Behlen Observatory public night is Feb. 6

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Behlen Observatory near Mead will be open to the public 7:30-10 p.m. Feb. 6. Provided the sky is clear, visitors will be able to view a variety of objects with the observatory's 30-inch telescope and with smaller telescopes set up outside. These include the Moon, Venus, the Orion Nebula, star clusters, and double or multiple stars.

Venus will be high in the western sky Feb. 6. It is referred to as the evening star or as the morning star because it is only seen in the western sky after sunset or before sunrise in the eastern sky. At its brightest, this planet is brighter than any other celestial object except the Sun and the Moon. Venus is about the same size and mass as the Earth but has a very dense, cloudy atmosphere which prevents us from seeing its surface. As it orbits the sun, Venus goes through a series of phases similar to those of the Moon. At the time of the public night, about one-third of its disk will be illuminated so it will resemble the crescent moon.

There will be an illustrated talk at 8 p.m. titled "Searching for Life in the Universe: Where is Everyone?" by Terry Oswald, a professor at Florida Institute of Technology. The search for life in other places in our solar system and in other solar systems is an active area of research among astronomers. Although life beyond the Earth has yet to be found, new research is pointing toward likely locations for the search.

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 UNL astronomer Edward Schmidt at (402) 472-2788. Directions to the observatory follow. Directions and maps can be found at 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 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.