Monday, April 1, 2019, at 7:00 pm

Bartlesville Public Library

Meeting Room A (second floor)

April BAS Program: To Be Announced

BAS meetings are usually on the first Monday of each month.

Follow our Facebook page for details on our activities.

Meetings are open to the public and visitors are welcome.

Bartian Youth Astronomers

Monday, March 25, 2019, at 7:00 pm

Our Savior Lutheran Church

300 North Madison Boulevard, Bartlesville

March BYA Program: Astrophotography

by Rick, Derek, and Gianna

BYA meetings are usually on the third Monday of each month,

but in March we will meet on the fourth Monday (March 25) due to Spring Break.

Follow our Facebook page for details on our activities.

Meetings are open to the public and visitors are welcome.

Bartian Youth Astronomers is for ages seven through high school.

Star Party tentatively scheduled for April 6, 2019.

More information closer to date of party.

Location: Bob and Glenda's

Sunset: 7:50 PM

Astronomical Dusk: 9:20 PM

Moon Set: 9:15PM

Moon Phase: New - Waxing Crescent 2.8%

Sun Sets around 8 PM and not really dark until 9PM, we can discuss if we want pizza party or not.

The great tradition of dark sky observing continues with the 41st Annual

TEXAS STAR PARTY, April 28 – May 5, 2019!

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 18, 2019.

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!

https://texasstarparty.org/get-started/

SIGN UP NOW!

You can find out the status of your TSP Registration at any time by visiting

https://texasstarparty.org/account/

Find the latest news at:

https://texasstarparty.org/news/

We have a NEW Texas Imaging Workshops, where you can learn more about imaging from our experts during TSP!

https://texasstarparty.org/tsp-imaging-workshops/

Questions? Visit our web site for the latest and complete details!

https://texasstarparty.org/ or email tsprooms@texasstarparty.org

We look forward to seeing you next April!

Sincerely,

the volunteers for Texas Star Party

The Astronomical League has announced their plans for next year's national convention, ALCon 2019. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, the Astro League's convention will include a tour of Kennedy Space Center in Florida and a three-day Southern Sky cruise to the Bahamas. It will take place July 25 - 29, 2019.

Thanks!

Kristi Herrman

BAS ALCor

Apps for consideration

Distant Suns, your personal guide to the cosmos, lists Night Sky Network astronomy club star parties, safe solar gazing events, and lectures in the main navigation bar. Distant Suns is available for Android, Apple iOS, Kindle, and Nook.

SkySafari, a powerful planetarium that fits in your pocket, lists Night Sky Network astronomy club star parties, safe solar observing events, and lectures in the help menu. SkySafari is available for Android and Apple devices and computers.

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!

Thanks

BAS President .

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

Mars Insight’s “Mole” Hits a Snag

By: David Dickinson | March 11, 2019 | Comments 0

Drilling operations for NASA's Mars Insight Lander have been put on hold as the "mole" has hit unexpected obstacles.

Tracing the Cigar Galaxy’s Superwind

By: Monica Young | March 8, 2019 | Comments 3

NASA’s SOFIA airborne observatory has returned a striking far-infrared view of the Cigar Galaxy and its “galactic superwind.”

Inflating a Super-Puff Planet

By: AAS Nova | March 5, 2019 | Comments 0

Super-puffy exoplanets are a problem. They shouldn’t exist — and yet we've detected half a dozen of them. Here's what theory might be getting wrong.

Tilted Exoplanets Could Explain Odd Orbits

By: Monica Young | March 4, 2019 | Comments 5

Scientists think a significant fraction of exoplanets may be rolling on their sides. If they were, it would explain a longstanding mystery.

March 2019: Spot the Winter Hexagon

By: Kelly Beatty | March 1, 2019 | Comments 2

The Sky Tour astronomy podcast for March 2019 takes you on a guided tour of the predawn sky and then helps you find the dazzling stars that make the huge Winter Hexagon — including Sirius, the Dog Star.

Pluto and Charon Are Missing Small Craters

By: Monica Young | February 28, 2019 | Comments 0

Scientists studying New Horizons images of craters on Pluto and its moon Charon have found that the Kuiper Belt must contain fewer small objects than expected — which suggests the outer solar system hasn’t changed much since its earliest days.

Hayabusa 2 Touches Down, Collects Asteroid Sample

By: Emily Lakdawalla | February 25, 2019 | Comments 1

The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 has touched down on Ryugu, the asteroid it's been orbiting since last summer, and collected a sample from its surface.

Clear Sky Predictor for Bartlesville. http://www.cleardarksky.com/c/BrtlsvlOKkey.html

Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events

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

April 5 - 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 08:51 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.

April 11 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 27.7 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.

April 19 - 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 11:12 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Pink Moon because it marked the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first spring flowers. This moon has also been known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Growing Moon, and the Egg Moon. Many coastal tribes called it the Full Fish Moon because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.

April 22, 23 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids is an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861. The shower runs annually from April 16-25. It peaks this year on the night of the night of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd. These meteors can sometimes produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The waning gibbous moon will block out many of the fainter meteors this year, but if you are patient you should still be able to catch a few of the brightest ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Lyra, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

May 4 - 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 22:46 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.

May 6, 7 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids is an above average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. Most of the activity is seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the rate can reach about 30 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley, which has known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from April 19 to May 28. It peaks this year on the night of May 6 and the morning of the May 7. The thin 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 Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

May 18 - Full Moon, 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 21:11 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance. This moon has also been known as the Full Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon. Since this is the third of four full moons in this season, it is known as a blue moon. This rare calendar event only happens once every few years, giving rise to the term, “once in a blue moon.” There are normally only three full moons in each season of the year. But since full moons occur every 29.53 days, occasionally a season will contain 4 full moons. The extra full moon of the season is known as a blue moon. Blue moons occur on average once every 2.7 years.

June 3 - 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 10:02 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.

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

2019 BAS Programs