June 2014
Friday, May 30 - Sunday, June 1
Sunfest - Sooner Park
Visit the Bartlesville Astronomical Society booth at Sunfest. There will be club information, astronomical exhibits and equipment displays.
2014 Texas Star Party - Last chance to sign up now!The great tradition of dark sky observing continues with the 36th Annual TEXAS STAR PARTY, May 25-31, 2014! near Ft Davis, Texas Staying on the Ranch in housing, RV, or camping? Staying off-site in other accommodations? Everyone needs to enter the TSP drawing, held in late January. You should submit a Registration/Reservation Request Form to ENTER THE TSP DRAWING before January 22, 2014. This will provide you the highest possible chance of being selected as one of the 500 people who will be able to attend TSP this year. Follow this link to get started! http://texasstarparty.org/get-started/ SIGN UP NOW! You can find out the status of your TSP Registration at any time by visiting http://texasstarparty.org/account/ We have some really neat new stuff for TSP 2014... including The 2nd annual Texas Imaging Symposium, Find out about these and other news at: http://texasstarparty.org/news/ Questions? Visit our web site for the latest and complete details! http://www.texasstarparty.org/ or email tsprooms@texasstarparty.org
We look forward to seeing you next May! Sincerely, the volunteers for Texas Star Party
From the MSRAL 2014 Committee:
St. Louis June 6-8, 2014
The St. Louis Astronomical Society in conjunction with the McDonnell Planetarium and Washington University wish to invite all Astronomical League members to the 2014 Mid-States Convention in St. Louis Missouri.
We hope the following information will give you a feel for what we are offering this year. Whether you spend just the weekend or extend your stay in St. Louis and visit our many tourist sites, we think you will have a great time.
We are planning a Friday night through Sunday morning convention. The traditional Friday Star-B-Q will be at our James S. McDonnell Planetarium, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. There will be Friday night public telescope viewing, a Sky show and guest speaker as well as Laserium shows. On Saturday we will have our morning and afternoon paper presentations; and a tour of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Center at Washington University. Saturday night will feature our annual MSRAL banquet, Amateur of the Year presentation, and keynote speaker, Dr Ray Arvidson, James S McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department. Dr. Arvidson is involved with the Mars Rover missions and will give us the current status of their findings.
On Sunday, we plan to offer workshops on astrophotography as well as other talks, including Night Sky Network. The hope is to provide you with skills to increase your fun and productivity. Bring your laptops, photos, etc.
For people needing hotel rooms, Washington University’s Knight Center offers first class executive rooms. The Knight Center will also be the site of our Banquet, making for easy access to your rooms before and after the meetings. Information regarding accommodations will be updated on the registration page.
Our registration website is now open. Please visit it as soon as possible. We have included important dates and links below, and these are also on our website.
Here is the link for the convention information including registration: http://slasonline.org/msral2014.html
Please distribute this information to your club members. We have created the following slide show that will provide more details. We would appreciate it if you would present this at one of your club meetings.
http://slasonline.org/msralpreview.pdf
We hope to see all of you here in St. Louis June 6-8, 2014.
Best Regards,
2014 MSRAL Committee, St. Louis Astronomical Society
Important Links
St. Louis Astronomical Society Home Page: http://www.slasonline.org/
MSRAL2014 Home Page: http://www.slasonline.org/msral2014.html
St. Louis Astronomical Society Night Sky Network: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/club-view.cfm?Club_ID=718
MSRAL Website: http://www.msral.org/
Meeting Location, Saturday 8-5, Sunday 8-noon: Crow Hall, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
When: Friday, June 6 - Sunday June 8
Star-BQ: James S. McDonnell Planetarium, Friday Night
Banquet: Knight Center, Washington University, Saturday Night
MSRAL Yahoo Group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/msral/info
SKY &TELESCOPE
Table of Contents: 1941 – 2013 by the Editors of Sky & Telescope
S & T is the longest running of the two major American Astronomy Periodicals. A couple of years ago they published a comprehensive DVD set of all their issues
Now they have put online a comprehensive Table of Contents to all those issues. A very valuable tool for subscribers who have collections of back issues or
persons looking for a particular type or information or event.
The Table of contents is available in a searchable Excel format or Text Format
From John Land - Astronomy Club of Tulsa
Current News from Sky and Telescope
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news
By: Shannon Hall | May 26, 2014 | Comments 0
Exoplanet missions are shifting their goals from counting to characterizing, with multiple instruments coming online to directly image these alien worlds.
By: Kelly Beatty | May 24, 2014 | Comments 26
Dynamicists had predicted that Comet 209P/LINEAR would create an active meteor display in the early morning of May 24th. But reports from observers across the U.S. and Canada suggest that the Camelopardalid meteor shower was weak at best. Meteor dynamicists had been unanimous in their prediction that skygazers would witness a new meteor shower...
By: Monica Young | May 24, 2014 | Comments 0
Galaxies’ central black holes are surprisingly simple creatures at heart, but they have a complicated past. New studies are starting to remove history’s obfuscating veil.
By: Kelly Beatty | May 21, 2014 | Comments 23
The dim, obscure periodic comet 209P/LINEAR is about to pass close by Earth — and bring with it a trail of debris that could make for an exciting meteor shower during the predawn hours of Saturday May 24th for North America. Update, morning of May 24th: Meteor watchers across North America who went out...
By: Shannon Hall | May 19, 2014 | Comments 1
A neighboring galaxy’s central black hole powers strong winds, allowing astronomers — for the first time — to spot those gales pushing out star-forming gas.
By: Camille M. Carlisle | May 16, 2014 | Comments 4
The Rosetta spacecraft took these images of Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko as it approaches the nucleus. It'll launch its lander, Philae, in November onto the nucleus's surface.
By: Monica Young | May 15, 2014 | Comments 1
A hive of stars is sailing toward Earth at more than 2 million miles per hour — and racing away from the giant galaxy it used to call home. Relics of a galaxy’s ancient past, the stellar cities known as globular clusters are among the first collections of stars to form. Hundreds of thousands...
By: Camille M. Carlisle | May 14, 2014 | Comments 1
The ESA's Planck mission has released one of the most detailed maps of the Milky Way's magnetic field.
By: John Bochanski | May 13, 2014 | Comments 8
Astronomers have confirmed that a star in the constellation Hercules is a dead ringer for one of the Sun’s long-lost brothers.
- See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/#sthash.SS9kL7BX.dpuf
By: Monica Young | May 5, 2014 | Comments 2
A bizarre X-ray flare first spotted in 2010 could be a signal from two black holes that will ultimately unite into a single beast. In a galaxy 2 billion light-years away, two black holes are locked in a whirling embrace. They are spiraling toward each other in a dance that will end only when...
By: Alan MacRobert | May 2, 2014 | Comments 0
Seen each year in early May, the Eta Aquariid meteors are spawned by none other than Halley's Comet. This shower is best seen before dawn's first light. Update May 7th: Watch the progress of the shower in near real time, as meteor counters around the world report their results to the International Meteor Organization....
By: Alan MacRobert | May 2, 2014 | Comments 1
Your first view of Saturn with a telescope can introduce you to the riches of stargazing — and now is the perfect time to observe it. Saturn is entering the early evening sky this spring just as Jupiter begins its exit in the west. Here's a quick guide to spotting the ringed planet by...
By: Shannon Hall | May 2, 2014 | Comments 1
A new processing technique has revealed once-invisible planetary disks encircling five stars imaged in Hubble’s archive.
- See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/#sthash.NejY2sra.dpuf
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
May 24 - Possible Meteor Storm. In the early morning hours of Saturday, May 24, the Earth will pass through the debris field left behind by a small comet known as P/209 LINEAR. Astronomers are predicting that this interaction may result in a brief but intense burst of meteor activity that could range from dozens to hundreds of meteors per hour. Nothing is certain, but many mathematical models are predicting that this could be the most intense meteor shower in more than a decade.
May 28 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 18:40 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.
June 7 - Conjunction of the Moon and Mars. The Moon will pass within two degrees of the the planet Mars in the evening sky. The gibbous moon will be at magnitude -12.2 and Mars will be at magnitude -0.8. Look for both objects high in the eastern sky just after sunset. The pair will be visible in the west later in the evening and will remain visible for about 6 hours after sunset.
June 13 - 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 04:11 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Strawberry Moon because it signaled the time of year to gather ripening fruit. It also coincides with the peak of the strawberry harvesting season. This moon has also been known as the Full Rose Moon and the Full Honey Moon.
June 21 - June Solstice. The June solstice occurs at 10:51 UTC. The North 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 Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere.
June 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 08:08 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.
July 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 11:25 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Buck Moon because the male buck deer would begin to grow their new antlers at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Full Thunder Moon and the Full Hay Moon.
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2014.html)
2014 BAS Programs
Next Meeting
July 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.
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
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
BAS Yahoo Group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BvilleAstro/