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August Programs
Summer Constellations — The mythology and science behind star patterns in the Summer sky above Lincoln. [Plays when the sky is clear and there is no moon.] Run time: approximately 20 minutes.
Earth’s Nearest Neighbor — A new program about the moon, runs only on evenings when the moon is visible. Run time: 21 minutes.
Jupiter — The latest science from the Juno Mission to the Solar System’s largest planet, which is in our sky all evening this month. Run time: 20 minutes.
Cassini’s View of Saturn — The last science from the Cassini spacecraft that crashed into Saturn last year. Run time: 22 minutes.
Explore Mars 2018 — A new program on the Red Planet, which is now prominent in our evening sky, and closer to Earth than it has been in 15 years. Run time: 23 minutes.
Your Window on the Universe
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Our Telescopes
Featuring views of the night skies through our 3 Telescopes!
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Presentations & Programs
Astronomy Presentations every Saturday Night!
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It's all FREE
There is NO ADMISSION CHARGE
HOURS
We’re open every Saturday year-round.
Hyde may be closed if Saturday falls on or very near a major holiday. If in doubt call first: (402) 441-7094.
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March 15-August 31
Sundown to 11 PM
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September 1-30
8 PM to 11 PM
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October 1-March 14
7 PM to 10 PM
What we’re looking at through the observatory’s telescopes in July:
The Planets
Venus is the bright object in the west after sunset. It is slowly dropping back towards the sun, but it is getting even brighter at magnitude -4.6, and moving towards a crescent phase making it a brilliant telescopic object. Jupiter is on view all evening long. With its constantly changing cloud belts, the Great Red Spot, and 4 Galilean moons, the solar system’s largest planet is a fascinating spectacle in the Hyde telescopes. Saturn is low in the South throughout August evenings. Its rings are open almost as wide as they ever get as seen from Earth, so Saturn viewing is a special treat. Mars begins the month low in the Southeast, and moves eastward into the range of our telescopes as August progresses. The bothersome planetwide dust storm seems to be abating, but there are hints that another storm might be blowing up.
The Moon
On Saturday public nights this month: August 4 — Last Quarter, not visible in the evening sky; August 11 — New Moon, not visible; August 18 — First Quarter, the moon will be in the sky all evening and the terminator (boundary between light and dark) will provide excellent contrast for surface features — the best night this month to see the moon through our telescopes; August 25 — The night before Full Moon, it rises a little before sunset and lights the sky for the rest of the night. The second-best lunar viewing Saturday night in August, marred only by the lack of a terminator to provide contrast for viewing surface features.
Deep Sky Objects
Galaxies, Nebulae, globular star clusters and other objects will be targets for the Hyde telescopes throughout the month, depending upon sky conditions (best seen on August 4 and 11 when the moon will not be blotting out faint objects in the sky). Three bright stars high overhead herald Summer: Deneb in Cygnus (the Swan), Vega in Lyra (the Lyre), and Altair in Aquila (the Eagle) make up the easy-to-find Summer Triangle. They will guide us in our quest for objects that lie far beyond our solar system.