Behlen Observatory public night is Nov. 16

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Behlen Observatory near Mead will be open to the public from 7 to 10 p.m. Nov. 16.

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, Comet 17P/Holmes (if it is still bright enough), two kinds of star clusters, double or multiple stars, the Ring Nebula in Lyra, and the planet Uranus.

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

On Oct. 24, Comet 17P/Holmes surprised and amazed astronomers by suddenly becoming almost a half-million times brighter over the course of several hours. UNL astronomer Edward Schmidt said it usually is too faint to be visible even in the 30-inch telescope, but rapidly became bright enough to see with the naked eye. The explanation is not known but it is not the first time this comet has behaved in this way, Schmidt said. An outburst was under way in 1892 when English amateur astronomer Edwin Holmes first discovered it.

There is no admission charge for the public night. Further information can be found on the observatory Web site at http://astro.unl.edu/observatory or by contacting Schmidt at (402) 472-7304 or by e-mail. The observatory is located at the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research and Development Center and is operated by the UNL Department of Physics and Astronomy. Directions to the observatory:

FROM LINCOLN: Take U.S. 77 north from Lincoln. Six miles past Ceresco, turn east on Nebraska 66 (formerly 63) and go eight miles to the Mead road. Turn left and go one mile north to Avenue H. At this corner, there are large brown signs on both sides of the road listing various locations of the field lab. 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 for about five miles to Avenue H. At this corner, there are large brown signs on both sides of the road listing various locations of the field lab. 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 can be seen on the left.

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