January 2021

Next BAS Monthly Meeting:

January 4, 2021

ZOOM meeting will start around 6:45 to allow people to log in.

Everyone invited.

"A Year's Worth of Meteor Showers".

Denise

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Main meeting:

Bartlesville Astronomical Society is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: BAS January Virtual Club Meeting

Time: Jan 4, 2021 06:45 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85934728775?pwd=Q01jdnNjeFVCQ3ZYVnZ2TmcyUFVsUT09

Meeting ID: 859 3472 8775

Passcode: 217641

Virtual Braums:

Bartlesville Astronomical Society is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: BAS January Virtual Braums

Time: Jan 4, 2021 08:45 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83056535232?pwd=QWFqOFJab2g4ODJqSlhzazhkWFg2UT09

Meeting ID: 830 5653 5232

Passcode: 909780

Meeting ID: 830 5653 5232

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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.

Reflections on the "Christmas Star" of December 21, 2020

Over the past few weeks many in the media have been talking about the "Christmas Star" and perhaps arousing expectations beyond what could actually be seen. Being interested in astronomy I am always ready to try and photograph unusual occurences in the heavens. It is my personal way to reflect on the wonder and beauty of God's creation while enjoying my hobby. Much was made of the fact that it had been many years since a close conjunction of two major planets in our solar system had occured. I saw listed times of 400 years, 600 years, 800 years. And the timing of the event so close to our Christian heritage of celebrating our Saviour's birth on December 25th made it more meaningful to many.

But if we look more deeply into the historical and spiritual meaning of the event maybe more significance will appear. Jupiter is the biggest planet of our solar system and its name is derived from the Roman god who headed their pantheon of gods and goddesses, the king of their gods. The Greeks called this diety Zeus. Saturn is the second largest planet but is spectacular because of its beautiful and complex ring system. The Greek equivalent of Saturn was the diety Chronos that became associated with time and the measure of time. So if we think about this event for a bit, we have the king of god's, Jupiter, swinging by his companion, Saturn, or the keeper of time. All this made me think of some of the biblical passages talking about our Saviour.

As Paul the apostle wrote in his letter to the Galations: "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law..." – Galatians 4:4

Perhaps this event happening so close to our Christmas serves to remind us that God himself provides for us in all ways, especially for our salvation with the birth of his son.

Daryl Doughty

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

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

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

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

What to See with Your New Telescope

Maybe you just got a shiny new telescope. Awaiting you are stupendous, faraway things in the night sky. Surely you're itching to try it out....

BY: ALAN MACROBERT DECEMBER 25, 2020

Will the Next Solar Cycle Surprise Us?

The coming months will test a new prediction that — contrary to most expectations — forecasts one of the strongest sunspot cycles on record.

BY: MONICA YOUNG DECEMBER 23, 2020

Jupiter and Saturn Embrace in Solstice Conjunction

Jupiter and Saturn fashion the Great Conjunction of 2020 when they pair up on December 21st, the winter solstice. That evening they'll be closest in nearly 400 years.

BY: BOB KING DECEMBER 20, 2020

Chang'e 5's Lunar Sample Arrives on Earth

China’s Chang’e 5 lunar sample-return capsule has arrived safely on Earth.

BY: DAVID DICKINSON DECEMBER 17, 2020

Astronomers Find Most Distant Gamma-ray Burst Yet

From the farthest-known galaxy in the observable universe comes the brightest and most energetic of events: a possible gamma-ray burst.

BY: ARWEN RIMMER DECEMBER 16, 2020

Totality Reports from South America

Remote locations, rainy weather, and even a pandemic couldn't keep diehard observers from viewing December 14th's total solar eclipse.

BY: KELLY BEATTY DECEMBER 15, 2020

Survey Finds Newborn Black Hole Jets in Distant Galaxies

Astronomers have spotted a surprising number of quasars with jets launched within a couple of decades.

BY: CAMILLE M. CARLISLE DECEMBER 15, 2020

Astronomers Discover Galactic “Fossil” Inside the Milky Way

Thousands of stars that once belonged to an ancient galaxy are inside our own.

BY: MONICA YOUNG DECEMBER 11, 2020

A Dark Matter-less Galaxy, Explained (Maybe)

An international team of astronomers has explained the lack of dark matter in a distant dwarf galaxy — another galaxy stole it.

BY: MONICA YOUNG DECEMBER 8, 2020

Hayabusa 2 Returns Sample of Asteroid Ryugu to Earth

The predawn operation to recover the Hayabusa 2 sample-return capsule in the Australian Outback was a success.

BY: DAVID DICKINSON DECEMBER 7, 2020

A Banner Year for the Geminid Meteor Shower

With no Moon to brighten the night, this year's rich Geminid meteor shower should be one of the best ever. Find a spot away from city lights, dress warmly, and don't forget the hot chocolate.

BY: BOB KING DECEMBER 7, 2020

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

Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events

(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2021.html)

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.

February 11 - 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 19:08 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 27 - 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 08:19 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Snow Moon because the heaviest snows usually fell during this time of the year. Since hunting is difficult, this moon has also been known by some tribes as the Hunger Moon, since the harsh weather made hunting difficult.

March 6 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 27.3 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.

March 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 10:23 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.

March 20 - March Equinox. The March equinox occurs at 09:27 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.

March 20 - Venus at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation of 46.6 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Venus since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the bright planet in the eastern sky before sunrise.

March 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 18:49 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Worm Moon because this was the time of year when the ground would begin to soften and the earthworms would reappear. This moon has also been known as the Crow Moon, the Crust Moon, the Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.

Next Month's BAS Meeting: February 1, Monday. Zoom meeting(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: