Keep Looking Up!

Image that you are living outside of Paris, France 250 years ago in 1765.  You own a telescope that is 4″ across, plenty of diameter of telescope to discover comets that are now small but heading toward the Sun, growing their famous tails.  You take great pleasure in this new area of study, the telescopic discovery of comets.  But, in night after night of searching for these new comets, you are distracted.  You are thwarted!  There are these small, fuzzy objects seen in your telescope.  You watch for them to move past the far away stars like comets do.  But they stay motionless.  They waste your valuable observing time.  You don’t know what these objects are, but they are not comets!  What will you do?

People of all ages are invited to Northeast Nebraska Astronomy Club (NENAC) at 8pm this Friday, March 20 at the Lyons Library and Saturday, March 21 at the Decatur Sears Center to discuss with Pastor Gary Fugman the life and times of Charles Messier.  Messier discovered 13 comets between 1760 and 1785.  But that is not why we remember Messier today.  We remember him today for his list of 110 deep sky objects that do not “move”.  The discussion will then take you to how it is possible on a Moonless night in March to see, to run the marathon of viewing, all 110 of these deep sky wonders in that one night!  Wow!  What would that take?

Then March star charts will be handed out and explained.  Astronomical League observing programs will be offered.  And, weather permitting, Friday we will travel 3 miles south of Lyons to the Cory and Tracie Martin residence to view Venus, Jupiter and Messier objects through large astronomical telescopes.  Saturday, weather permitting, we will view from Fugman Observatory on the south side of Decatur.  You are encouraged to bring your binoculars or telescope for viewing, too.

For more information on this and future NENAC activities, google “nenacstars” or call Pastor Gary Fugman at 349-1953 and Keep Looking Up!