April 2020
Next BAS Monthly Meeting:
CANCELLED
Monday, April 6, 2020
6:30 pm Setup/Social, 7:00 pm Meeting
Bartlesville Public Library
Program: Native American Moons
by Betty Keim with the Bartlesville History Museum
BAS meetings feature presentations on a variety of astronomy and space science topics. Meetings are usually on the first Monday evening of each month and are open to the public. Guests are always welcome. More event details are listed on our calendar.
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Next BYA Monthly Meeting:
Monday, March 23, 2020
Due to Spring Break, we will not meet on March 16 as previously announced.
Also, we will continue to monitor the health status of Oklahoma and the nation, and we may cancel the March 23 meeting if we determine it is best to do so.
Please continue to check here on our website for updates.
6:30 pm Setup/Social, 7:00 pm Meeting
Our Savior Lutheran Church
300 NE Madison Blvd., Bartlesville, OK
Bartian Youth Astronomers is an interactive, hands-on youth group for ages seven through high school.
BYA meetings are usually on the third Monday evening of each month. More event details are listed on our calendar.
Reflections on Astronomy
Brief essays about experiences in astronomy.
HOW ASTRONOMY FOUND ME
by ABIGAIL BOLLENBACH
The seedling of interest I have for astronomy was planted and grew from one singular image. The Hubble Deep Field Image of 10,000 Galaxies was sitting innocently on my front door step inside my National Geographic magazine for kids, waiting for me to open it. As soon as I saw that picture and fully processed what I was seeing, I was instantaneously hooked. At 10 years old, I knew immediately that this is what I needed to do and what I was meant for, and thus blossomed my love for astronomy.
In May of 2015, after attending a public star party at Tri-County Tech, I Joined the Bartlesville Astronomical Society (BAS) when I was 13 and started volunteering any chance I could get. As I continued to learn more and more, I wanted to share my new found passion and knowledge with other youth that might be interested in astronomy and make it more accessible to them. In 2016, I jumped at the opportunity to become a founding member and began helping my mentor, Rick Bryant organize the Bartian Youth Astronomers. Now I'm 18 years old, and feel very grateful and privileged to be a part of the BAS and BYA.
It became apparent in short time after reading, crunching and presenting the monthly astronomy news for the BAS that my passion is astrophysics and cosmology, which I plan to study in college. My goal after obtaining a higher education is to work for the opportunity to be employed as a scientist for NASA, Space X, the ESA or another space agency. Options in these fields are almost limitless because there are so many space related companies pushing the envelope today.
Antikythera mechanism
Description
The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient Greek analogue computer which has also been described as the first example of such device used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and astrological purposes decades in advance. Wikipedia
The following is an excellent youtube video lecture. 1:05 hours in duration
Decoding the Heavens: The Antikythera Mechanism by Jo Marchant
Lecture from Darwin College, Cambridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv-zWbxm2lY
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This month there's a new addition to the newsletter. We're starting a series of brief stories and essays contributed by BAS members. They'll fall into two categories -- 1) BAS history, and 2) unique and interesting astronomical experiences. We hope that many members will contribute their own stories and essays by emailing them to jrgrismore@cableone.net .
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BAS From The Past
Brief essays about the history of the Bartlesville Astronomical Society.
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Kristi and Derek have created a separate BAS email address where members and non-members alike can provide the club with their comments, suggestions and ideas. Hopefully, this will provide us with additional information about what we can do better.
The email address is bvilleastro+comments@gmail.com .
This email is to inform the Bartlesville Astronomical Society, that registration for MSRAL 2020 scheduled for June 12th-14th in Jenks, Oklahoma is officially live. https://msral2020.wixsite.com/register4msral2020
You will notice speakers are still being confirmed which also means an actual program schedule is still in progress. However, the keynote speaker is the only one listed.
A new opportunity is that there will be a separate youth MSRAL conference that will be held at the same time. This conference is for high school students 9th to 12th grade and will be run by high school senior, Abby Bollenbach also AL’s 2018 Horkheimer Smith Award winner. The goal is to be inclusive for accessible students since the building is accessible, but the program is being designed to offer an astronomical experience for blind/legally blind as well as deaf/hearing impaired students.
So far, the program under consideration is the construction of an origami buckey ball, observing, solar observing and student talks. Nothing is set in stone and is still being finalized. So, if you have a 9th-12th grader, please encourage them to come since nice giveaways have been gathered just for the youth.
To book a hotel room at our special rate of $79.00 at The Crowne Plaza, go to the “Venue” tab and scroll to the picture of The Crowne Plaza and click on the yellow booking button. That will take you directly to The Crowne Plaza where you are able to select a king, or a double room at our special rate.
To register, please go to the “Registration by PayPal” tab. Each transaction will require a name and club affiliation because not everyone will purchase all the meals. The shopping cart will take you to PayPal where the transaction will be completed. If you have dietary concerns or have questions, please go to the bottom of the “Home Page” to the “Contact Us” form. However, if you are sending in your registration by mail, please add any comments on dietary issues or concerns on the registration form located in the “Printable” tab. My personal address is at the bottom.
There are printable maps in the “Printable” tab as well as maps of restaurants near the conference site and The Crowne Plaza. There are $10.00 breakfast vouchers free upon request at the front desk but there are many breakfast places nearby if you so desire.
We look forward to seeing you in June and we are confident that you will have a great time here in Oklahoma.
Sincerely,
Peggy Walker
MSRAL 2020 Conference Chair
BA Sidewalk Astronomer
Rick & Peggy Walker
918-960-0076
www.facebook.com/BASidewalkAstronomer
www.twitter.com/BASidewalkAstro
www.youtube.com/BASidewalkAstro
BAS Historical Materials Needed
In conjunction with the upcoming BAS Library Display, an effort is being made to locate as much historical club material as possible. Only a small part of the material will be included in the display, but we need to centralize all historical club information. If you know the location of, or have any access to old club photos, newspaper clippings, articles or other historical materials, or if you have memories or recollections of past BAS events or information, please contact John Blaesi or John Grismore. Thanks.
The BAS now has storage at First Christian Church for club equipment and records. We are trying to consolidate and we are requesting any members with club equipment or records to contact one of the officers to arrange to move the items to storage and log it into our inventory.
Fantastic ALCORS,
Save the Date! ALCON 2020 will be held in Albuquerque, NM, July 16 – 18.
The conference is hosted by The Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS), and we are excited to welcome the astronomical community to Albuquerque. I am attaching a flyer & information package for event. Both can be found at the bottom of our website: TAAS Home Page Check back frequently for updates.
Apps for Consideration
Distant Suns, your personal guide to the cosmos, lists Night Sky Network astronomy club star parties, safe solar gazing events, and lectures in the main navigation bar. Distant Suns is available for Android, Apple iOS, Kindle, and Nook.
SkySafari, a powerful planetarium that fits in your pocket, lists Night Sky Network astronomy club star parties, safe solar observing events, and lectures in the help menu. SkySafari is available for Android and Apple devices and computers.
Family Fun with Sky Watching
Clear Sky Predictor for Bartlesville: http://www.cleardarksky.com/c/BrtlsvlOKkey.html
Sky and Telescope News http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/
The Knife Edge Galaxy Throws Astronomers For a Loop
A 2008 image captured a stunning double loop of stars around an edge-on galaxy. Now, astronomers are questioning whether one of those loops exist.
BY: GOVERT SCHILLING MARCH 24, 2020
Astronomers Rein in Possibilities for Exotic Particle
Astronomers observing a distant galaxy have dramatically shrunk the range of possible properties of a long-predicted — but never-detected — subatomic particle.
BY: BEN SKUSE MARCH 19, 2020
Scientists Predict Countless Rings of Light Encircle Black Holes
Detailed calculations reveal a surprise about how black holes bend light around themselves, opening a new possibility for future observations.
BY: CAMILLE M. CARLISLE MARCH 18, 2020
European ExoMars Mission Delayed to 2022
The European and Roscosmos space agencies have postponed the launch of their Kazachok lander and Rosalind Franklin rover to 2022.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON MARCH 13, 2020
Iron Might Rain on This Hot Jupiter
New observations show a signature that could come from iron rain on one side of hot Jupiter WASP-76b.
BY: JULIE FREYDLIN MARCH 11, 2020
Gravitational Waves Put Ruler to Neutron Stars
Scientists have combined observations of gravitational waves from a neutron star collision with nuclear theory to shed light on the size and nature of neutron stars.
BY: MONICA YOUNG MARCH 11, 2020
NASA Announces Next Mars Rover Name: Perseverance
NASA announced today that its next Mars rover mission now has its official name: Perseverance.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON MARCH 5, 2020
Earth Has A Mini-Moon — But Not for Long!
Two astronomers discovered a temporary mini-moon captured by Earth — but it's about to win its freedom.
BY: BOB KING MARCH 2, 2020
New Horizons Recruits Amateurs to Sight Stars
The New Horizons team wants you to help measure the distance to two stars, yielding the longest-ever baseline measurement of a key cosmic yardstick.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON FEBRUARY 28, 2020
March 2020: A Planet Trio and More!
During March, the cosmos offers a lot to see both before sunrise and after sunset. To get a guided tour of the month's highlights, play or download this month's Sky Tour episode.
BY: KELLY BEATTY FEBRUARY 28, 2020
What Lies Beneath the Moon's Farside?
The Chang’e 4 mission made the first-ever landing on the farside of the Moon last year — now it’s providing a look at what lies below its surface.
BY: ANDREW JONES FEBRUARY 26, 2020
The Fall and Rise of Betelgeuse
With its recent uptick in brightness, Betelgeuse appears to be slowly returning to normal. But will it? Astronomers urge us to keep watch.
BY: BOB KING FEBRUARY 25, 2020 What Snuffed Out Star Formation in This “Monster” Galaxy?
NASA’s Insight Detects Many Marsquakes on the Red Planet
Persistent tremors on Mars suggest the planet’s interior is cooling and hint that there might be a pocket of magma beneath the surface.
BY: CAMILLE M. CARLISLE FEBRUARY 24, 2020
Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2019.html)
March 24 - 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 09:29 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.
March 24 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 27.8 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.
March 24 - Venus at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation of 46.1 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Venus since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the bright planet in the western sky after sunset.
April 8 - Full Moon, Supermoon. 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 02:35 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Pink Moon because it marked the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first spring flowers. This moon has also been known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Growing Moon, and the Egg Moon. Many coastal tribes called it the Full Fish Moon because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn. This is also the third of four supermoons for 2020. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.
April 22, 23 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids is an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861. The shower runs annually from April 16-25. It peaks this year on the night of the night of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd. These meteors can sometimes produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The nearly new moon will ensure dark skies for what should be a good show this year. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Lyra, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
April 23 - 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 02:27 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.
May 6, 7 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids is an above average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. Most of the activity is seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the rate can reach about 30 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley, which has known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from April 19 to May 28. It peaks this year on the night of May 6 and the morning of the May 7. The nearly full moon will be a problem this year, blocking out all but the brightest meteors. But if you are patient, you should still should be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
May 7 - Full Moon, Supermoon. 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 10:45 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance. This moon has also been known as the Full Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon. This is also the last of four supermoons for 2020. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.
May 22 - 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 17:39 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.
June 4 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 23.6 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.
June 5 - 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 19:12 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Strawberry Moon because it signaled the time of year to gather ripening fruit. It also coincides with the peak of the strawberry harvesting season. This moon has also been known as the Full Rose Moon and the Full Honey Moon.
June 5 - 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 Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Indian Ocean, and Australia.
(NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
June 21 - 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 06:42 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.
June 21 - 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 in central Africa and travel through Saudi Arabia, northern India, and southern China before ending in the Pacific Ocean. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern Africa, the Middle East, and southern Asia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information) (NASA Interactive Google Map)
June 22 - June Solstice. The June solstice occurs at 21:44 UTC. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere.
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2019.html)
Next Month's BAS Meeting: May 4, Monday. Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room A (tentative), Presenter: TBA
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 multi-part articles are also welcome. Please submit your contributions to Mike Woods or to bvilleastro@gmail.com.
Bartlesville Astronomical Society is an organization of people interested in astronomy and related fields of science. Membership is open to everyone interested in any aspects of astronomy.
Elected Officers and Board Members:
Appointed Positions and Board Members:
Additional Appointed Positions:
Our officers and some individuals holding other club positions can be reached by email. To send an email, just click on a title above.
Membership Rates
Members are eligible for these discounted magazine subscriptions:
Sky and Telescope
Astronomy Technology Today
Astronomy Magazine
Please check with the BAS Treasurer for current discounted subscription rates.