PUBLIC NIGHT AT THE FOUNTAINWOOD OBSERVATORY
FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2008, from 8:00 PM CDT to 11:00 PM CDT
The evening begins with a beautiful crescent moon in the southwestern sky and brilliant Jupiter shining in the southern sky. As the evening proceeds, many of the "summer" constellations are still visible. This means that bright star clusters such as M13 in Hercules and M11 the "wild duck cluster" in Scutum and nebulae such as M8 "the Lagoon Nebula" and M17 "the Omega Nebula" in Sagittarius, or M57 "the Ring nebula" in Lyra appear high in the sky and are easier to view.
On hand to guide viewing will be S.U. Physics Department faculty and talented observers from the Williamson County Astronomy Club. Fountainwood Viewing Nights are always FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. The Observatory is located on the northeast side of campus adjacent to the Rockwell Baseball Field. For weather-related updates about viewing nights, call the Fountainwood Observatory hotline at 512-863-1242.
FALL 2008 PUBLIC VIEWING NIGHTS
CST = Central Standard Time
CDT = Central Daylight Time
Note: The Sunset, End astronomical twilight, and moon phase data presented below are taken from the USNO Data Service. Between sunset and the end of astronomical twilight only the brightest objects will be visible.
PUBLIC NIGHT: FRIDAY, September 5, 2008, from 8:00 PM CDT to 11:00 PM CDT Sunset 7:48 PM. End Astronomical Twilight 9:10 PM CDT. Moon, Waxing crescent 32%.
PUBLIC NIGHT: FRIDAY, October 3, 2008, from 8:00 PM CDT to 11:00 PM CDT Sunset 7:13 PM. End Astronomical Twilight 8:33 PM CDT. Moon, Waxing crescent 18%.
PUBLIC NIGHT: FRIDAY, November 7, 2008, from 7:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST Sunset 5:38 PM CST. End Astronomical Twilight 7:00 PM CST. Moon, Waxing gibbous 66%.
PUBLIC NIGHT: FRIDAY, December 5, 2008, from 7:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST Sunset 5:29 PM CST. End Astronomical Twilight 7:14 PM CST. Moon, First Quarter.
FOUNTAINWOOD OBSERVATORY IMAGES
View The Fountainwood Observatory Gallery
ABOUT FOUNTAINWOOD OBSERVATORY
Southwestern's large research-quality reflecting telescope was donated to the Physics Department by Max Allen, a local engineer and builder who was also an amateur astronomer. This Meade LX-200 with Schmidt-Cassegrain* optics and a 16" primary mirror has a digital CCD camera for taking digital images that can be viewed and processed on a computer. This instrument is used by faculty and students for research, and programs of general interest to the public are conducted each month.
*Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes reflect incoming light several times inside the telescope before it finally is focused in the eyepiece. Light enters the far end of the tube via a Schmidt lens, is reflected off a focuser mirror to a secondary mirror, then is reflected in a more tightly focused beam to the eyepiece. This combination of refracting and reflecting technology yields terrific image quality, yet lets a telescope with an extremely compact tube have a very high focal length. Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes are extremely portable, and their closed designs make them rugged and reliable. With wide apertures compared to their minimal overall lengths, they produce some of the clearest, most colorful images available and have great contrast if the internal optics are of high quality.
On Friday October 3, 2003, total attendance at Fountainwood Observatory observing sessions passed the 5000-visitor mark. Of these visitors, 26% visited between September 2002 and September 2003. The Fountainwood Observatory became operational in 1997.
MORE INFORMATION
For up-to-date news and information about public viewing nights (including weather-related updates), call the Fountainwood Observatory Hotline at 512/ 863-1242.
If you're interested in astronomy, check out the Williamson County Astronomy Club.
For more information about the Department of Physics at Southwestern University, please visit their home page.
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