September 2013

Thursday, Sept. 5th

Meeting Programs Workshop

Members and visitors will discuss preferred program topics and activities for future meetings.

Are you a science hobbyist?

We need your help with a new National Science Foundation sponsored research study that will investigate the characteristics and educational experiences of people who are active in science hobbies. More and more people are engaging in science hobbies; schools and science centers would like to know more about the characteristics of science hobbyists and how these organizations might better support hobbyists’ networking and education.

What will happen if you take part in the study?

The information gained from this research can help science educators and researchers understand how to better teach science in schools and museums, and how to design better community-based science programs. Participation in this study is voluntary. Information you provide will be anonymous. If you complete the survey, you may elect to enter a drawing for a $100 Target gift card.

Click on this link when you are ready to complete the survey:

http://ncsu.qualtrics.com//SE/?SID=SV_7OOsR9G0Pkp5I2N

30^th Okie-Tex Star Party is drawing near

Sept 28^th to Oct 6^th

http://www.okie-tex.com/

Details for registration and meals at website.

Dozens of our Tulsa members join with more than 300 fellow astronomers each fall to marvel at the dark skies in the tip of the Oklahoma Panhandle. Al Nagler of Tel-Vue optics proclaimed it as one of the darkest sites in America. Time to get your registrations in. Especially for the on site meals. Since the nearest eating places are nearly 40 miles away.

Current News from Sky and Telescope

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news

More Asteroid Hunting for WISE Spacecraft — August 22, 2013

NASA officials thought they'd switched off the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer for good 2½ years ago. But soon it'll be revived for three years to hunt for small asteroids in Earth's vicinity.

Old, Fat Stars Flicker — August 21, 2013

Observing the pattern of flickers in a star’s light offers a new way for astronomers to measure one of the basic properties of stars — and any exoplanets they might host.

Kepler KO'd; NASA Ponders New Purpose — August 19, 2013

The disabled space telescope's prolific planet-hunting run is officially over, as the team abandons efforts to salvage its full pointing ability and focuses on data analysis. Its next mission? Hunting for a job.

"Smoking Gun" from Galactic Smashup? — August 14, 2013

Observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory suggest that something has slammed into the spiral galaxy NGC 1232. But you'd never know it from the galaxy's unperturbed appearance

Comet ISON Spotted Again, Faintly — August 13, 2013

Amateur Bruce Gary in Arizona has imaged Comet ISON emerging low in the dawn at only 14th magnitude. This suggests a modest showing late this year for the supposed "comet of the century."

Skyweek from Sky and Telescope Magazine also presents a variety of astronomical events for the naked eye as well as telescope viewing.http://www.skyandtelescope.com/videos/skyweek

• • August 27 - Neptune at Opposition. The blue 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 Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

  • September 5 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 11:36 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

  • September 8 - Conjunction of the Moon and Venus. The Moon will pass within about a half of a degree from the the planet Venus in the early evening sky. The thin crescent moon will be at magnitude -10.4 and Venus will be at magnitude -4.5. Look for both objects low in the western sky in the early evening. The pair will be visible in the evening sky for about 2 hours after sunset.

  • September 8 - Conjunction of the Venus and Saturn. The two planets 3 degrees of each other in the early evening sky. Venus will be at magnitude -4.6 and Saturn will be at magnitude -1.1. Look for both objects low in the western sky in the early evening. The pair will be visible in the evening sky for about 2 hours after sunset.

  • September 19 - 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 11:13 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.

  • September 22 - September Equinox. The September equinox occurs at 20:44 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.

  • October 3 - Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green 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 Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

  • October 5 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 00:34 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2013.html)

2013 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

October 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 .

Bartlesville Astronomical Society - Membership

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