Monday, August 1, 7:00 p.m.

(6:30 - Setup and Casual Conversation)

Bartlesville Public Library

7:15 p.m.

Star Lore

by

Derek Herrman

Derek will explain star lore of cultures from around the world.

Iridium flair over Price Tower

by John Grismore

Camera (tripod mounted): Canon T3

Lens: Canon EOS 18-55, set at 18 FL

ISO: 800

F Number: 11

Exposure: 15 seconds

Iridium flair over Price Tower

by Steve Plank

An Iridium flare (sun glint off a satphone satellite) high in the east at about 9:40 pm on 7/16/16. We set up in the parking lot just south of the downtown Presbyterian Church, so that we could frame the flare in a shot near the top of the Price Tower. The flare was very bright (-7.2) and appeared just below the star Vega, in the constellation Lyra. The event lasted about 12 seconds, and you can see the flare stretched out in a streak as the satellite moved. Vega is the brightest star nearby, and you can see the parallelogram of the constellation Lyra below it. It’s a bit hard to see, but the constellation Cygnus (the Northern Cross) is visible to the left of the Price Tower.

Family Fun with Sky Watching

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/stargazing-basics/family-projects-and-experiments/

Predictive Prowess: See an Iridium Flare

By: Bob King | July 17, 2014 | Comments 4

Channel your inner superpower by looking up at the night sky precisely when a dazzling blaze of light is beamed to Earth from outer space.

News from the Night Sky Network:

Get Started with Variable Star Observing

Try mastering the art of tracking the brightness of a variable star with this guide from the American Association of Vari able Star Observers (AAVSO) and Astronomers Without Borders.Try out the beginner's spotting guide on their website and see if you can record the difference in brightness over time. If you like this program the AAVSO is your friend in becoming a variable star observing master, and the Astronomical League has a great observing program with many more stars to observe and track.

How the Hubble Space Telescope Imaged Mars

Amateurs get great pictures of Mars during opposition by using lots of preparation and skill with their preferred equipment at their observing sites. What kind of preparation does it take for scientists to get amazing pictures of Mars using the Hubble Space Telescope? We found out how by asking Max Mutchler, Research and Instrument Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, who specializes in working with the Hubble Space Telescope's cameras!

Vivian White & David Prosper

The Night Sky Network Team

nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org

I found this free course for folks interested in Astronomy!

https://www.udemy.com/astronomy-state-of-the-art/learn/v4/overview

Goodluck!

Racheeta Agrawal

Hello BAS members

Please use link below to access Member Presentations.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4CQup8TdDvCfnBiUlE5RURWWTl4Y0IyVVlyMnVwWlVtQW9uWnAxTDJHMHk4VmVuNFkxeXc

Accurate Polar Alignment

By: Alan MacRobert | July 17, 2006 | Comments 1

Long-exposure astrophotography requires an accurately aligned equatorial mount.

- See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-equipment/equipment-diy/#sthash.54pqzBDM.dpuf

Tips for Shooting Great Nightscapes

By: Babak Tafreshi | August 10, 2015 | Comments 0

Capturing the Earth and sky in one great composition is surprisingly easy.

Hello BAS Members --

With so many people interested in AstroPhotography in the group, we have thought of having a "Astro Picture of the Month" competition each month at our meetings.

Entry Rules:

Send one picture of the night sky/ object of the current month with a description of the picture and the equipment used to take this.

Mail it to bvilleastro@gmail.com.

Best picture is chosen in the next meeting and uploaded to our Facebook/Twitter pages with your mention!

So let the entries pouring in for our next meeting on the Feb 2, 2015.

Thanks

BAS President .

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

Delta Aquarids Kick Off Summer Meteor Showers

By: Bob King | July 27, 2016 | Comments 0

The meteors are coming! Three annual meteor showers are already active and guaranteed to spark up your summer nights.

See Two Tricky Occultations — Neptune and Lambda (λ) Aqr

By: Bob King | July 20, 2016 | Comments 5

Now you see 'em, now you don't. Watch the Moon occult Neptune and nearby Lambda Aquarii on the same night.

Solstice Brings Late Nights, Bright Sights

By: Bob King | June 15, 2016 | Comments 10

Saturn’s Splendid Summer Show

By: Bob King | June 1, 2016 | Comments 1

It's showtime for the King of the Rings! Time to get your telescope out to see and share Saturn, which comes to opposition this week.

Amateur Astro-imagers Get Ready for Juno

By: Christophe Pellier | May 25, 2016 | Comments 0

Planetary scientists are counting on amateur observations to enhance the results from NASA's forthcoming Juno mission.

Skyweek

July 28, 29 - Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids is an average shower that can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by comets Marsden and Kracht. The shower runs annually from July 12 to August 23. It peaks this year on the night of July 28 and morning of July 29. The second quarter moon will block most of the fainter meteors this year but if you are patient you should still be able to catch quite a few good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

August 2 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 20:44 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.

August 11, 12 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by comet Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862. The Perseids are famous for producing a large number of bright meteors. The shower runs annually from July 17 to August 24. It peaks this year on the night of August 11 and the morning of August 12. The waxing gibbous moon will set shortly after midnight, leaving fairly dark skies for should be an excellent early morning show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Perseus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

August 16 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 27.4 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.

August 18 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 09:26 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Sturgeon Moon because the large sturgeon fish of the Great Lakes and other major lakes were more easily caught at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon.

August 27 - Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. A spectacular conjunction of Venus and Jupiter will be visible in the evening sky. The two bright planets will be extremely close, appearing only 0.06 degrees apart. Look for this impressive pairing in the western sky just after sunset.

September 1 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 09:03 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 1 - Annular Solar Eclipse. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the darkened Moon. The Sun's corona is not visible during an annular eclipse. The path of the eclipse will begin off the eastern coast of central Africa and travel through Gabon, Congo, Tanzania, and Madagascar before ending in the Indian Ocean. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout most of Africa and the Indian Ocean. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information) (NASA Interactive Google Map)

• • (Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2016.html)

2016 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

September 5, 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.