Behlen Observatory to mark 40th anniversary with Oct. 19 public night

            The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Behlen Observatory near Mead will mark its 40th anniversary with a public night from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 19.

            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 of the observatory. These include the moon, two kinds of star clusters, double or multiple stars, and the Ring Nebula in Lyra.

            The observatory began operation during the spring of 1972 and the first public nights were held the following fall. Funds to build the observatory and purchase its 30-inch telescope were donated by Walter Behlen, one of the founders of Behlen Industries in Columbus. In recognition of the 40th anniversary of the observatory, there will be a special talk on the history of the observatory beginning at 8 p.m.

            The observatory will also be open to the public from 7:30 to 10 p.m. on Nov. 16. Additional public nights are planned for the spring semester.

            There is no admission charge for the public night. Further information can be found on the

observatory website at http://astro.unl.edu/observatory.

Writer: Edward Schmidt