November 2022
BAS Monthly Meeting:
Monday November 7, 2022 at 7:00 at the library or via Zoom
Program: "North American Tales About the Skies"
by Betty Keim of the Bartlesville Area History Museum
Members will be sent a link to the Zoom meeting. Here is a link to the Join page on our website! If you are not a Club member but would like to attend, please email bvilleastro@gmail.com and ask to have the Zoom link sent to you!
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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April 8, 2024, there will be another total eclipse ‘across’ America.
Are you ready?
Do you plan to go?
Don’t wait until 2024 to make your plans!
NASA Site
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsearch/SEsearchmap.php?Ecl=20240408
Weather Site
https://eclipsophile.com/2024tse/
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The email address is bvilleastro+comments@gmail.com .
The BAS 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.
Apps for Consideration
Family Fun with Sky Watching
Clear Sky Predictor for Bartlesville:
https://clearskyalarmclock.com/index.php
Sky and Telescope News https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/
The Summer Triangle Effect, a double shadow on Jupiter, the waxing Moon photobombs the solar system's two giants, an Algol dip — plan your skywatching week.
BY: ALAN MACROBERT OCTOBER 28, 2022
NASA's Mars Insight lander and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have witnessed two fresh new planet-probing impacts.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON OCTOBER 28, 2022
A team of planetary scientists has reprocessed Apollo-era seismic data to meet modern forms, ensuring that these precious measurements remain usable for the next generation.
BY: AAS NOVA OCTOBER 26, 2022
A team of astronomers claims to have measured the lightest neutron star, but others say extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
BY: MONICA YOUNG OCTOBER 25, 2022
Analyses of just 5.4 grams scooped from the asteroid Ryugu are delivering rich new insights into the history of the solar system.
BY: JEFF HECHT OCTOBER 24, 2022
What else is hidden in archival data?
BY: EMILY LAKDAWALLA OCTOBER 20, 2022
It doesn't take much to create a spectacle when it comes to astronomical observation. Just a pinch or two of dust.
BY: BOB KING OCTOBER 19, 2022
A recently detected gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A was so intense that it temporarily blinded instruments and disturbed Earth’s atmosphere.
BY: JURE JAPELJ OCTOBER 17, 2022
Scientists have detected something unusual around a distant quasar — perhaps the first real evidence of a first-generation star.
BY: ARWEN RIMMER OCTOBER 17, 2022
With a little luck, observers in Australia and western North America may spy the Lucy spacecraft as it flies by Earth on October 16th.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON OCTOBER 14, 2022
An innovative method enables astronomers to gauge the size and shape of a distant asteroid — and potentially any km-scale object in the solar system.
BY: MONICA YOUNG OCTOBER 13, 2022
Every time two giant stars swing around each other, they enrich the cosmos with complex organic molecules.
BY: MONICA YOUNG OCTOBER 12, 2022
They needed to shorten the moon’s orbit by 73 seconds. They shortened it by more than half an hour.
BY: EMILY LAKDAWALLA OCTOBER 11, 2022
They needed to shorten the moon’s orbit by 73 seconds. They shortened it by more than half an hour.
BY: EMILY LAKDAWALLA OCTOBER 11, 2022
China has sent up the ASO-S space observatory to study solar flares, eruptions, and the Sun’s magnetic field.
BY: ANDREW JONES OCTOBER 11, 2022
A simulated map of the Milky Way shows the location of our galaxy's stellar corpses — and they're not where you might think they'd be.
BY: COLIN STUART OCTOBER 6, 2022
The upcoming Hunter's Moon reminds us of the many ways we can enjoy observing our humble satellite.
BY: BOB KING OCTOBER 5, 2022
Juno will pass over the surface of Europa this week in our closest view since the Galileo mission, aiding future exploration efforts.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON OCTOBER 5, 2022
The most compelling dormant stellar-mass black hole candidate in the Milky Way orbits a Sun-like star only 1,570 light-years away.
BY: JURE JAPELJ SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2021.html)
2022
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 left behind by 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 year the nearly full moon will block out all but the brightest meteors. But if you are patient, you may still be able to catch a few good ones. 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 8 - 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 11:03 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the 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 Dark Moon.
November 8 - Total Lunar Eclipse. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color. The eclipse will be visible throughout eastern Russia, Japan, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and parts of western and central North America. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
November 9 - Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
November 17, 18 - 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 17th and morning of the 18th. The second quarter moon will block many of the fainter meteors this year. But the Leonids can be unpredictable so there is still potential for a good show. 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 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 22:58 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.
December 8 - 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 04:09 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the 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 Long Nights Moon and the Moon Before Yule.
December 8 - Mars at Opposition. The red planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Mars. A medium-sized telescope will allow you to see some of the dark details on the planet's orange surface.
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 many of the fainter meteors this year. But the Geminids are so numerous and bright that this 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 21:40 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 21 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 20.1 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.
December 21, 22 - Ursids Meteor Shower. The Ursids is a minor meteor shower producing 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 21st and morning of the 22nd. This year, the nearly new moon will leave dark skies for what should be a really good 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.
December 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 10:17 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.
Next Month's BAS Meeting: December 5, Monday. 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:
President
Craig Brockmeier
Vice President
Rick Buck
Secretary
Denise Gregg
Treasurer
Evan Zorn
Appointed Positions and Board Members:
Program Director
Bob Young
Mike Woods
Observing Program Coordinator
Rick Buck
Member-at-Large
John Blaesi
Member-at-Large
Karen Cruce
Additional Appointed Positions:
Bartian Youth Astronomers Leader
Rick Bryant
Meeting Arrangements Coordinator
Daryl Doughty
Website and Social Media Administrator
Denise Gregg
Astronomical League Coordinator
Denise Gregg
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
Regular Membership
For age 18 or older. Holds one vote for BAS business.
$25 per year
Student Membership
For age 13 through high school, or age 18 or older and enrolled full-time at a post-secondary educational institution. Holds no vote for BAS business. A student younger than age 13 may join with an adult on a Family Membership.
$10 per year
Family Membership:
Two People
For two people, with at least one member age 18 or older. Holds one shared vote for BAS business.
$30 per year
Family Membership:
Three or More People
For three or more people, with at least one member age 18 or older. Holds one shared vote for BAS business.
$40 per year
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.
Comments: Send email to bvilleastro+comments@gmail.com or our newsletter editor: bvilleastro+newsletter@gmail.com