November 2013

Monday, November 4, 2013

Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room

6:45 p.m. Setup and Conversation

7:00 p.m. Club Business

7:15 p.m. Current Astronomy News

Object of the Month

7:30 p.m.

Meeting Programs Workshop

Members and guests will brainstorm ideas for meeting programs and public events for the next 12 months.

November is the yearly renewal dues date for all members. Membership amounts for dues for each member will be available at the November meeting. Also you may ask for details and treasurer mailing address if needed at miltvend@sbcglobal.net or at the meeting.

BAS tries to synchronize all memberships to renew every year on November 1st. That is why I am asking members who joined in a month other than November to bring their next renewal date forward to November, 2014, by paying prorated dues at this time. This prorated amount will be less than the usual yearly dues amount. Please do not feel obligated to extend unless you wish to do so. This practice places all members on the same renewal date to simplify dues collection. Thank you.

The 2014 Deep Sky Mysteries calendars are in, and I will have them at the meeting on Mon (and again at the meeting in Dec if need be).

Thanks, Karen Cruce

Current News from Sky and Telescope

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news

Charred Earth Hugs Star — October 30, 2013

Two independent teams have confirmed that the planet Kepler-78b is roughly Earth-size and less than twice Earth's mass, making it the smallest exoplanet with a known density.

The World of Astronomy Communicators — October 30, 2013

Almost 200 science journalists, teachers, photographers, and amateur and professional astronomers met in Warsaw, Poland, to discuss better ways of communicating astronomy with the public.

Why Do We Call Them "Asteroids"? — October 25, 2013

When astronomers discovered the first objects orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, at first they didn't know what to call them. Today we know them as asteroids, and the creator of that term has finally been identified.

A Galaxy Near Cosmic Dawn — October 25, 2013

Astronomers have confirmed that light from a distant galaxy is reaching us from about 700 million years after the Big Bang. The galaxy's emission hints that star formation during that era might have proceeded at a much faster rate than previously thought.

Planck Spacecraft Shut Down — October 23, 2013

After four years of exquisite observations, the latest mission to study the universe's earliest light has been shuttered. But this end is a happy one and comes with a significant cosmological legacy.

Undue Ado About Asteroid 2013 TV₁₃₅ — October 18, 2013

The world's news media are making a big deal about a largish near-Earth asteroid discovered on October 8th that has a very slim chance of striking Earth in 2032.

A Planetary System Out of Whack — October 17, 2013

The red giant star Kepler-56 spins on an axis offset by a bizarre 45 degrees from its transiting planets. The discovery of a third companion could explain why.

Huge Meteorite Pulled from Russian Lake — October 16, 2013

Meteorite specialists around the world have wondered whether a massive fragment of the Chelyabinsk mini-asteroid would ever be resurrected from the murky bottom of Lake Chebarkul in Russia. Today they got their answer.

Cloudy with a Chance of Diamonds — October 15, 2013

Researchers suspect that tiny diamonds could pepper the lower cloud decks of Jupiter and Saturn. These diamonds should be created by lightning strikes and intense atmospheric pressure.

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

• • November 3 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 12:50 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.

  • November 3 - Hybrid Solar Eclipse. A hybrid solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is almost too close to the Earth to completely block the Sun. This type of eclipse will appear as a total eclipse to some parts of the world and will appear annular to others. The eclipse path will begin in the Atlantic Ocean off the eastern coast of the United States and move east across the Atlantic and across central Africa. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

  • November 4, 5 - Taurids Meteor Shower. The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is unusual in that it consists of two separate streams. The first is produced by dust grains from Asteroid 2004 TG10. The second stream is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. The shower runs annually from September 7 to December 10. It peaks this year on the the night of November 4. This is an excellent year because there will be no moonlight to spoil the show. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

  • November 17 - 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 15:16 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full 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 Hunter's Moon.

  • November 16, 17 - Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is an average shower, producing an average of up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak. This shower is unique in that it has a cyclonic peak about every 33 years where hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen. That last of these occurred in 2001. The Leonids is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865. The shower runs annually from November 6-30. It peaks this year on the night of the 16th and morning of the 17th. Unfortunately the glare from the full moon will block many of the meteors this year, but if you are patient you should still be able to catch quite a few good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Leo, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

  • November 28 - Comet ISON Closest Approach to the Sun. Newly discovered comet ISON will make its closest approach to the Sun on November 28. If the comet survives its encounter with the Sun, it could be one of the brightest comets in recent memory. Some astronomers estimate that it could even be bright enough to be seen during daylight hours. In August and September, the comet will begin to be visible in the morning sky in dark locations with telescopes. In October it will start to be visible to the naked eye and will continue to get brighter until November 28. If the comet survives, it will be visible in the early morning and early evening sky and could be nearly as bright as the full Moon. Some astronomers are already calling it the comet of the century.

  • December 3 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 00:22 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 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 waxing gibbous moon will block out some of the meteors this year, but the Geminids are so bright and numerous that it should still be a good 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.

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

2013 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

December 2, Monday. Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room (tentative)

Newsletter Contributions Needed

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