Public
Observing Event
at
the ACA Observatory
Quasar 3C 273
Our featured object tonight is
Quasar 3C 273. This quasar
shines at about 13th magnitude. That's pretty dim, so we'll
need to wait until after nautical twilight (10:06pm) to get
enough darkness to see the object. We'll have a 15th
magnitude star map for you to study before proceeding to the
eyepiece so you can positively identify the object. With
good observing conditions, some patience, and a little luck,
you'll be able to see 1/6th the distance across the
observable Universe, 2.4 billion light-years distant; that's
14,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (14 sextillion) miles.
Of course Jupiter, Saturn, globular clusters M3 & M13,
Whirlpool Galaxy, Ring Nebula, Sombrero Galaxy, and a few
double stars are also on the observing list. We'll have the
Best Free Coffee in Akron brewing all observing session and
a preview of acoustical treasure planned for our June 21st
star party.
The observatory will be open at 8:45pm with Jupiter in the
eyepiece. A three day old Moon will be in the evening sky;
but setting early. We hope to see you here! |