December 2017

Monday, December 4, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.

Setup and Casual Conversation starts at 6:30 p.m.

Bartlesville Public Library

Meeting Room A (upstairs)

Presenter: Bob Young

"Down to Earth Astronomy"

Membership dues are now due. If you have not renewed your membership, please do so at the next meeting. A big thank you to all who have already paid your dues, it is helpful and appreciated. Vicky, Treasurer

2018 Texas Star Party – Sign up now!

The great tradition of dark sky observing continues with the 40th Annual

TEXAS STAR PARTY, May 6-13, 2018!

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 19, 2018.

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/

Find the latest news at:

http://texasstarparty.org/news/

Find out about the TSP Eclipsathon!

https://texasstarparty.org/tsp-eclipsathon/

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

Family Fun with Sky Watching

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

Please use link below to access Member Presentations.

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

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/

Atmosphere, Not Lava Flows, for Exoplanet 55 Cancri e

By: Monica Young | November 27, 2017 | Comments 0

Previous studies of 55 Cancri e haven’t been able to determine whether this super-Earth hosts an atmosphere. A new study settles the question.

Invite Ross 128 Over This Thanksgiving

By: Bob King | November 22, 2017 | Comments 10

With exoplanet Ross 128b in the news, we pay a visit to the star that sustains this potentially habitable exoplanet.

NASA Joins Japanese Mission to Martian Moons

By: David Dickinson | November 21, 2017 | Comments 0

NASA is developing a key instrument for a mission to the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos.

Meet ‘Oumuamua, the Interstellar Cigar

By: Kelly Beatty | November 20, 2017 | Comments 3

Rapid-response observations by major observatories shows that the first-known interstellar visitor is 10 times longer than it is wide.

LIGO Sees Smallest Black Hole Binary Yet

By: Camille M. Carlisle | November 16, 2017 | Comments 8

LIGO has detected another black hole merger, raising the tally to five.

NASA Completes Parachute Test for Mars 2020 Rover

By: David Dickinson | November 15, 2017 | Comments 0

A suborbital launch from Wallops Flight Facility tested a critical piece of landing hardware for the Mars 2020 rover.

Planet Orbits Quiet Star 11 Light-years Away

By: John Bochanski | November 15, 2017 | Comments 3

Astronomers have discovered a potentially rocky planet around a red dwarf star just 11 light-years away.

China’s Tiangong 1 Space Station to Burn Up

By: David Dickinson | November 10, 2017 | Comments 4

Early next year, an international team will track the uncontrolled atmospheric reentry of Tiangong 1, China's first prototype space station.

Update on `Oumuamua, Our First Interstellar Object

By: Kelly Beatty | November 10, 2017 | Comments 2

The arrival of an object from beyond the solar system caught astronomers by surprise — but that doesn't mean that they were unprepared to study it.

An Exquisite Venus–Jupiter Conjunction

By: Bob King | November 8, 2017 | Comments 0

Venus bids farewell at dawn, but not before a close encounter with returning Jupiter.

Results from October’s Triton Cover-Up

By: David W. Dunham | November 6, 2017 | Comments 0

By watching a star’s disappearance, astronomers learned about the state of the ultrathin atmosphere of Triton, Neptune's largest moon.

Cool Dust — and More Planets? — for Proxima Centauri

By: John Bochanski | November 3, 2017 | Comments 0

Tantalizing new observations hint that there's a lot more going on in the Proxima Centauri system — the one that hosts the exoplanet nearest Earth — than meets the eye.

A Twisted Tail of Martian Magnetism

By: Kelly Beatty | November 3, 2017 | Comments 3

Observations from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft reveal that the solar wind causes unexpected interactions with the Red Planet's weak magnetism.

Comet Heinze (C/2017 T1): A Binocular Comet for the New Year?

By: Bob King | November 1, 2017 | Comments 7

Just discovered, Comet Heinze (C/2017 T) will zoom by Earth in January and may just show up in your binoculars.

November Occultations of Aldebaran & Regulus

By: Alan MacRobert | November 1, 2017 | Comments 0

The Moon occults two 1st-magnitude stars for much of North America just six days apart. The first event happens mostly in early-evening darkness, the second in broad daylight — an extra challenge for the adventurous.

November 18 - 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 11:42 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.

November 24 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 22.0 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.

December 3 - Full Moon, Supermoon. 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 15:47 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Cold Moon because this is the time of year when the cold winter air settles in and the nights become long and dark. This moon has also been known as the Full Long Nights Moon and the Moon Before Yule. This is also the only supermoon for 2017. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. The Geminids is the king of the meteor showers. It is considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens, producing up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1982. The shower runs annually from December 7-17. It peaks this year on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th. The waning crescent moon will be no match for the Geminids this year. The skies should still be dark enough for an excellent show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Gemini, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

December 18 - 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 06:30 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.

December 21 - December Solstice. The December solstice occurs at 16:28 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its southernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere.

December 21, 22 - Ursids Meteor Shower. The Ursids is a minor meteor shower producing about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tuttle, which was first discovered in 1790. The shower runs annually from December 17-25. It peaks this year on the the night of the 21st and morning of the 22nd. The crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for optimal observing. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

January 1 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 22.7 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.

January 2 - Full Moon, Supermoon. 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 02:24 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. This is also the first of two supermoons for 2018. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

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. If you are patient, you should still be able to catch some of the brightest ones. 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 17 - 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 02:17 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.

January 31 - Full Moon, Supermoon, Blue 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 13:27 UTC. Since this is the second full moon in the same month, it is sometimes referred to as a blue moon. This is also the last of two supermoons for 2018. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

January 31 - Total Lunar Eclipse. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of western North America, eastern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Ocean. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

• • (Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2018.html)

2017 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

Jan 8, 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.