August 2013

August 9 or 10, 2013

Wah-Shah-She Girl Scout Camp

Summer Star Party

30^th Okie-Tex Star Party is drawing near

Sept 28^th to Oct 6^th

http://www.okie-tex.com/

Details for registration and meals at website.

Dozens of our Tulsa members join with more than 300 fellow astronomers each fall to marvel at the dark skies in the tip of the Oklahoma Panhandle. Al Nagler of Tel-Vue optics proclaimed it as one of the darkest sites in America. Time to get your registrations in. Especially for the on site meals. Since the nearest eating places are nearly 40 miles away.

News from the Night Sky Network

Telecon News: Kepler Telecon on July 29; High-Energy Universe audio now available

Dr. Nick Gautier, the Kepler's Deputy Project Scientist, will join us Monday, July 29th at 6pm PT/9pm ET to discuss the latest updates from the Kepler mission! Mark your calendars as this should be extremely interesting: even though the Kepler telescope is troubled at the moment, scientists are still hard at work crunching through the immense volumes of data the mission has collected. Announcements at the recent American Astronomical Society meeting, including hundreds of new planet candidates, have made the news and have the public talking. Get prepared for their questions and find out what Kepler has in store next. Call-in information available in next month's newsletter.

Our High-Energy Universe Telecon was a great success! We are pleased to announce that the audio, as well as the written transcipt and slides, are available for download here: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=521

GoStargaze app has been retired

It is with a bit of sadness that we announce that our GoStargaze app has been retired from the iTunes store. While it was a valuable tool for many, it has become superseded by other applications that can use the map of clubs from the Night Sky Network to let both amateur astronomers and the general public find astronomy e vents and clubs in their areas. Two of those apps are Distant Suns andSkySafari-and unlike the GoStarGaze app, they are available for both Android and Apple (iOS) devices.

If you have a link to the GoStarGaze app on your club's website, we ask that you remove it in order to prevent visitors and club members from confusion, as it is no longer available. Thank you!

Supernova Erupts in M74 — July 29, 2013

An exploding star in the galaxy Messier 74 in Pisces, first seen last Thursday, had swelled to about magnitude 12.6 by Monday morning. And it's still brightening.

Snack Starts Swinging Around Black Hole — July 24, 2013

Astronomers around the world are watching as the gaseous object called G2 heads for a close pass around the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole. Now it looks like the distended cloud is starting to swing back toward us.

A Fix for the "Faint Young Sun" — July 18, 2013

For 40 years astrobiologists have wrestled with how to make the early Earth warm enough to support life even though the young Sun was at least 30% fainter than it is now. New climate models, powered by supercomputers, are converging on a solution.

Neptune's Newest Moon — July 15, 2013

Using Hubble images taken in several patches over a six-year period, astronomers have spotted a tiny object circling Neptune. This find, the first in a decade, brings the planet's moon count to 14.

A Tale of the Sun's Tail — July 12, 2013

Using observations from NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, space physicists now realize that the solar wind forms a tail that likely extends light-years downwind from the Sun across interstellar space.

Introducing Kerberos and Styx — July 2, 2013

The newest and smallest of Pluto's five moons have names chosen for their connections to the mythic underworld — and for their popularity in a worldwide contest.

Skyweek from Sky and Telescope Magazine also presents a variety of astronomical events for the naked eye as well as telescope viewing.http://www.skyandtelescope.com/videos/skyweek

• • July 27, 28 - Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids is an average shower that can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by comets Marsden and Kracht. The shower runs annually from July 12 to August 23. It peaks this year on the night of July 27 and morning of July 28. The second quarter moon will block out most of the faint meteors, but you should still be able to catch quite a few good ones if you are patient. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

  • August 6 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 21:51 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.

  • August 11, 12 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by comet Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862. The Perseids are famous for producing a large number of bright meteors. The shower runs annually from July 17 to August 24. It peaks this year on the night of August 11 and the morning of August 12. The first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight leaving 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 Perseus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

  • August 21 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 01:45 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Sturgeon Moon because the large sturgeon fish of the Great Lakes and other major lakes were more easily caught at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon.

  • August 27 - Neptune at Opposition. The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

  • September 5 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 11:36 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.

  • September 8 - Conjunction of the Moon and Venus. The Moon will pass within about a half of a degree from the the planet Venus in the early evening sky. The thin crescent moon will be at magnitude -10.4 and Venus will be at magnitude -4.5. Look for both objects low in the western sky in the early evening. The pair will be visible in the evening sky for about 2 hours after sunset.

  • September 8 - Conjunction of the Venus and Saturn. The two planets 3 degrees of each other in the early evening sky. Venus will be at magnitude -4.6 and Saturn will be at magnitude -1.1. Look for both objects low in the western sky in the early evening. The pair will be visible in the evening sky for about 2 hours after sunset.

(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2013.html)

2013 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

September 2, 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.