Nov 2018

  • Attendance: 19 people. Two new members—Brian Turner, OWU science teacher, and David Bennett.

  • Financials: Will do a combined November-December report next month as we are transition the Treasurer role from Vicky Travaglini to Evan Zorn.

  • A number of people paid dues this month, which are due now.

  • A number of people bought Astronomical League calendars from Kristi Herman Abby B. (edit by DH, proposed to DG by email 12-3-18).

  • Election of officers for 2019:

    • Craig Brockmeier, President

    • Rick Buck, Vice President

    • Evan Zorn, Treasurer

    • Denise Gregg, Secretary

  • Rick Buck has offered to be the observing party coordinator for 2019. He will build on the incomplete program we had earlier this year. He wants to incorporate:

    • Observational astronomy

    • Outreach outside our group by 2020

    • Contacts we have built up to now

    • Regular communications with board members and plan two events at once, with electronic media publicity.

    • Stakeholders, with at least a couple of Club participants per month

    • A summary of each event with key learnings

    • Transportation/location/access to be considered

    • Could also include museum visits

    • Possible event: Jan 20, 2019 lunar total eclipse

    • Highlight deep sky objects

  • A telescope is ready now to donate to the library from the Astronomical League. It comes with a notebook of instructions.

  • Rick Bryant has a number of NASA kits that he can’t keep—need a volunteer to take them!

  • Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS special event for 50th anniversary of Apollo 8 is December 1

  • Okie-Tex star party:

Three people attended—Abby, Rick Buck and Rick Bryant. A lot of rain, but still worthwhile. Had classes on Monday and Tuesday, a star party Wednesday night. Pretty, but didn’t get equipment out. Had an imaging class on Friday but it snowed! 12 different dinosaur species were identified by tracks at Black Mesa, as a side note. There were giveaways and lots of talks on astronomy and astronomical equipment.

  • Abby’s astronomy news highlights:

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has gone silent, ending a historic mission that studied time capsules from the solar system’s earliest chapter.

Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have confirmed that a supernova remnant called Kes 75 contains the youngest known pulsar in our Milky Way Galaxy.

The newly-discovered object, BST1047+1156, is part of a collection of about 24 galaxies called the Leo I group

The malfunctioning sensor that caused the aborted launch to the International Space Station last month was damaged when the spacecraft's rocket was assembled, Russian officials said Thursday.

  • Daryl’s observation notes:

Orion, Pleiades—good all month

Taurids Nov 6

Leonid meteor shower Nov. 17

Mercury Nov. 6 after sunset

Double star cluster in Perseus good right now

  • We need program presenters:

December—Jeff Schmidt on Apollo 8. Rick Bryant on Okietex as an alternate.

Rick Bryant—January?

Rick Buck—February

John Blaesi—March

Craig—April?

Abby—May?