December 2011

December 5, 2011 Meeting

Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room

6:45 p.m. Setup and open discussion

7:00 p.m. Club Business

7:15 p.m. Current Astronomy News

Object of the Month

Auction of Items for Club

Steve will be running an auction at the December meeting. We will see if this first auction works out. Steve will bring two or three items. If any members have anything they don't want they could bring it to the auction. The intent is to raise money for the club.

A number of members have not paid dues yet. We will be extending our November collection to the December meeting. Those who have decided not to renew their membership should inform a BAS officer so we don't continue to send reminders.

7:30 p.m.

Star Gazing for Beginners

by Steve Plank

Steve will present a program on Beginner Star Gazing from the perspective of a recent beginner. He will discuss backyard astronomy, identifying bright stars and constellations and using a planetarium program to determine what will be visible from your location on any night. Steve will also describe several different types of telescopes and explain how to use them. This will be an excellent opportunity for new and novice stargazers to learn more about amateur astronomy.

Choosing Your Telescope's Magnification by Al Nagler

(http://www.skyandtelescope.com/equipment/basics/3077091.html?page=2&c=y)

    • November 25 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 06:10 UTC.

    • November 25 - Partial Solar Eclipse. This partial eclipse will only be visible over Antarctica and parts of South Africa and Tasmania. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

    • December 10 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 14:36 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Cold Moon because this is the time of year when the cold winter air settles in and the nights become long and dark. This moon has also been known as the Moon Before Yule and the Full Long Nights Moon.

    • December 10 - Total Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Europe, eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and the North America. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

    • December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak of the shower usually occurs around December 13 & 14, although some meteors should be visible from December 6 - 19. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. The gibbous moon will definitely interfere this year by hiding the faintest meteors, but with up to 60 meteors per hour possible, this should still be an excellent show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight from a dark location.

    • December 22 - December Solstice. The December solstice occurs 05:30 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere.

    • December 24 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 18:06 UTC.

Next Meeting

January 2, Monday. Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room (tentative)

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 Mike Woods or to bvilleastro@gmail.com .

Bartlesville Astronomical Society - Membership

B.A.S. is an organization of people interested in Astronomy and related fields of science.

The current officers are:

The current board members are:

Additional club positions:

Membership is open to everyone interested in any aspects of astronomy.

Adult. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00

Students (through 12th grade) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00

Magazine Subscription (reduced rate for members)

Sky & Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $32.95

Astronomy Technology Today Magazine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14.00

Astronomy Magazine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $34.00/yr

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