July 2010

July Meeting, Tuesday, July 6

Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room

7:00 p.m. - Casual Conversation and Informal Discussion: This will be a good time to talk with other members, share observing experiences and ideas, show your favorite astrophotos or astronomical equipment, and ask questions.

7:30 p.m. - Demo Night

This month, instead of a single, formal presentation, we will have "Demo Night". Several short (10 to 15 minute) demos have been planned, including demonstration by Steve Plank of his new Meade LT-6 Go To scope, a demo by Mike Woods of the astronomical functions of the iPad and a demo of several websites for predicting sky conditions. There should be plenty of time, so bring anything of astronomical interest to "show and tell".

Club Business

After the program there will be a brief business meeting.

Club Loaner Scopes

BAS has several "loaner" scopes that are currently stored in Milt Enderlin's garage. They include the following:

1. Hy-Score-Goto Model 451, 2.4" Altazimuth Refractor with tripod. Scientific Instrument Division. SE Laszlo.

2. Ball Mount Reflector, possibly 3", with tripod, unknown origin or model.

3. Dobsonian, possibly 12".

The best use for these telescopes would be to loan them out and let people use them. But before we start sending equipment home with people, it would probably be best to establish a few simple rules for the lending process. Of course, we'll need a way to track where the equipment is and hold the borrower responsible. Should there be a time limit for loaned equipment? Should there be a small rental fee, or a small deposit, or perhaps an overdue fine for late returns? We need someone to volunteer to get feedback from members and make a brief recommendation for our equipment lending process. Contact John Grismore or email bvilleastro@gmail.com .

Club Scope Upgrade

One of our club scopes is a 12" (maybe 12.5") Dobsonian that was built as a club project decades ago. Fred Frey oversaw the project, instructing members on grinding the mirror, assembling the scope and testing the optics. Knowing Fred, I believe the optical quality is superior. This scope was used at club events for quite a few years, but as far as I know, has not been moved from Milt's garage for a long time. It has a heavy duty, open metal truss design and solid plywood rocker box. As I remember, it was a pretty massive thing to load and unload. Having seen David Tobola load and unload his 12.5" Dobsonian unassisted at a Sooner Park star party last month, I wonder if this might not be a good time to think about reworking the old club scope to update it and make it more portable, so that we use it more. David has agreed to assist with such an upgrade, and I think between David and Fred, we could revitalize the scope for a relatively small investment. This might be a good club project. Who would volunteer to help?

ACT Adams Ranch Dark Sky Weekend

The Astronomy Club of Tulsa will hold their Adams Ranch Summer Star Party as a joint event with Kansas observers on July 9th and 10th. The Adams Ranch site is north of Foraker, roughly midway between Bartlesville and Ponca City, but only a few mile south of the Kansas border. It has some of the darkest skies in our area. The event is open to Astronomy Club of Tulsa Members and their families, as well as Bartlesville Astronomical Society members and their families. For additional information see the June 2010 Sidereal Times Newsletter on our website at:

<http://sites.google.com/site/bartlesvilleastronomyclub/newsletters/june-2010>

August Meeting Plans?

It has been suggested that we do something a little bit different for our August meeting. Suggestions have included a picnic/star party meeting or a dinner meeting. Any interest in either of these ideas? How about other ideas?

BAS Logo Update

The BAS Logo at the top of this newsletter, and on most of our other communications, has served us well for many years (decades actually). The logo is now used predominantly in club emails and on club webpages, as well as on paper handouts and meeting announcements. With advances in computer technology and on-line communications, perhaps it's time to consider a redesign. Therefore, we proudly announce...

The Bartlesville Astronomical Society Logo Design Contest!

Yes, there will be a prize for the winning entry, so enter early and enter often. The goal will be a logo that is aesthetically pleasing and appealing without being overstated, representative of our interests, and simple and convenient to use in all our on-line and hardcopy communications. The winner will be determined by a vote of club members. The preliminary deadline for entries is September 1, 2010. Send your entries to John Grismore or bvilleastro@gmail.com .

Bartlesville Sky (looking south) July 15, 2010 at 9:30 p.m. (source: Stellarium 0.10.2, see http://www.stellarium.org/ )

July Astronomical Calendar (Universal Time)

d h d h

1 9 Moon at apogee 16 0 Mars 5.6N of Moon

3 14 Uranus 5.9S of Moon 18 7 Spica 3.1N of Moon

4 14 LAST QUARTER 18 10 FIRST QUARTER

6 0 Uranus stationary 21 18 Antares 1.8S of Moon

6 8 Mercury 4.9S of Pollux 22 11 Moon furthest South (-25.0)

6 9 Earth at aphelion 23 15 Pluto 5.8N of Moon

9 16 Moon furthest North (25.0) 24 3 Jupiter stationary

10 11 Venus 1.0N of Regulus 26 1 FULL MOON

11 19 NEW MOON Eclipse 27 21 Mercury 0.3S of Regulus

12 22 Mercury 3.9N of Moon 28 3 Neptune 4.2S of Moon

13 11 Moon at perigee 28 23 Moon at apogee

14 13 Regulus 4.3N of Moon 30 21 Uranus 5.9S of Moon

14 21 Venus 5.4N of Moon 31 8 Mars 1.8S of Saturn

Next Meeting

August 2 in the Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room (tentative). Program to be determined.

Newsletter Contributions Needed

Our club newsletter is reaching more people each month, and member contributions in the form of short articles, interesting news items, alerts of upcoming astronomical events or activities, descriptions of personal observations or useful equipment and observing tips are encouraged. Recurring columns or multipart articles are also welcome. Please submit your contributions to John Grismore or to bvilleastro@gmail.com .

BAS Public Website: http://sites.google.com/site/bartlesvilleastronomyclub/

BAS Yahoo Group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BvilleAstro/

If you want to have your email address removed from the Bartlesville Astronomical Society mailing list, please send an email requesting removal to bvilleastro@gmail.com .