Keep Looking Up!

By Gary Fugman

“How Do You Say Xi Camelopardalis?”
Did you know that every star you can see with the unaided eye has a name? Some names are interesting: Polaris, Vega, Betelgeuse, Rigel…Others less so: Beta Cancri, Kappa Librae, or Xi Camelopardalis. How do you say those, anyway? This month’s Northeast Nebraska Astronomy Club (NENAC) meeting will explore the names of stars and their pronunciations. We’ll also talk a little bit about who named these stars and the constellations in which they reside. The meetings are Friday, March 31st at 8pm at the Lyons Library and Saturday, April 1st at 8pm at the Decatur Sears Center. Then at 9pm, weather permitting, Friday we will go to Cory and Tracie Martins’ south of Lyons and Saturday to Fugman Observatory on the south side of Decatur to observe the night sky through large astronomical telescopes. You are invited to bring your binoculars or telescope as well.
For more information on this and future NENAC presentations, please call Cory Martin at 687-2631, and Keep Looking Up!