Link to a photography blog regarding the Eclipse:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/outdoors/features/mark-your-calendars-north-american-solar-eclipse-2017?utm_medium=Email%201624387&utm_campaign=Content&utm_source=WeeklyContent%20160827&utm_content=Explora&utm_term=mark-calendars-north-american-solar-eclipse-2017

Have your hotel ready?

John Blaesi

I would like to invite all BAS members to our General Meeting on Saturday, September 10 at 7:00 PM at the Jenks Planetarium (105 East "B" Street, Jenks).

At our meeting we will have a presentation from our members and your own John Grismore about their results viewing the grazing occultation of Aldebaran by the Moon last month. We will also be talking about Okie-Tex upcoming later in September and some other things too.

John suggested I contact you two about putting this in your newsletter and announcing it at your monthly meeting, if you want.

Thanks.

--

Richard Brady

President

Astronomy Club of Tulsa

AstroTulsa.Pres@gmail.com

Last Friday (7/29/16), along with three amateur astronomers from the Astronomy Club of Tulsa, I observed and recorded a rare grazing occultation of the bright star Aldebaran by the edge of the Moon. The graze path, where the star appeared to move exactly tangent to the edge of the Moon, ran diagonally from southwest to northeast across most of the U.S., but was less than half a mile wide. A group of amateur astronomers from the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA), meeting in Stillwater that weekend for their annual conference, set up scopes and recorded the event south of Stillwater. From there, the graze path passed just north of Tulsa and across the south part of Oologah. That’s where I met the other three to record the event.

The graze occurred in Oologah at about 5:08 am, so we were all there before 4:30, setting up scopes and cameras. Weather had been a concern, but the clouds didn’t roll in until about 30 minutes after the event (which lasted approximately 3 minutes). We had three DSLR video recordings and one set of visual observations (timings recorded on audio). During the event, Aldebaran clearly winked out for a fraction of a second to many seconds as it was alternately hidden behind lunar mountains projecting from the Moon’s limb and then reappeared in the intervening valleys. Our timings of these events are being submitted to IOTA, where they can be correlated with other observations of the event to check for small variations in the diameter of Aldebaran and improve the mapping of the lunar features along the limb.

I’ve put together a summary video of this event, and uploaded it to our BvilleAstro channel on YouTube. Here’s the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgPGTFW4DkM

John

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Venus and Jupiter prepare for their close-up this August

By Ethan Siegel

As Earth speeds along in its annual journey around the Sun, it consistently overtakes the slower-orbiting outer planets, while the inner worlds catch up to and pass Earth periodically. Sometime after an outer world—particularly a slow-moving gas giant—gets passed by Earth, it appears to migrate closer and closer to the Sun, eventually appearing to slip behind it from our perspective. If you've been watching Jupiter this year, it's been doing exactly that, moving consistently from east to west and closer to the Sun ever since May 9th.

On the other hand, the inner worlds pass by Earth. They speed away from us, then slip behind the Sun from west to east, re-emerging in Earth's evening skies to the east of the Sun. Of all the planets visible from Earth, the two brightest are Venus and Jupiter, which experience a conjunction from our perspective only about once per year. Normally, Venus and Jupiter will appear separated by approximately 0.5º to 3º at closest approach. This is due to the fact that the Solar System's planets don't all orbit in the same perfect, two-dimensional plane.

But this summer, as Venus emerges from behind the Sun and begins catching up to Earth, Jupiter falls back toward the Sun, from Earth's perspective, at the same time. On August 27th, all three planets—Earth, Venus and Jupiter—will make nearly a perfectly straight line.

As a result, Venus and Jupiter, at 9:48 PM Universal time, will appear separated by only 4 arc-minutes, the closest conjunction of naked eye planets since the Venus/Saturn conjunction in 2006. Seen right next to one another, it's startling how much brighter Venus appears than Jupiter; at magnitude -3.80, Venus appears some eight times brighter than Jupiter, which is at magnitude -1.53.

Look to the western skies immediately after sunset on August 27th, and the two brightest planets of all—brighter than all the stars—will make a dazzling duo in the twilight sky. As soon as the sun is below the horizon, the pair will be about two fists (at arm’s length) to the left of the sun’s disappearance and about one fist above a flat horizon. You may need binoculars to find them initially and to separate them. Through a telescope, a large, gibbous Venus will appear no more distant from Jupiter than Callisto, its farthest Galilean satellite.

As a bonus, Mercury is nearby as well. At just 5º below and left of the Venus/Jupiter pair, Mercury achieved a distant conjunction with Venus less than 24 hours prior. In 2065, Venus will actually occult Jupiter, passing in front of the planet's disk. Until then, the only comparably close conjunctions between these two worlds occur in 2039 and 2056, meaning this one is worth some special effort—including traveling to get clear skies and a good horizon—to see!

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If you have not done so already, it is not too late to register for Okie-Tex Star Party 2016, which runs September 24 to October 2, 2016!

Per the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club’s Okie-Tex website: http://www.okie-tex.com/registration.php:

Pre-Registration and Fees:

The pre-registration fee is $50.00 for each primary registrant and $25.00 for each additional family member 16 years old or older. Children under 16 are admitted free of charge. Only primary registrants are eligible for the Great Okie-Tex Giveaway Adult guests may register as primary registrants for $50.00 if they wish to be eligible in the giveaway or may upgrade their registration for $25.00 at the party by checking in at the registration desk at anytime prior to the giveaway.

Pre-registration submissions must be post-marked no later than Saturday September 3, 2016 and must be paid in full. Online Registrations must be completed and paid in full by midnight CDT on Monday September 5, 2016.

At-The-Door Registration and Fees:

Registrations received with postmarks after September 3, 2016 and registrations at the door are $100.00 for all adult guests. At-the-door registrants are eligible to participate in the Great Okie-Tex Giveaway.

Facility Fee:

As part of our ongoing investment in and improvements to Camp Billy Joe, a $5.00 per day facility fee is charged for all registrants. The facility fee is waived for children under 16.

Meals are catered by Jody’s Catering of Boise City, OK.

In camp meals provided by Jody's Catering may be purchased. Please refer to the Meal Request Form. Checks for meals are made payable to Jody's Catering. Please pre-purchase meals to ensure enough food is available. At the door meal purchases will be limited. Meal request form and payment must be received, with a postmark, no later than August 26, 2016.

Link to the Okie-Tex Star Party Website: http://www.okie-tex.com/

Link to the Online Registration Form: http://www.okie-tex.com/Registration/

Link to the Meals Request Form: http://www.okie-tex.com/Files/2016meals.pdf

Many of us go to Okie-Tex each year and it is really a fantastic star party and a great observing experience. There are also side trips you can take to the dinosaur tracks, the Oklahoma/Colorado/New Mexico tri-state marker, a hike up Black Mesa, nearby Black Mesa State Park and Lake Carl Etling, and Capulin Volcano National Monument.

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We actually are hosting a promotion that provides a complimentary one year subscription to club members.

All members have to do is type the word – club – (lower case) in the discount code on this page here: https://www.astronomytechnologytoday.com/?l=Subscribe and choose the $12 subscription option.

There is no limit of free subscriptions per club, every member can use the code to get a free subscription.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!

Stuart Parkerson

Publisher

Astronomy Technology Today

1-800-584-9004

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/

2017’s Total Solar Eclipse: One Year to Go!

By: Kelly Beatty | August 19, 2016 | Comments 1

It's still a full year away, but next year's coast-to-coast solar eclipse is already a big deal with astronomers worldwide.

Two Planet Pairs Perform at Dusk

By: Alan MacRobert | August 17, 2016 | Comments 1

As twilight fades for the rest of August, follow two planetary groupings happening at dusk in different parts of the sky.

Yes, the Perseids Did Quite Nicely!

By: Alan MacRobert | August 12, 2016 | Comments 2

Many observers who had a dark, starry sky late last night (Aug. 11-12, 2016) were rewarded with an especially rich Perseid meteor shower. And it's probably not over yet.

A Real Scorcher! — Sirius At Heliacal Rising

By: Bob King | August 10, 2016 | Comments 11

Make a connection to a time when stars were used to track seasons and predict natural events by watching the heliacal rising of Sirius.

Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Blows Its Top . . . Again!

By: Bob King | August 3, 2016 | Comments 2

An otherwise faint and distant periodic comet underwent a bright outburst at the end of last month. Now it's visible in amateur telescopes at nightfall.

Tour August’s Sky: Perseids & Planets Aplenty

By: The Editors of Sky Telescope | July 28, 2016 | Comments 5

Download or play Sky & Telescope's astronomy podcast, and you'll get a guided tour of the night sky. In early evening look for Mars and Saturn embedded in Scorpius toward south, and key an eye out for Perseid meteors.

Delta Aquariids Kick Off Summer Meteor Showers

By: Bob King | July 27, 2016 | Comments 6

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

Skyweek

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)

September 3 - 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. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. 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 16 - 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 19:05 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 16 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth's partial shadow, or penumbra. During this type of eclipse the Moon will darken slightly but not completely. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern Europe, eastern Africa, Asia, and western Australia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

September 22 - September Equinox. The September equinox occurs at 14:21 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.

September 28 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 17.9 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 morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

October 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 00:11 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.

October 7 - Draconids Meteor Shower. The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. The Draconids is an unusual shower in that the best viewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers. The shower runs annually from October 6-10 and peaks this year on the the night of the 7th. The first quarter moon will block the fainter meteors in the early evening. It will set shortly after midnight leaving darker skies for observing any lingering stragglers. Best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

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

2016 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

October 3, 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.