Utah Skies
"Bringing the joys of astronomy to
the public through awareness, advocacy, and education"
Join us down in Utah's Red Rock
Country for a couple of evenings of heavenly
views under some of the darkest skies on the continent!
Friday & Saturday
October 4th & 5th , 2002
Sundown Till you drop
at
Eagles
Nest Bed & Breakfast
Glendale, Utah
A Private Star Party Weekend for the
benefit of Park City's KPCW radio
You and a guest will get to
tour the heavens under seriously dark skies using some of the finest astronomical
equipment available.
View Red Rock Canyons by day...
and some of the most amazing deep sky wonders by night... then be treated to an
awesome home-cooked breakfast when you wake
Here are
just a few
of the objects you'll get to see
Saturn
|
|
Magnitude
|
-0.02
|
|
Size
|
19"
|
|
Distance
|
8.78
Astronomical Units
|
|
|
Jupiter
|
Magnitude
|
-1.95 |
Size
|
34" |
Distance
|
5.73 Astronomical Units |
|
|
The
Double Cluster in Perseus
|
Magnitude
|
4.4
& 4.3 |
Distance
|
7500
& 7100 light years |
|
|
The
Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
|
Description
|
Nearest
Galaxy & the farthest object visible to the naked eye |
|
Magnitude
|
3.47
|
|
Size
|
3.0*x1.1*
|
|
Distance
|
2.3
million light years
|
|
|
The
Hercules Star Cluster (M13)
|
Description
|
Globular
Star Cluster in Hercules |
|
Magnitude
|
5.86
|
|
Size
|
16.6'
|
|
Distance
|
23,400
light years
|
|
|
The Ring Nebula (M57)
|
Description
|
Planetary
Nebula in Lyra |
|
Magnitude
|
9.0
|
|
Size
|
76"
|
|
Distance
|
1140 light years
|
|
|
The Veil
Nebula
|
Magnitude
|
4.5 |
Size
|
70'x6' |
Distance
|
1300
light years |
|
|
The
Dumbbell Nebula (M27)
|
Description
|
Planetary
Nebula in Vulpecula |
Magnitude
|
7.6 |
| Diameter
|
15" |
Distance
|
978 light years |
Fun Facts
|
|
1 Light Year = 6.25 trillion miles
|
|
1 Light Year = 6,250,000,000,000 miles
|
|
1 Astronomical Unit (AU) = The average distance
between the sun and the earth…. 93,000,000 miles.
|
|
Visual Magnitude = The apparent brightness of an
object. This was originally designed to indicate that some stars were bright --
mag 1 -- while others were very dim -- mag 5. As quick note, a mag 1 star is
2.5 times brighter than a mag 2 star. A mag 1 star is 2.5 * 2.5, or 6.25, times
brighter than a mag 3 … and so on… and so on…
|
|
The advent of the modern telescope has pushed the
dimmest objects seen to about mag 30!!
That’s 860 trillion times dimmer than Saturn!!!
|
Light Pollution
We are losing
our heritage of starry nights. Artificial light in the night sky threatens to
destroy the spectacular views the heavens offer. This “light pollution” wastes
energy and provides no benefit to society.
You can help!
Simply turn off exterior lights when they’re not needed. Or better yet,
use motion detectors so your lights are only on when they’re needed. This can
also enhance home security while saving money.
Use properly shielded fixtures and efficient bulbs. This will have the
added benefit of allowing you to reduce the wattage of lights used and save
additional money.
|
