December 2020
Next BAS Monthly Meeting:
December 7, 2020
ZOOM meeting will start around 6:45 to allow people to log in.
Everyone invited.
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Braum’s Virtual After Meeting
Normally takes place at Braum’s Ice Cream will begin at approximately 9:00 PM.
Everyone invited.
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BAS meetings feature presentations on a variety of astronomy and space science topics. Meetings are usually on the first Monday evening of each month and are open to the public. Guests are always welcome. More event details are listed on our calendar.
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Reflections on Astronomy
Brief essays about experiences in astronomy.
The email address is bvilleastro+comments@gmail.com .
BAS Historical Materials Needed
In conjunction with the upcoming BAS Library Display, an effort is being made to locate as much historical club material as possible. Only a small part of the material will be included in the display, but we need to centralize all historical club information. If you know the location of, or have any access to old club photos, newspaper clippings, articles or other historical materials, or if you have memories or recollections of past BAS events or information, please contact John Blaesi or John Grismore. Thanks.
The BAS now has storage at First Christian Church for club equipment and records. We are trying to consolidate and we are requesting any members with club equipment or records to contact one of the officers to arrange to move the items to storage and log it into our inventory.
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
Clear Sky Predictor for Bartlesville: http://www.cleardarksky.com/c/BrtlsvlOKkey.html
Sky and Telescope News http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/
China Lands Ambitious Sample-Return Mission on the Moon
The aim of China's Chang'e 5 mission is to return samples of lunar soil to Earth by the end of 2020.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON DECEMBER 1, 2020
The Eventual Fate of Our Solar System
Have you ever wondered about the future of our solar system? Astronomers have predicted the effect of the Sun's expansion on its planets.
BY: AAS NOVA NOVEMBER 30, 2020
China Launches Ambitious Sample-Return Mission to the Moon
The aim of China's Chang'e 5 mission is to return samples of lunar soil to Earth by the end of 2020.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON NOVEMBER 23, 2020
Earth's New "Minimoon" May be a 1960s-Era Rocket Booster
An object set to pass near Earth next month may in fact be a relic of the early Space Age.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON NOVEMBER 21, 2020
Gamma-ray Flash Heralds Birth of a Magnetar
What happens when two neutron stars don't add up to a black hole?
BY: MONICA YOUNG NOVEMBER 20, 2020
The Case of the Blue Ring Nebula
After 16 years, astronomers have figured out the origin of a strange ring of ultraviolet light, and shed light on a common — but rarely observed — event.
BY: MONICA YOUNG NOVEMBER 18, 2020
SpaceX Launches Four Astronauts to the International Space Station
A crew of four is headed to the International Space Station, on Crew Dragon’s first operational launch, Crew One.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON NOVEMBER 16, 2020
Stellar Fossils Reveal the "Kraken" in the Milky Way's Past
Astronomers have reconstructed the Milky Way's merger history, finding that our galaxy has absorbed five large satellite galaxies in the last 12 billion years.
BY: MONICA YOUNG NOVEMBER 13, 2020
Radio Transmission from a Brown Dwarf
The radio discovery of a brown dwarf holds promise for future exoplanet detections.
BY: GOVERT SCHILLING NOVEMBER 11, 2020
Update on the Mars Sample Return Program: "It's All About the Samples"
It's full steam ahead for the joint NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return, a complex plan to collect bits of Mars and — for the first time — send them to Earth.
BY: EMILY LAKDAWALLA NOVEMBER 11, 2020
Big Black Holes Dominate New Gravitational-Wave Catalog
Gravitational-wave scientists have unveiled their latest catalog of events, revealing a surprising number of massive black holes.
BY: CAMILLE M. CARLISLE NOVEMBER 6, 2020
Knowing Betelgeuse’s size is crucial to understanding its recent bizarre behavior — and predicting when it will go supernova. But it’s harder to figure out than you might think.
BY: MONICA YOUNG NOVEMBER 6, 2020
Earth-size Planets Are Common, Kepler Retrospective Finds
A new, full analysis of Kepler data finds at least 300 million Earth-size planets in the habitable zone around Sun-like stars in our galaxy.
BY: ARWEN RIMMER NOVEMBER 5, 2020
Magnetars Make Some — Maybe All — Mysterious Radio Flashes
Earlier this year, we reported that a Milky Way magnetar — an ultra-magnetized neutron star — had released a powerful radio burst, accompanied by a flood of X-rays. The source looked very much like extragalactic fast radio bursts (FRBs), brief yet powerful flashes of radio waves, some of which have…
BY: MONICA YOUNG NOVEMBER 4, 2020
60-second Astro News: Mature Infant Galaxies & A Possibly Rogue Planet
This week in astronomy news: Distant galaxies that look older than they are and a terrestrial planet that might be drifting through our galaxy.
BY: MONICA YOUNG OCTOBER 30, 2020
NASA's Osiris-REX Has Stowed Its Bite Out of Asteroid Bennu
NASA’s Osiris-REX successfully stowed its sample of Bennu's regolith, collected earlier this week. Images show a good haul.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON OCTOBER 29, 2020
Juno Discovers Sprites and Elves on Jupiter
NASA's Juno spacecraft has captured ultraviolet images of a rare atmospheric phenomenon in Jupiter's atmosphere.
BY: GOVERT SCHILLING OCTOBER 28, 2020
Psyche: A Metal-Rock World with Iron Lava?
New observations suggest the main-belt asteroid Psyche is an intriguing world, possibly one with volcanic flows of iron on its surface.
BY: GOVERT SCHILLING OCTOBER 27, 2020
(Very) Small Chance of Apophis Asteroid Impact in 2068
The subtle effect of sunlight may turn the near-Earth asteroid Apophis toward Earth in 2068 . . . but chances for impact remain small.
BY: GOVERT SCHILLING OCTOBER 27, 2020
Water on the Moon Isn't Just at the Poles
Water exists even on the sunlit Moon, a new study shows — trapped in glass beads but still extractable for lunar exploration.
BY: JEFF HECHT OCTOBER 26, 2020
Astronomers Chart Star Formation History, Glimpse Fate of the Universe
Astronomers have tallied how star-making material evolved over cosmic time — and they've predicted how long stars will keep forming before the universe goes dark.
BY: MONICA YOUNG OCTOBER 26, 2020
Osiris-REX "TAGs" Bennu, Returns Stunning Views
See images and video from NASA’s Osiris-REX spacecraft as it samples the Nightingale site.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON OCTOBER 22, 2020
Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2021.html)
November 30 - 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 09:32 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the 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 Dark Moon.
November 30 - 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 North America, the Pacific Ocean, and northeastern Asia including Japan. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
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 morning of the 15th could also be nearly as active this year. The nearly new moon will ensure dark skies for what should be 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 14 - 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 16:18 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 14 - Total Solar Eclipse. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon completely blocks the Sun, revealing the Sun's beautiful outer atmosphere known as the corona. The path of totality will only be visible in parts of southern Chile and southern Argentina. A partial eclipse will be visible in most parts of southern South America, the southeastern Pacific Ocean and the southern Atlantic Ocean.
(NASA Map and Eclipse Information) (NASA Interactive Google Map)
December 21 - December Solstice. The December solstice occurs at 10:02 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 - Rare Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will take place on December 21. This rare conjunction of these two planets is known as a great conjunction. The last great conjunction occurred in the year 2000. The two bright planets will appear only 7 arc minutes of each other in the night sky. They will be so close that they will appear to make a bright double planet. Look to the west just after sunset for this impressive and rare planetary pair.
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 first quarter moon should set just after midnight leaving dark skies for what could be a good show. 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.
December 30 - 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 03:30 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the 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 Long Nights Moon and the Moon Before Yule.
January 2, 3 - 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 2nd and morning of the 3rd. The waning gibbous moon will block out most of the faintest meteors this year. But if you are patient, you should still be able to catch a few good 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 13 - 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 05:02 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.
January 24 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 18.6 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.
January 28 - 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 19:18 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the 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.
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2019.html)
Next Month's BAS Meeting: January 4, Monday. Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room A (tentative), Presenter: TBA
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 multi-part articles are also welcome. Please submit your contributions to Mike Woods or to bvilleastro@gmail.com.
Bartlesville Astronomical Society is an organization of people interested in astronomy and related fields of science. Membership is open to everyone interested in any aspects of astronomy.
Elected Officers and Board Members:
Appointed Positions and Board Members:
Additional Appointed Positions:
Our officers and some individuals holding other club positions can be reached by email. To send an email, just click on a title above.
Membership Rates
Members are eligible for these discounted magazine subscriptions:
Sky and Telescope
Astronomy Technology Today
Astronomy Magazine
Please check with the BAS Treasurer for current discounted subscription rates.