Monday, February 6, 7:00 p.m.

Setup and Casual Conversation starting at 6:30 p.m.

Bartlesville Public Library

7:15 p.m.

Contributing to Science by Observing Occultations

by

John Grismore

Citizen Science is a broad topic that includes many ways that amateurs can contribute to professional science through observations, data collection and data analysis, in a wide variety of scientific fields. Astronomy is one of the fields in which citizen science has a long and respected history. Until around the turn of this century most comets and many asteroids were discovered by amateurs. Amateur variable star observations and lunar and planetary observations have long provided critical data to professional astronomers.

Amateur observations of lunar and asteroid occultations have played in increasingly important role in advancing our understanding of lunar motion, lunar topography, asteroid orbits, and asteroid shapes and sizes, as well as stellar properties and double star detections.

Making occultation observations is well within reach of the typical amateur astronomer. The equipment required can be as simple as a timing device (a stop watch in the old days) and a notebook for recording timings. Any amateur astronomer, in the right place at the right time, can make important contributions to science by observing occultations.

The February meeting will be an open discussion of upcoming events and future events and to gather more of a sense of the direction the members would like to go. I urge all members to attend this meeting.

Jerry Koenig

President

The great tradition of dark sky observing continues with the 39th Annual

TEXAS STAR PARTY, May 21-28, 2017!

near Ft Davis, Texas

Staying on the Ranch in housing, RV, or camping? Staying off-site in other accommodations?

Everyone needs to enter the TSP drawing, held in late January.

You should submit a Registration/Reservation Request Form to ENTER THE TSP DRAWING

before January 20, 2017.

This will provide you the highest possible chance of being selected as one of the 500 people

who will be able to attend TSP this year.

Follow this link to get started!

http://texasstarparty.org/get-started/

SIGN UP NOW!

You can find out the status of your TSP Registration at any time by visiting

http://texasstarparty.org/account/

Find the latest news at:

http://texasstarparty.org/news/

Find out about our new Mirror-making Workshop, where you can make your own mirror during TSP!

https://texasstarparty.org/mirror-making-workshop/

Questions? Visit our web site for the latest and complete details!

http://www.texasstarparty.org/ or email tsprooms@texasstarparty.org

We look forward to seeing you next May!

Sincerely,

the volunteers for Texas Star Party

Unsubscribe from future TSP invitations at:

https://texasstarparty.org/opt-email-tsp-invitations/?email=%%user.user_email%%

Following is a Night Sky Map for January 2017. As an amateur, I found it interesting to familiarize myself with different events and just getting conversant with the Night Sky.

http://www.skymaps.com/skymaps/tesmn1701.pdf

Link to a photography blog regarding the Eclipse:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/outdoors/features/mark-your-calendars-north-american-solar-eclipse-2017?utm_medium=Email%201624387&utm_campaign=Content&utm_source=WeeklyContent%20160827&utm_content=Explora&utm_term=mark-calendars-north-american-solar-eclipse-2017

Have your hotel ready?

John Blaesi

Featured Resource: 2017 Solar Eclipse Resource List

Are you ready for the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse? Is your community ready? Check out this collection of resources to prepare the 99% of the country who will see a partial eclipse. Find the list at: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=588

Dear fellow stargazer:

I'm a real person (a mom of two from Boston) who designed a commemorative tee shirt for the 2017 Eclipse. Please forgive the intrusion if you are not interested, but if you or your group are in need of a "totality" tee shirt, I hope you'll take a look: zazzle.com/vernons_store+gifts

Thanks so much.

See you in the path! Betsy Hudson P.O. Box 978 Boylston, MA 01505

​

At 1st glance I almost deleted it - but looked at the website

I​t's not just T-Shirts - they have polo shirts - jackets - hoodies - sweatshirt etc.

select a design and a set of links pops up below says Styles 75 or some such

$ 25 ea for a t-shirt is pretty stiff but $ 25 for a nice polo or jacket is very reasonable.

Anyway take and look and see if its something ​you want to let ​your members know about.

​Also Have your seen any other eclipse related items

I ordered Eclipse glasses and viewing cards from ​http://www.rainbowsymphony.com/eclipse-glasses

​If you order 100 or more the price is only $ 0.75 each They arrived in less than a week.

I plan to give sets to all my grandkids school classes - neighbors - and extended family.

The Eclipse cards are much better for younger kids - they can be mounted on an 8 by 10 sheet of card stock or cardboard - thus shielding their whole face.

Particularly handy since this eclipse will be about 65 degs high near mid-day during totality.​

Our club is also selling them as a fund raiser nearer the event.

John Land

​ - Tulsa Club​

Resource: It's All Done with Mirrors

These simple demonstrations are a great way to illustrate the path of light as it reflects off of mirrors and how this is used in telescopes, especially if you have ever been asked why the Moon appears "flipped" or "upside down" in your eyepiece! Check out this activity, complete with demo video and list of materials, on the NSN website at:

https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=345

Universe Discovery Guide: The Fate of Our Universe

Universe Discovery Guide for November: The Fate of Our Universe

https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=548

Family Fun with Sky Watching

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

Predictive Prowess: See an Iridium Flare

By: Bob King | July 17, 2014 | Comments 4

Channel your inner superpower by looking up at the night sky precisely when a dazzling blaze of light is beamed to Earth from outer space.

I found this free course for folks interested in Astronomy!

https://www.udemy.com/astronomy-state-of-the-art/learn/v4/overview

Goodluck!

Racheeta Agrawal

Hello BAS members

Please use link below to access Member Presentations.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4CQup8TdDvCfnBiUlE5RURWWTl4Y0IyVVlyMnVwWlVtQW9uWnAxTDJHMHk4VmVuNFkxeXc

Hello BAS Members --

With so many people interested in AstroPhotography in the group, we have thought of having a "Astro Picture of the Month" competition each month at our meetings.

Entry Rules:

Send one picture of the night sky/ object of the current month with a description of the picture and the equipment used to take this.

Mail it to bvilleastro@gmail.com.

Best picture is chosen in the next meeting and uploaded to our Facebook/Twitter pages with your mention!

So let the entries pouring in for our next meeting on the Feb 2, 2015.

Thanks

BAS President .

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

Tour February’s Sky: How To Find Monoceros

By: Kelly Beatty | January 27, 2017 | Comments 2

Download our monthly astronomy podcast to spot Venus and Mars in the west — and a celestial unicorn hiding in plain sight among the stars.

Vesta, Brightest Asteroid, Now High Overhead

By: Alan MacRobert | January 18, 2017 | Comments 4

The asteroid 4 Vesta shines at 6th magnitude in January 2017, visible in Gemini with binoculars or a small telescope.

The Spotless Sun

By: Sean Walker | January 12, 2017 | Comments 0

The Sun has been unusually quiet lately. Since the start of 2017, only a single tiny sunspot has made a brief appearance on the solar disk.

Solar and Lunar Eclipses in 2017

By: Kelly Beatty | January 5, 2017 | Comments 0

It won't be a great year for lunar eclipses, with a deep penumbral event on February 11th and a partial on August 7th. But an annular solar eclipse is observable from the Southern Hemisphere on February 26th, and a total solar eclipse crosses the continental U.S. on August 21st.

Fred Espenak’s Eclipse-Photography Webinar

By: Kelly Beatty | January 5, 2017 | Comments 0

When it comes to capturing a total solar eclipse, few can match the expertise of Fred Espenak. Get valuable tips from "Mr. Eclipse" himself during S&T's live webinar on Thursday, January 12th.

Meteor Showers in 2017

By: Kelly Beatty | January 4, 2017 | Comments 2

Everyone enjoys the brief and sometimes dazzling streaks of light from meteors, sometimes called "shooting stars." Sky & Telescope predicts that the two best meteor showers in 2017 will be the Quadrantids in early January and the Geminids in mid-December.

Tour January’s Sky: Spot Two Star Clusters

By: Kelly Beatty | December 30, 2016 | Comments 0

Download our monthly astronomy podcast to spot Venus and Mars in the west — and two star clusters high up — after sunset.Tour January’s Sky: Spot Two Star Clusters

By: Kelly Beatty | December 30, 2016 | Comments 0

Download our monthly astronomy podcast to spot Venus and Mars in the west — and two star clusters high up — after sunset. Get the new year started with a resolution to do more stargazing in 2017! Venus and much dimmer Mars adorn the western sky after sunset. As the month opens, and ends, they're…

Skyweek

January 28 - 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 00:07 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 11 - 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 00:33 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full 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 Full Hunger Moon, since the harsh weather made hunting difficult.

February 11 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth's partial shadow, or penumbra. During this type of eclipse the Moon will darken slightly but not completely. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern South America, eastern Canada, the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Africa, and western Asia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)

February 26 - 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 14:59 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 26 - Annular Solar Eclipse. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the darkened Moon. The Sun's corona is not visible during an annular eclipse. The path of the eclipse will begin off the coast of Chile and pass through southern Chile and southern Argentina, across the southern Atlantic Ocean, and into Angola and Congo in Africa. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout parts of southern South America and southwestern Africa.

(NASA Map and Eclipse Information) (NASA Interactive Google Map)

March 12 - 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 14:54 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full 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 Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, the Full Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.

March 20 - March Equinox. The March equinox occurs at 10:29 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 28 - 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 02:58 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.

• • (Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2017.html)

2017 BAS Programs

Next Meeting

March 6, 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.