October 3, 2011 Meeting

Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room

6:45 p.m. Setup and open discussion

7:00 p.m. Club Business (election of officers)

7:15 p.m. Introduction to Stellarium

7:30 p.m.

Show and Tell

This month will be a more hands-on program. Several members will bring equipment, software or other items to demonstrate and explain.

by Daryl Doughty (Program Chairman)

Choosing Your Telescope's Magnification by Al Nagler

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

Free Club Newsletter Articles from NASA

Participate in NASA's Space Place Astronomy Club Partner program and receive monthly articles provided by NASA's award-winning Space Place outreach program to include in your club newsletter or web-posting, including a bi-monthly mailing of NASA materials like posters, lithos, and postcards.

Interested? Email: Laura.K.Lincoln@jpl.nasa.gov Might be worth looking into http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov

(Thanks to John Land Astronomy Club of Tulsa)

As many of you know, one of my astronomical interests is observing and recording asteroid occultations, whenever a faint asteroid briefly eclipses a star and causes it to wink out for a few seconds. The results of these observations, from amateur astronomers around the world, are collected and analyzed by the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA). Sky and Telescope has just published online, the results of an exceptional, coordinated effort to record an occultation of the bright star LQ Aquarii by the binary asteroid, Antiope. Although I was unable to participate, since the narrow occultation path ran across Canada, Montana, Idaho, Oregan, Nevada and California, these observations demonstrate the extraordinary precision that amateur occultation methods can achieve. Be sure to take a look at the article at the link below, which shows the profile of both components of the binary asteroid with a level of detail not possible by even the largest professional telescopes on Earth. (John Grismore)

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/129541438.html

• • September 27 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 11:09 UTC.

  • October 1 - Astronomy Day Part 2. Astronomy Day is an annual event intended to provide a means of interaction between the general public and various astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals. The theme of Astronomy Day is "Bringing Astronomy to the People," and on this day astronomy and stargazing clubs and other organizations around the world will plan special events. You can find out about special local events by contacting your local astronomy club or planetarium. You can also find more about Astronomy Day by checking the Web site for the Astronomical League.

  • October 12 - 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 02:06 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. This will also be the smallest full moon of the year because it will be near apogee, its farthest point from the Earth.

  • October 16 - Comet Elinin. Newly discovered comet Elinin will make its closest approach to the Earth on October 16. The comet was discovered on December 10, 2010 by Russian amateur astronomer Leonid Elenin. It is estimated that the comet will reach 6th magnitude as it makes its closest approach. This will make it just barely visible to the naked eye. With a good pair of binoculars and a little determination, you may be able to get a good look at this new comet during mid October.

  • October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. A good show could be experienced on any morning from October 20 - 24, and some meteors may be seen any time from October 17 - 25. The nearly last quarter moon may hide some of the faintest meteors this year. Best viewing will be to the east after midnight. Be sure to find a dark location far from city lights.

  • October 26 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 19:56 UTC.

  • October 29 - Jupiter at Opposition. The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons. The giant planet will be a big and bright as it gets in the night sky. A medium-sized telescope should be able to show you some of the details in Jupiter's cloud bands. A good pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter's four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.

(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2011.html)

2011 Programs

Next Meeting

November 7, 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 .

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