east 2 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 for about 5 miles to Avenue H. At this corner, there are large brown signs on both sides of the road listing various locations of the UNL Agricultural Research and Development Center. Turn left on Avenue H and continue east 2 miles to Eighth Street. Turn left on Eighth Street and follow it north 0.6 miles to the observatory, which can be seen on the left.

CONTACT: Edward Schmidt, Professor, Physics and Astronomy, (402) 472-7304