January 2018

Thursday, January 4, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

NOTE: January's meeting will be on the first THURSDAY (instead of our usual

first Monday) due to the library being closed on New Year's Day.

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

Bartlesville Public Library

Meeting Room A (upstairs)

Presenter: Derek Herrman

"Binocular Observation"

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/

The Best Meteor Showers in 2018

By: Kelly Beatty | December 27, 2017 | Comments 0

More than a dozen times each year, we experience a pulse of "shooting stars" from an annual meteor shower. Sky & Telescope predicts that the two best meteor showers in 2018 will be the Perseids in mid-August and the Geminids in mid-December.

What to See with Your New Telescope

By: Alan MacRobert | December 25, 2017 | Comments 1

Maybe you just got a shiny new telescope to call your own. Congratulations — you could be on your way to discovering many amazing, far, deep things in the night sky. Although most of them are so far and faint that just locating and detecting them is the challenge! Whether your new scope is a…

Two Finalists for NASA’s New Frontiers

By: David Dickinson | December 21, 2017 | Comments 2

NASA has selected two finalists for consideration as the next New Frontiers mission: a comet sample return and a flying drone for Titan.

60-Second Astronomy News: Dec. 20, 2017

By: Camille M. Carlisle | December 20, 2017 | Comments 0

This week's roundup of astro news brings us a polar-orbiting planet, a novel way to measure stellar masses, and ginormous convective bubbles on a distant star.

Neural Network Finds 8-Planet System

By: Monica Young | December 15, 2017 | Comments 4

Scientists have applied a brand of artificial intelligence to data from the exoplanet-hunting Kepler satellite, resulting in the discovery of the first eight-planet system outside our own.

Oumuamua: Red, Tumbling, and Silent

By: Kelly Beatty | December 19, 2017 | Comments 21

Astronomers' recent observations of our first-known interstellar visitor reveal that it is very strange indeed.

AGU 2017: News from the Solar System

By: The Editors of Sky & Telescope | December 13, 2017 | Comments 1

Here's a quick look at results announced at the 2017 American Geophysical Union meeting in New Orleans: exploding meteoroids, Saturn's ring-atmosphere connection, and more bright spots on Ceres.

Does New Horizons’ Target Have a Moon?

By: Monica Young | December 13, 2017 | Comments 3

New analysis from the New Horizons team suggest that the spacecraft's next target in the Kuiper Belt might have a third companion.

What’s the Thinnest Crescent Moon You Can See?

By: Bob King | December 13, 2017 | Comments 23

A slender Moon is an beautiful and inspiring sight. December and January offer several opportunities to see these exceptional crescents.

Voyager 1 Fires Dormant Thrusters

By: David Dickinson | December 5, 2017 | Comments 2

NASA engineers directed the historic spacecraft Voyager 1 to fire its backup thrusters for the first time in 37 years.

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.

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)

February 15 - 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 21:05 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 15 - Partial Solar Eclipse. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers only a part of the Sun, sometimes resembling a bite taken out of a cookie. A partial solar eclipse can only be safely observed with a special solar filter or by looking at the Sun's reflection. This partial eclipse will only be visible in parts of Chile, Argentina, and Antarctica. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

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

2018 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

Feb 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.