Andromeda Galaxy viewable at Osten Observatory open house Nov. 6

The moon, the Andromeda Galaxy and Alberio, a colorful double star, will be viewable during the Nov. 6 Osten Observatory open house at Concordia. The observatory will be open from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Admittance is free, and the public is invited to attend.

Visitors will be able to view objects through Concordia’s computer-controlled telescope. Professor of Physics Dr. Robert Hermann will share a brief explanation of each item, and visitors may ask questions. Viewing all objects takes approximately 15 minutes.

The open house will feature a close-up view of the moon, a look at the remains of a burned out star called the Ring Nebula and a view of Alberio, a colorful double star. Andromeda, our neighbor galaxy with hundreds of billions of stars, will also be shown during the open house.

The observatory is located at the northeast corner of campus along East Hillcrest Drive in Seward. The path to the observatory is not paved, so visitors should prepare to walk across a short length of field. If sky conditions are cloudy or excessive winds occur at the 8 p.m. starting time, the viewing will be cancelled.

The observatory and telescope were gifted to Concordia in 2002 by 1933 alumnus Reuben Osten and his wife, Doris.