Lincoln (Neb.) - March 30, 2001 - The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Observatory will be open to the public from 8 to 11 p.m. April 6 as a prelude to UNL's observance of Astronomy Day on April 7.
The observatory's big 16-inch telescope on top of the Stadium Parking Garage, 10th and T streets, will be giving close-up views of the craters of the almost full moon in the east, Jupiter and Saturn in the western twilight, and a variety of multiple star systems far beyond our solar system. The observatory will not be open if the sky is totally overcast.
There is no charge for admission to the observatory. Children of all ages are particularly welcome. A UNL astronomer will be on hand to answer questions and visitors will also have the opportunity to view additional objects through a variety of smaller telescopes operated by members of the Prairie Astronomy Club. The observatory is unheated, so it is important to dress warmly.
Astronomy Day activities for the whole family take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 7 at Mueller Planetarium in the University of Nebraska State Museum. The event concludes with a 7:30 p.m. public lecture at the Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., by NASA scientist Nagin Cox on the Galileo mission to Jupiter and its moons. Information about Astronomy Day activities on April 7 can be found on the World Wide Web (http://www.spacelaser.com/asday2001.html).
The next public night at the Student Observatory is May 25. For more
information about the observatory, contact Martin Gaskell, senior
lecturer in physics and astronomy at UNL, by phone, (402) 472-4788, or
e-mail (mgaskell1@unl.edu), or visit the observatory's Web site
(http://www.blackstarpress/AriN/UNL/stdobsv.html).
For questions regarding these releases, contact:
tsimons1@unl.edu
(402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825