April 2023
Next BAS Monthly Meeting:
A Spectroscopic Tour of the H-R Diagram
Lauren Herrington
What do you get when you take a few hundred stars and compare their luminosities/brightnesses and temperature? An Hertzsprung-Russell diagram! The H-R diagram is the most famous graph in all of astronomy, and for good reason. Understanding where a star belongs on the H-R diagram can tell you about its age, size, color, behavior, and even its ultimate destiny. In this talk, I’ll lead a tour around the H-R diagram, showcasing some of the coolest stars in the galaxy. We’ll talk about the major groups of stars which you can find on the H-R diagram, what they look like, and why they form groups in the first place. To illustrate this story, I’ve prepared lots of stellar spectra, so that you can gain a deeper insight into the diagram from the perspective of a stellar spectroscopist.
Lauren Herrington is an astronomer from near Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees, Oklahoma. She works part-time for the American Association of Variable Star Observers.
Her website is: https://tiedyeastronomer.com/
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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Registration for:
TSP 2023 10 am May 14th, to Sunday 10 am, May 21, 2023
Please go online at https://texasstarparty.org/register/. Login, confirm your profile information and register.
The great tradition of Dark Sky Observing continues with the 43rd Annual TEXAS STAR PARTY, May 14 to 21, 2023 near Fort Davis, Texas!
IMPORTANT DATES TO KNOW
• Monday, March 6th – confirmation emails go out to regular registrants
• Wednesday, March 8th – late registration open and late housing assignments made (whatever is left)
Late Registration will close April 28, 2023.
Last day to cancel and receive a refund is April 28, 2023 at 11:59 pm CDT. Your email must be time and date stamped at or prior to 11:59 pm (23:59 hours) Central Daylight Saving Time to receive a refund. Special Conditions apply to refunds
New for this year:
A. Application and Registration are now combined into one registration form, and TSP
Payment for registrations is due at the time of registration.
B. Please consider making a donation to one of “Fund Programs”. Donations made to these programs are restricted to be used only for these programs. The registration form includes the ability to make donations to:
Cancellation and Refund Deadline is April 25, 2023
Please read
Go to our website to review our “Registration webpage” https://texasstarparty.org/registration/ for additional information regarding “Timelines, important dates, cancelling and refunds.
Your Ranch Housing accommodations request can only be submitted, processed and assigned by TSP Housing Staff. Please do not contact Prude Ranch for information regarding your accommodations. This also pertains to requesting a change to your assigned Ranch accommodation(s).
Once you have received your Confirmation of Ranch Housing Assignment from TSP Housing, you can either wait to pay your Ranch deposit via the information in the email the Ranch will send out. Or you can mail your deposit payment to the Ranch address provided in your Confirmation of TSP Housing Assignment email that TSP Housing will send to you. That email will be sent out in approximately 8 to 10 weeks from the date of this email.
If you have any questions, please email us at tsprooms@texasstarparty.org.
Sincerely, The volunteers for Texas Star Party and Texas Star Party, Inc Management
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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 TRAPPIST exoplanets offer the James Webb Space Telescope some of the best opportunities to observe rocky worlds. But Webb images show the innermost planet b has no atmosphere.
BY: MONICA YOUNG MARCH 27, 2023
The Winter Hexagon fills the west after dark. The waxing Moon steps east across the evening sky from Venus past the Pleiades, then past Mars.
BY: ALAN MACROBERT MARCH 24, 2023
It wasn't aliens after all — an astrochemist and an astronomer have teamed up to explain why the interstellar object 1I/'Oumuamua behaved the way it did.
BY: COLIN STUART MARCH 22, 2023
A large elliptical galaxy spewing a black hole–powered jet might have eaten its neighbors, leaving it on its own.
BY: MONICA YOUNG MARCH 21, 2023
Prebiotic compounds previously found in meteorites have now turned up in pristine samples from the asteroid Ryugu, confirming their extraterrestrial origin.
BY: JEFF HECHT MARCH 21, 2023
The European Space Agency is working to get its ambitious Mars rover back on track after complex delays.
BY: DAVID DICKINSON MARCH 20, 2023
After decades of searching, scientists have finally found a clear sign of active volcanism on Venus.
BY: MONICA YOUNG MARCH 16, 2023
Newly discovered Comet C/2023 A3 might reach naked-eye brightness when it flies past Earth in 2024. Check out our forecast of what to expect to see in the months ahead.
BY: BOB KING MARCH 16, 2023
Phone battery dead? Learn how to tell time with the Big Dipper. Also, don't miss a remarkable transit of Ceres in front of the bright spiral galaxy M100.
BY: BOB KING MARCH 15, 2023
The newest observations will help astronomers understand a planetary-scale wave in the atmosphere of our sister planet.
BY: KIT GILCHRIST MARCH 14, 2023
Astronomers studying the water vapor around a newborn star find that it’s chemically similar to ice in solar system comets, a possible source of Earth’s oceans.
BY: COLIN STUART MARCH 13, 2023
New research shows diamonds might condense out of Neptune's mantle, but not Uranus', explaining a decades-old discrepancy.
BY: ELISE CUTTS MARCH 8, 2023
Two decades of observations show a dusty gas cloud elongating as it approaches our galaxy's supermassive black hole.
BY: MONICA YOUNG MARCH 7, 2023
A planet-hunting consortium is marking five successful years by releasing data on more than 50 worlds.
BY: ARWEN RIMMER MARCH 2, 2023
Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2021.html)
2023
April 6 - 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 04:37 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the 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 Fish Moon because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
April 11 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 19.5 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.
April 20 - 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 04:15 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.
April 20 - 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 southern Indian Ocean and move across parts of western Australia and southern Indonesia. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout most of Indonesia and Australia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information) (NASA Interactive Google Map)
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 thin crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Lyra, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
May 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 17:36 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance. This moon has also been known as the Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon.
May 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 all of Asia and Australia and parts of eastern Europe and eastern Africa. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
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 been 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. 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 19 - 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 15:55 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 29 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 24.9 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.
Next Month's BAS Meeting: May 1, 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