June 2016

Treasurer’s report:

May 1 $2539.34 beginning balance

1 new student membership, 1 new family membership with 3 girls

May 31 ending balance $2589.34

Star news from Abby:

U.S. Postal Service stamps of planets—can order online

One year to the finale of Cassini—go between planets and rings

55 year anniversary May 5 of Alan Shepard’s suborbital flight

Recent Hubble images of Mars show detail 20-30 miles across. High-rise clouds—space weather? Volcanoes under ice sheets? Extensive ice on ancient Mars.

More good Hubble pictures of Messier 96 in Leo

New galaxy in Leo Minor—gives information on how galaxies form

Kepler 625 habitable? Located towards Lyra. 40% larger than Earth. Rocky—could have oceans?

1,284 possible new planets—announced by Kepler 2 mission. New software to parse out more planets.

New Horizons craft shows Pluto has material coming off its atmosphere—it is interacting with the solar wind.

Abby posts information to youthastro@gmail.com. PW astronomy.

Youth group news:

The BAS Board voted to officially establish the Bartian Youth Astronomers

Hope to have 10-15 members at meeting June 20

Want to invigorate youth and do activities more youth-oriented

At first meeting, do a hands-on project of how to measure key angles by using your hands and arms.

Sunfest: Good attendance over the 3 days; a lot of people got on the mailing list; quite a number of children interested in the youth club. Thanks to all who set up the booth, took it down and manned it!

• Next BAS club meeting will be on the Thursday or Monday after July 4

• OKM Star party June 11 at Wah-Shah-She. Bus leaves BCC 8:30 pm. Would need about 6 scopes and John will do a short presentation. Look for Saturn/Mars/Jupiter/Moon. We need to be there by 8—bus arrives at 9. If you go down 123, turn right at the Casino sign, then (after a few curves) the entrance will be on the left hand side. They will have rest rooms; rain date is Sunday.

• Also ISS Passover at 10:30 pm, and M22 star cluster. End between midnight and 1 am. OKM responsible for reservations and 100.00 fee and deposit.

(OKM event was cancelled by OKM later in the week.)

• We have approval to buy a mini projector for $589; borrow $89 from the club but will accept donations to return the $89 to general club funds.

Jerry’s Koenig’s presentation on Do It Yourself Astronomical Accessories:

He showed tools he had made himself—

A device made out of a black koozie, felt and PVC to cut glare when using a Finderscope

Tel Rad finder—pulses when find something. Battery he used lasts 3 ½ years. Solar finder fits in Tel Rad.

Solar filters

Solar glasses

Denver chair

His next project is a portable power supply from van to setup site

He said he has not written up all his instructions. You can find all kinds of plans on the internet for making a Denver chair. There is no website for validating the safety of various Denver chair models though. There is a society to vet out eyepieces.

He has also made 2 Mars orbiters from sheets of paper. Downloaded a model and made with paper card stock and an Exacto knife. He is a card stock modeler—has even made a shuttle crawler out of card stock and a space shuttle. He has started to build a Saturn V to 1/48 scale. Will be 8 ½ feet tall. He is also working on an Aquarius lander to 1/24 scale.