Monday, December 1

Bartlesville Public Library

6:45 p.m. Setup and Discussion

7:00 p.m. Club Business

7:15 p.m. Current Astronomy News

7:30 p.m.

Cosmosphere

by Craig Brockmeier

Craig will describe the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas.

2015 annual BAS Membership Dues notice for November 1st: Dues amounts for most renewing members will be $20; Students $10; and couples (or two in a family) $30. Members who joined during 2014 are asked to pay a prorated amount to bring all members up to the club renewal month of November. Treasurer may be contacted at miltvend@sbcglobal.net for BAS mailing address or any other questions concerning dues amounts.

Thank you.

Hi Everyone,

Just reminding you that I will have the calendars that you ordered at the next Astronomy meeting. Below is the list of who ordered and what you owe.

Thanks,

Karen Cruce

Thanks,

Karen Cruce

Hello to all from your New BAS President.

I have noticed that our membership has fallen off and participation in club meeting has also fallen off. I realize that we all have other obligations. I would like to help restore some participation and interest in our meeting and events. Your thoughts and interest about club meetings and events would be very helpful. Please e-mail me at bvillepiper@sbcglobal.net with your thoughts on how you would like to improve our club meetings and events. Hope to see all of you at our December meeting.

Steve Plank

BAS President .

BAS Members,

Although clouds limited telescopic observing, our stargazing/storytelling event this evening was great fun. Fran Stallings and others told many entertaining stories, and during breaks in the clouds Mike Woods pointed out constellations. Below is a link to a Youtube video of a time-lapse taken during the event. Be sure to change the Youtube settings to view it in HD. Enjoy.

John

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVH9UBcubdc&feature=youtu.be

Take the Future of Amateur Astronomers Survey

The Night Sky Network is doing a new survey of amateur astronomers located in the United States. We are attempting to understand the landscape of educational outreach performed by astronomy clubs and assess the needs of the amateur astronomy community for the next 5 years. We want to hear your voice.

Please let us know what your needs are and how we can better help you and your clubs by taking our survey, located here: http://bit.ly/2014astrosurvey

Pass this announcement along to any other persons or organizations that would have an interest in this survey as well. Thank you all!

You can see daily images of the Sun on www.Spaceweather.com

See a Fantastic image comparing sunspot to size of earth

http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=18&month=10&year=2014

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

Watch Asteroid Juno Occult a Star

By: Sean Walker | November 24, 2014 | Comments 0

Watch an asteroid approach a star and block its light, all in a fraction of a second.

Contact Lost with Sun-watching Stereo B

By: Kelly Beatty | November 21, 2014 | Comments 3

Despite rescue efforts, no one has heard from one of two NASA spacecraft on the far side of the Sun since October 1st.

Dark Galaxies Discovered in Coma Cluster

By: Monica Young | November 19, 2014 | Comments 7

A bizarre set of galaxies in the Coma Cluster have lost most of their stars (or star-making material), making them especially rich in dark matter.

Why is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot … Red?

By: Kelly Beatty | November 18, 2014 | Comments 2

Scientists think they've figured out what causes the mysterious ruddy coloring in the giant planet's enormous oval storm.

Philae Wins Race to Return Comet Findings

By: Kelly Beatty | November 15, 2014 | Comments 4

With its battery power failing, Philae became the "little lander than could" and managed to return results from all 10 of its science instruments before slipping into hibernation.

Spotting Comet Dust Around Alien Suns

By: Shannon Hall | November 11, 2014 | Comments 0

Have you ever spotted the glow of a “false dawn”? Now astronomers have spotted a similar zodiacal light around nine nearby stars.

Dazzling New Products at the ASAE Expo

By: Alan Dyer | November 10, 2014 | Comments 0

See the selection of new telescopes and astronomy products unveiled at the 2014 Arizona Science & Astronomy Expo.

Interstellar: Science Fiction or Science Fantasy?

By: Robert Naeye | November 7, 2014 | Comments 1

On the much anticipated opening weekend of Interstellar, senior contributing editor Bob Naeye reviews the movie's facts and foibles.

Rosetta Update: The Scent of a Comet

By: Kelly Beatty | November 7, 2014 | Comments 0

The Rosetta spacecraft reached its objective, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, in August. Since then, one instrument has been "smelling" the mix of gases escaping from the comet's nucleus.

ALMA Image Reveals Planetary Genesis

By: Monica Young | November 6, 2014 | Comments 7

An ALMA submillimeter-wavelength image unveils the dawn of planet formation around a surprisingly young star in unprecedented detail.

- See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/#sthash.jEP6dgBG.dpuf

Chinese Chang’e Craft Loops the Moon

By: Kelly Beatty | November 5, 2014 | Comments 1

A Chang'e spacecraft swung around the Moon and its capsule landed safely on Earth — a dress rehearsal for a future mission to bring back lunar samples.

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 22 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 12:32 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 6 - 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 12:27 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full 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 Moon Before Yule and the Full Long Nights Moon.

  • 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 waning 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.

  • December 21 - December Solstice. The December solstice occurs at 23:03 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 22 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 01:36 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.

  • December 22, 23 - Ursids Meteor Shower. The Ursids is a minor meteor shower producing only 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 22nd. This will be one of the best years to observe the Ursids because there will be no moonlight to interfere with the 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.

  • January 3, 4 - 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 3rd and morning of the 4th. Unfortunately the nearly full moon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year. 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 5 - 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 04:53 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full 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-2015.html)

2014 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

January 5, 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.

BAS Public Website: http://sites.google.com/site/bartlesvilleastronomyclub/

BAS Yahoo Group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BvilleAstro/

If you want to have your email address removed from the Bartlesville Astronomical Society mailing list, please send an email requesting removal to bvilleastro@gmail.com

BAS Yahoo Group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BvilleAstro/