November 2010

November 1, 2010 Meeting

Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room

Exobiology

By Virgil Reese

As of now, all known life is confined to the thin outer shell of one small planet, orbiting just one of trillions of stars in the observable universe. Are we alone? or might life permeate the universe? I will argue that, although current cosmological and biological knowledge cannot answer this question, it does provide tools by which we can begin to narrow down the range of possibilities in interesting ways. Among the questions science can speak to are - Would extra-terrestrial life evolve by natural selection? Would it be based on DNA? How likely is the evolution of consciousness? How likely is the evolution of intelligence capable of advanced technology? Is it possible that biological life could give rise to some sort of post biological (artificially designed) life form capable of living in interstellar space? Might the evolution of advanced technology ultimately be fatal to any species? A question I want to pose to each of us is - How would definitive answers (in our lifetime) to any of these questions alter our outlook on our own lives, or alter the ways we give meaning to our lives?

Accurate Polar Alignment

by Alan M. MacRobert (http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/diy/3304261.html)

Club Business

Officer Elections: October is election month for BAS. The elected officers are:

President: John Grismore

Program Chair & Vice President: Daryl Doughty

Information Officer (Newsletter): Mike Woods

[Treasurer, non-balloted]: Milt & Vicky Enderlin

Club Committee Activities: While working on nominations, Arden also addressed the issue of volunteer positions in BAS. He created the following list of Club Committee Activities and associated volunteers.

Nominations: Arden Strycker

Publicity/Newspaper: Carroll Ritchie

Publicity/Public Website: Steve Plank & John Grismore

Member Observing Program: Steve Plank & Arden Strycker

ByLaws: Arden Strycker

Meeting Room Arrangements: Steve Plank, acting

Membership: open

Yahoo Group: open

Astronomical League: open

Publicity/Public Events: open (Joyce Ritchie has provided support with the educational community)

Dues Increase: There was a reminder during the business meeting that the club voted in September to raise dues to $20 for adults and $10 for students. In addition, it was agreed that we will establish November as a club wide dues date to synchronize dues for all members and simplify collection. New members who join at any other time of the year will pay a full year's dues at that time, and then, at the following November dues date, will pay the prorated amount necessary to complete the upcoming year and synchronize their dues date with the rest of the club. All members are encouraged to pay their dues at the November meeting. We'll have application forms at the meeting, but you can also download the form from our public website if that's more convenient. <http://sites.google.com/site/bartlesvilleastronomyclub/home/join-bas>

Public Events: With the acquisition of liability insurance, the club will now consider hosting public astronomy events. Joyce Ritchie stated that she has already spoken with Oak Park Elementary School, and they are eager for us to provide a star gazing event. Joyce will coordinate scheduling with Oak Park and report back to the club.

Release Form: On the back of the BAS Membership Form is a Liability Release Form, which releases the Bartlesville Astronomical Society, its Officers, Board and members from legal action in the event of injury or damages as a result of BAS activities. We ask that all renewing members sign this form when filling out the membership form and pay dues for the coming year. This demonstrates to our insurer that we have made an effort to notify individuals participating in BAS activities that they, not the club, are responsible for such events. Members not signing the release form will not be permitted to participate in BAS activities, except for monthly meetings. Thanks for your cooperation.

BAS Resource Checkout: While it's not yet fully functional, a prototype checkout system has been added to our BvilleAstro Yahoo Group at <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BvilleAstro/app/giveaway/view/table> . Feel free to give it a try and offer your feedback to John Grismore.

(Source: http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Entertainment/astronomy-calendar.php)

2010 Programs

Next Meeting: Monday, December 6, Observing Asteroid Occultations by John Grismore in the Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room. For more information, see the meeting announcement on our website home page at <http://sites.google.com/site/bartlesvilleastronomyclub/> .

Newsletter Contributions Needed: Please submit your contributions to Mike Woods or to bvilleastro@gmail.com .

For Sale

Celestron NexStar 130 SLT GoTo Reflector Telescope. Includes Soft Case, manual, etc… Can be powered by 8 internal AA batteries or included 12V power cord. Asking $250. Contact Duane Perkins, phone: 336-5096 or email: dperkins@sbcglobal.net .

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