Basin Recreation
Snyderville Basin Special Recreation
District
and
Utah Skies
"Bringing the joys of astronomy to
the public through awareness, advocacy, and education"
Invite you to join us for an evening of heavenly views
Friday
August 1st, 2003
9:00pm to 1:00am
at
Trailside Park
Park City, Utah
Donations will be accepted to benefit the Trailside Astro Park.
Be sure to dress warmly…
… and please, if you live in any of the surrounding neighborhoods, turn off your outside lights to help darken our skies!
Some of the Viewing Objects for Friday August 1st, 2003
|
|
Description |
Eath's Natural Satellite, nearly one week old |
|
|
Description |
The 4th Planet from the Sun |
|
Magnitude |
-1.29 |
|
Size |
15.78" |
|
Distance |
55 million miles |
|
|
Description |
Globular Star Cluster in Hercules |
|
Magnitude |
5.86 |
|
Size |
16.6' |
|
Distance |
23,400 light years |
|
|
Description |
Planetary Nebula in Lyra |
|
Magnitude |
9.0 |
|
Size |
76" |
|
Distance |
1140 light years |
|
|
Description |
Planetary Nebula in Vulpecula |
Magnitude |
7.6 |
| Diameter | 15" |
Distance |
978 light years |
|
|
Description |
Nearest Galaxy & the farthest object visible to the naked eye |
Magnitude |
3.47 |
| Diameter | 3.0°x1.1° |
Distance |
2.3 million 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. A mag 2 star is
2.5 times brighter than a mag 3 star. A mag 1 star is 2.5 times brighter than a
mag 2 star and 2.5 * 2.5, or 6.25, times
brighter than a mag 3 star … 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 PollutionWe 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.
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