November 2017

Monday, November 6, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.

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

Bartlesville Public Library

Meeting Room A (upstairs)

Program: Elections and Planning for 2018

BAS Members 2018 Dues are now due. Members should have an email received in early October concerning the 2018 dues. Please pay treasurer at the next meeting.

Thank you.

Vicky

Family Fun with Sky Watching

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

Hello BAS members

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/

Tour November’s Sky: Predawn Planets

By: Kelly Beatty | October 30, 2017 | Comments 1

As you'll hear in this month's astronomy podcast, Venus and Jupiter are putting on quite a show low in the east before dawn.

Get Moonstruck on International Observe the Moon Night

By: Diana Hannikainen | October 27, 2017 | Comments 4

International Observe the Moon Night gathers people together to observe the Moon and to learn more about it. This year InOMN will be on Saturday, October 28th.

How Bright is the Moon . . . Exactly?

By: David Dickinson | October 26, 2017 | Comments 0

An upcoming study will take the old calibration standard of the Moon's brightness to a new level of precision.

Astronomers Spot First-Known Interstellar “Comet”

By: Kelly Beatty | October 25, 2017 | Comments 11

Telescopes only picked it up a week ago, but it's likely been traveling through interstellar space for millions of years.

New High-End Search for Lunar Impacts

By: Kelly Beatty | October 19, 2017 | Comments 0

A professional observatory in Greece has begun recording flashes created when bits of interplanetary debris strike the Moon.

Orionid Meteors Max Out Sunday, Zodiacal Light Returns

By: Bob King | October 18, 2017 | Comments 14

See what cosmic dust can do! Head outside this weekend for the peak of the Orionid meteor shower and an eyeful of zodiacal light.

Surprising Science from Cassini’s Grand Finale

By: Kelly Beatty | October 17, 2017 | Comments 0

You'd think scientists would have Saturn all figured out after watching it up close for 13 years. They don't.

Astronomers Catch Gravitational Waves from Colliding Neutron Stars

By: Govert Schilling | October 16, 2017 | Comments 10

Spacetime ripples from the neutron star smash-up usher in the age of multi-messenger astronomy.

Surprise! Dwarf Planet Haumea Has a Ring

By: Kelly Beatty | October 13, 2017 | Comments 0

When the distant dwarf planet Haumea briefly slipped in front of a star last January, astronomers found more than they expected.

Busy Skies Ahead: Comets, a Supernova, and a Dramatic Regulus Occultation

By: Bob King | October 11, 2017 | Comments 19

What's your pleasure when it comes to observing? Comets? Supernovae? Occultations? Get a sample of each and more in the upcoming week.

Ancient Moon Had Atmosphere Made of Volcano Smoke

By: Javier Barbuzano | October 10, 2017 | Comments 1

Roughly 3.5 billion years ago huge volcanoes released enough gas to cover the Moon with a thin atmosphere that was visible from Earth. We are used to picturing the Moon as a quiet place of “magnificent desolation,” its otherworldly peace disturbed only by the occasional meteorite impact or rare terrestrial spacecraft landing. But 3 or…

Venus and Mars Kiss at Dawn

By: Bob King | October 4, 2017 | Comments 7

Be sure to set the alarm so you don't miss the squeaky-tight conjunction of Venus and Mars Thursday morning. They'll stay close through the weekend.

2017 Nobel Goes to Gravitational Waves

By: Javier Barbuzano | October 3, 2017 | Comments 3

Three American physicists have received the Nobel Prize in physics for their contributions to the discovery of gravitational waves.

Neptune’s Moon Triton to Occult Star

By: David W. Dunham | October 3, 2017 | Comments 0

Here’s an opportunity for amateurs to help improve our understanding of Neptune’s moon Triton.

Millions of Americans Viewed August Solar Eclipse

By: Javier Barbuzano | October 2, 2017 | Comments 0

The 2017 solar eclipse could easily be the most watched event in US history. Can we learn something from it?

James Webb Space Telescope Launch Delayed til 2019

By: Monica Young | September 29, 2017 | Comments 13

The long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope — the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope — has slipped its launch date by several months. It will now launch between March and June 2019.

Fourth Gravitational Wave Event Detected

By: Govert Schilling | September 27, 2017 | Comments 11

Teaming up with LIGO, Europe’s Virgo detector has bagged its first gravitational waves. The three-observatory detection enabled scientists to better pinpoint the merging black holes’ location.

Osiris-REX Images Earth During Flyby

By: David Dickinson | September 26, 2017 | Comments 1

The asteroid-bound Osiris-REX mission took time during last Friday's gravity assist maneuver to look back at its homeworld.

Some Cosmic Rays Come from Outside the Galaxy

By: Camille M. Carlisle | September 21, 2017 | Comments 2

Astronomers have detected more extremely energetic cosmic particles coming from one side of the sky than the other.

Puffed-Up Hot Jupiter Is Surprisingly Dark

By: Javier Barbuzano | September 21, 2017 | Comments 0

Researchers have found that a football-shaped, ultra-hot gas giant that’s being devoured by its host star is also one of the least reflective exoplanets ever found.

New Map of Water in Moon Dust

By: Camille M. Carlisle | September 18, 2017 | Comments 3

Skyweek

October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Halley, which has been known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from October 2 to November 7. It peaks this year on the night of October 21 and the morning of October 22. The crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Orion, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

November 4 - 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 05:23 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Beaver Moon because this was the time of year to set the beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze. It has also been known as the Frosty Moon and the Hunter's Moon.

November 4, 5 - Taurids Meteor Shower. The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is unusual in that it consists of two separate streams. The first is produced by dust grains left behind by Asteroid 2004 TG10. The second stream is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. The shower runs annually from September 7 to December 10. It peaks this year on the the night of November 4. Unfortunately the glare from the full moon will block out all but the brightest meteors. If you are extremely patient, you may still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

November 13 - 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 0.3 degrees apart. Look for this impressive pairing in the Eastern sky just before sunrise.

November 17, 18 - Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is an average shower, producing up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak. This shower is unique in that it has a cyclonic peak about every 33 years where hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen. That last of these occurred in 2001. The Leonids is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865. The shower runs annually from November 6-30. It peaks this year on the night of the 17th and morning of the 18th. The nearly new moon will not be a problem this year. Skies should be dark enough for what should be good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Leo, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

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.

• • (Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2017.html)

2017 BAS Programs