August 2025 Meeting Notes

Bartlesville Astronomical Society Meeting Notes

August 4, 2025

Attendance: 

We had 16 members and 4 visitors in attendance this evening, in person and on Zoom.

Astro Quiz--John G:

·   Of the top 50 geomagnetic storms since 1957, how many occurred during Solar Cycle 25 in 2024-2025?  The answer:  4.  Gil and Meg guessed 5; Denise guessed 4. 

·   When did a supernova last occur in the Milky Way?

o   The last supernova seen in the Milky Way was Kepler’s supernova in 1604, about 20,000 light years away, in the constellation Ophiuchus.

o   However, in 1949, Cassiopeia A, one of the first and brightest astronomical radio sources, was discovered and later determined to be the remnant of a supernova that occurred unobserved in the 1660s.

o   Furthermore, in 1984, radio source G1.9+0.3 was identified by the VLA radio telescope as a supernova remnant.  Later radio and X-ray observations determined it occurred around 1900 but was unobserved due to the dense gas and dust of the galactic center.

·       When was the first Astronomy Club founded?  The Astronomical Society of London was founded in 1820.

·   How many interstellar objects have passed through our Solar System?  3, maybe 4. 

o   1I/Oumuamua in 2017

o   Comet 2I/Borisov in 2019

o   Comet 3I/Atlas in 2025

o   ? CNEOS 2014-01-08, interstellar meteor IM1 that hit Earth January 8, 2014, near Papua New Guinea

Ten-minute Astronomy: SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) by Tyler Blankenship

Tyler provided us with an interesting overview and discussion of SETI, utilizing lots of resources exploring this subject!

Recent astronomical event:

The alpha Capricornid and Southern delta Aquariid meteor showers peaked the nights of July 29 and 30.  These meteor showers are best viewed from more southern locations.  Denise said she saw a bright green meteor to the south close to midnight on July 29 (same night as our star party at the library) and a friend of hers who was able to view the sky farther out in the countryside saw about 100 meteors!

Recent Club Events:

·        Stargazing at the library July 29:  We had 43 visitors to this event, ranging in age from children through adults!  We set up equipment on the east side of the library starting at 7:15 p.m., invited people to attend starting at 7:45 p.m. (some came while we were setting up!) and we started taking things down around 10 p.m.—the last of us left around 10:30 p.m.  Thanks go to Luann who organized and participated in this event, and John G, John B, Craig, Eugene and Denise, who participated on the night.  We had five telescopes set up and our visitors looked at the crescent Moon, Mars, several bright stars, a couple of fainter objects, and an excellent, bright pass of the International space Station! 

Upcoming Club events:

·       Woolaroc daytime event on Saturday, August 23 at the Heritage Center, also known as the Welcome Center:  Woolaroc opens at 10, but we decided we have our event starting at noon until 4 p.m.—start taking down around 4 p.m. in order to be out of Woolaroc by 5 p.m.  Denise will send out an email soliciting volunteers.  Volunteers will need to arrive before noon in order to have setup done by noon—and it takes time to drive to where the buildings are once you enter Woolaroc!  We will need to give a list of volunteers in advance to Woolaroc (so you won’t be charged admission if you’re not already a member of Woolaroc).  This will be a daytime event only.  We will bring telescopes with solar filters in addition to our usual handouts and pictures to show visitors.  People who volunteer can bring their own lunch or eat at the café at Woolaroc.

·       Members-only star party at McClintok Boy Scout Camp—date will depend on weather and will be anywhere from August 17-22.  This event will be for Club members and their guests, not the general public.  We won’t decide on the date until we get closer to the event.  Luann is organizing this event along with Gil, our Boy Scout contact.

·       International Observe the Moon Night on October 4:  Brian T has been working to set something up for this event at the library, but we may have it at Unity Square instead as you can see more of the sky there, and it is a little darker there also.

Upcoming Astronomical Events:

·   August 5, 10 a.m. at library:  Science Magic Show Kids Event by Brian T.

·   August 9—Full Moon/Sturgeon Moon

·   August 11—6 planets align in the morning sky:  Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn. 

·   August 11-12—Perseid meteor shower; Moon illumination 91% may interfere.

·   August 12—Venus and Jupiter close, and both very bright, low in the east before dawn

·   August 16—Last quarter moon

·   August 23—New Moon

·   September 7—Full Moon/Corn Moon

·   September 8—Moon near Saturn low in the east at dusk

·   September 12—Moon near Pleiades low in NE before midnight

·   September 16—Moon < 5 degrees from Jupiter in constellation Gemini before dawn

·   September 19—Venus < 0.5 degrees from Regulus in Leo, low in east at dawn

·   September 21—Saturn at opposition, best time to observe, visible all night and at its brightest

·   September 21—New moon, best time for dark sky observing

·   September 22—September equinox, equal day and night, autumn begins in northern hemisphere

·   September 24—Moon near Mars very low in the SW at sunset

Treasurer’s Report – Evan Z:

Evan was not present this evening; he will present a combined July and August report at our September meeting.

Main presentation:  “Stories of the Summer Skies: world folktales about the heavens, reflecting our ancestors’ observations and dreams” by noted Bartlesville storyteller Fran Stallings

Fran has a Ph.D. in botany, and she enjoys using storytelling as a medium to impart concepts of modern science concepts to the general public.  She trains teachers, docents in zoos and park rangers!  Fran’s website is https://www.franstallings.com/ 

Fran told us a number of wonderful stories!  One was an Estonian tale that features the Northern Lights.  One was a Japanese story about the seventh night of the seventh lunar month.  Another was a story from Mexico about the Moon; and yet another was a story that featured stars, coyotes and meteors!

Fran also mentioned that there will be a Sun Day, with stories about the Sun, on September 21.  Website information on that event is still pending!

Reminders:

BAS has equipment, books, educational materials and scopes available for loan to qualifying members.

Requests:  We would like to include member astrophotography, ranging from handheld smartphone pictures, to unguided camera on a tripod shots, to telescopic images, at future BAS meetings. Please email them to bvilleastro@gmail.com.

BAS needs volunteers:

We need volunteers for public star parties and other observing events.  All members are encouraged to help out with some of these events.  In addition to telescopes, help is needed with setup, answering general stargazing questions, conversing with and encouraging visitors, providing handouts and signup sheets. If you can help, contact jrgrismore@icloud.com.