Monday, January 5

Bartlesville Public Library

6:45 p.m. Setup and Discussion

7:00 p.m. Club Business

7:15 p.m. Current Astronomy News

7:30 p.m.

Collection and analysis of individual chronologic astronomical profiles to ascertain loci of commonality and interest for forward application to development of diverse group auditory and visual stimulation.

by Bob Young

Bob will go "round-robin" with attendees of the meeting and address the following:

-Age at which you became interested in astronomy.

What and or whom caused this?

-What have you done with astronomy?

-What are your interests in astronomy?

-What would you like out of a BAS monthly program?

-Would you be willing to present a program?

BAS 2015 Membership is due now. Please pay if you have not done so already to continue receiving the Astronomical League "Reflector" and to enjoy membership privileges. Treasurer may be contacted at miltvend@sbcglobal.net for BAS mailing address or any other questions concerning dues amounts.

Thank you.

Vicky

For those who ordered and did not pick up their Astronomy calendars last month, Karen will have them available at this month's meeting.

Hello to all from your New BAS President.

I have noticed that our membership has fallen off and participation in club meeting has also fallen off. I realize that we all have other obligations. I would like to help restore some participation and interest in our meeting and events. Your thoughts and interest about club meetings and events would be very helpful. Please e-mail me at bvillepiper@sbcglobal.net with your thoughts on how you would like to improve our club meetings and events. Hope to see all of you at our December meeting.

Steve Plank

BAS President .The great tradition of dark sky observing continues with the 37th Annual

TEXAS STAR PARTY, May 10-17, 2015!

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 21, 2015. 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!

https://texasstarparty.org/get-started/

SIGN UP NOW!

You can find out the status of your TSP Registration at any time by visiting

https://texasstarparty.org/account/

Get info on our new AstroLearn Workshop at

https://texasstarparty.org/astrolearn/

Need funds to help pay for your trip to TSP? You can find out about getting paid while at TSP at:

https://texasstarparty.org/paid-workers-needed/

Check out the latest news at:

https://texasstarparty.org/news/

Questions? Visit our web site for the latest and complete details!

https://texasstarparty.org/ or email TSPRooms@TexasStarParty.org

We look forward to seeing you next May!

Sincerely,

the volunteers for Texas Star Party

Take the Future of Amateur Astronomers Survey

The Night Sky Network is doing a new survey of amateur astronomers located in the United States. We are attempting to understand the landscape of educational outreach performed by astronomy clubs and assess the needs of the amateur astronomy community for the next 5 years. We want to hear your voice.

Please let us know what your needs are and how we can better help you and your clubs by taking our survey, located here: http://bit.ly/2014astrosurvey

Pass this announcement along to any other persons or organizations that would have an interest in this survey as well. Thank you all!

You can see daily images of the Sun on www.Spaceweather.com

See a Fantastic image comparing sunspot to size of earth

http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=18&month=10&year=2014

Sky and Telescope News http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news

Curiosity Studies Mars Dry-out

By: Camille M. Carlisle | December 29, 2014 | Comments 0

Samples taken from two drill holes on Mars support the idea that Mars lost a whole lot of water fairly early in its history.

Binocular Comet Lovejoy Heading Our Way

By: Alan MacRobert | December 28, 2014 | Comments 21

A new Comet Lovejoy, C/2014 Q2, is heading our way. It may brighten to 5th magnitude from late December through much of January as it climbs into excellent viewing position for the Northern Hemisphere, high in the dark winter sky. - See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/#sthash.MhRDe1xe.dpuf

Watching a Quasar Shut Down

By: Shannon Hall | December 26, 2014 | Comments 2

Over the course of ten years, a once-brilliant quasar seems to have stopped gobbling down nearby gas.

What to See with Your New Telescope

By: The Editors of Sky Telescope | December 25, 2014 | Comments 0

Thousands of telescopes are given and received as gifts during the holidays. But once you've assembled your new treasure, then what? The editors of Sky & Telescope magazine point the way.

ESA Bids Farewell to Venus Express

By: Kelly Beatty | December 24, 2014 | Comments 0

A highly successful spacecraft has ended its mission after returning nearly a decade of data on Earth's nearest planetary neighbor.

Rosetta Update: Philae Landed in a Hole

By: Emily Poore | December 22, 2014 | Comments 0

The exact location of Philae’s landing site remains unknown, though the site’s topography might allow the lander to operate longer than planned. Meanwhile, Rosetta is detecting organics and heavy elements even when Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko is far from the Sun.

Sky & Telescope’s Telescope-Tutorial Videos

By: Kelly Beatty | December 19, 2014 | Comments 0

In a quartet of high-quality videos, Sky & Telescope editors offer newcomers solid, objective tips on how to buy, use, equip, and care for new telescopes.

Curiosity Finds Methane, Other Organics

By: Camille M. Carlisle | December 17, 2014 | Comments 5

NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected both methane in Mars’s atmosphere and carbon-bearing organic compounds in its rocks. But it’s unclear where these molecules come from — or whether there’s any biological connection.

MAVEN Finds New Particles, Ion Plume

By: Camille M. Carlisle | December 16, 2014 | Comments 1

NASA’s MAVEN mission has discovered a new population of particles in Mars’s upper atmosphere. It’s also found a plume of particles escaping from the planet’s poles, confirming atmospheric loss is happening today.

Binocular Comet Lovejoy Heading Our Way

By: Alan MacRobert | December 15, 2014 | Comments 19

A new Comet Lovejoy, C/2014 Q2, is heading our way. It may brighten to 5th magnitude from late December through much of January as it climbs into excellent viewing position for the Northern Hemisphere, high in the dark winter sky.- See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/#sthash.13DaDdmN.dpuf

Binocular Comet Lovejoy Heading Our Way

By: Alan MacRobert | December 11, 2014 | Comments 8

A new Comet Lovejoy, C/2014 Q2, is heading our way. It may brighten to 5th magnitude from late December through much of January as it climbs into excellent viewing position for the Northern Hemisphere, high in the dark winter sky.

Earth’s Water Likely Not From Comets

By: Kelly Beatty | December 10, 2014 | Comments 2

An early outcome from Rosetta's scrutiny of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is that the isotopes in its water have distinctly different ratios than those on Earth.

Geologic Map Shows What’s Where on Vesta

By: Kelly Beatty | December 9, 2014 | Comments 5

NASA's Dawn spacecraft spent 14 months photographing Vesta from close range. Now geologists have completed a global map of the asteroid's surface geology.New Horizons Awakens for Pluto Encounter

By: Kelly Beatty | December 6, 2014 | Comments 1

Right on cue, New Horizons spacecraft has awakened from its final electronic hibernation. Seven months from now, it will make the first-ever visit to Pluto.

Test Flight Success for Orion Spacecraft

By: Camille M. Carlisle | December 5, 2014 | Comments 8

On December 5th, NASA successfully launched the first test flight of its Orion capsule. Scheduled to carry astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit in the 2020s, the spacecraft is NASA’s first deep-space people transporter since the Apollo days.

Evicted Black Hole or Weird Supernova?

By: Monica Young | December 4, 2014 | Comments 3

Orphaned black hole or weird supernova? A mysterious source of radiation has left astronomers contemplating exotic explanations. - See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/#sthash.EZAXsfgc.dpuf

Hayabusa 2 is Asteroid Bound

By: Emily Conover | December 3, 2014 | Comments 0

Japan's second asteroid-sample mission launched successfully on December 3rd after weather delays. If successful it will reach asteroid 1999 JU3 in 2018, explore for 18 months, and then return to Earth with souvenirs.

Lick Observatory Gets a Reprieve

By: Kelly Beatty | November 30, 2014 | Comments 5

Last year the University of California ordered its astronomers to make historic Lick Observatory self-supporting by 2018. Now there's been a change of heart, and the university will continue to pay for its operation.

Tour December’s Sky: Orion Rising

By: Kelly Beatty | November 29, 2014 | Comments 0

Our monthly podcast offers the key highlights for stargazing in December: where to find bright stars and planets — and how to spot the Geminid meteor shower.

Breathtaking View of Icy Moon Europa

By: Shannon Hall | November 27, 2014 | Comments 0

A newly processed image from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft shows Europa’s breathtaking beauty and tortured surface in greater detail than ever before.

Bright Spot in Uranus’s Atmosphere

By: Camille M. Carlisle | November 25, 2014 | Comments 0

Amateur astronomers have confirmed the presence of a large, bright storm cloud on the ice giant Uranus. - See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/#sthash.6Y5LkVZU.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

• • January 3, 4 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. It is thought to be produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, which was discovered in 2003. The shower runs annually from January 1-5. It peaks this year on the night of the 3rd and morning of the 4th. Unfortunately the nearly full moon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

  • January 5 - 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 04:53 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Wolf Moon because this was the time of year when hungry wolf packs howled outside their camps. This moon has also been know as the Old Moon and the Moon After Yule.

  • January 20 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 13:14 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.

  • February - Dawn at Ceres. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft will encounter the dwarf planet known as Ceres sometime in February 2015. Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Because of its size and shape, it has officially been classified as a dwarf planet, which puts it in the same category as Pluto. Ceres is 590 miles (950 kilometers) in diameter and is large enough to have a round shape. Dawn will spend several months studying Ceres and will send back the first close-up images of a dwarf planet in our Solar System.

  • February 3 - 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 23:09 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Snow Moon because the heaviest snows usually fell during this time of the year. Since hunting is difficult, this moon has also been known by some tribes as the Full Hunger Moon.

  • February 6 - 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. 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-2015.html)

2015 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

February 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.