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Next BAS Monthly Meeting:
Monday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the library (in meeting room C) and via Zoom
Beginning your Journey of Discovery in the Night Sky
John Land, of the Astronomy Club of Tulsa, will share some suggestions from his lifelong quest to discover the mysteries of the night, as well as suggestions for choosing a telescope to delve more deeply into the night sky. He’ll discuss the fundamentals of how telescopes work, the types of telescopes, and make recommendations on what makes a good beginning telescope for learning the night sky. John will also answer the question, “Once I have the telescope, how do I find things in the night sky?”
Club 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.
https://sites.google.com/site/bartlesvilleastronomyclub/
The email address is bvilleastro+comments@gmail.com .
November 4, 2024 BAS Meeting Program Description
Beginning your Journey of Discovery in the Night Sky
John Land, of the Astronomy Club of Tulsa, will share some suggestions from his lifelong quest to discover the mysteries of the night, as well as suggestions for choosing a telescope to delve more deeply into the night sky. He'll discuss the fundamentals of how telescopes work, the types of telescopes, and make recommendations on what makes a good beginning telescope for learning the night sky. John will also answer the question, "Once I have the telescope, how do I find things in the night sky?"
Thanks.
John G
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/
Fading Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS poses high in a moonless sky for its fans with binoculars and telescopes, even as we wave farewell for at least a hundred thousand years, maybe forever. Meanwhile four brighter, more permanent members of the solar system await attention.
By: Alan MacRobert October 25, 2024
A new coronagraph mission is now orbiting Earth on a mission to provide direct observations of the Sun for space-weather forecasts.
By: David Dickinson October 24, 2024
We check in with the brightest comet of the year and see what's next, plus an update on Comet ATLAS (C/2024 S1), which still shows signs of life.
By: Bob King October 23, 2024
A 1995 Hubble Space Telescope image of the brown dwarf Gliese 229 B next to its far brighter host star, the M dwarf Gliese 229 A. S. Kulkarni (Caltech), D.Golimowski (JHU) and NASA Astronomers recently discovered a companion to Gliese 229 B, the first confidently identified brown dwarf. This discovery…
By: AAS Nova October 22, 2024
Scientists have traced 70% of meteorite falls to three collisions that occurred in the asteroid belt within the past 40 million years.
By: Jeff Hecht October 21, 2024
The Sun is approaching the peak of this solar cycle, which means a higher chance of sunspots, flares, and aurora.
By: Colin Stuart October 17, 2024
Treat yourself to a comet bright enough to see plainly even in moonlight. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS beckons at dusk!
By: Bob King October 15, 2024
After reaching Jupiter in 2030, the spacecraft will study Europa to help assess whether it has the conditions necessary to sustain life.
By: Emily Lakdawalla October 14, 2024
A unique supernova image provides astronomers with an alternative way to measure the universe’s current expansion, hinting that it’s (still) faster than expected.
By: Arwen Rimmer October 14, 2024
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has delighted observers already, but its morning run was only a warm-up — wait till you see what's coming.
By: Bob King October 11, 2024
The aurora may be visible across much of the U.S. tonight in the wake of dual solar blasts.
By: Bob King October 10, 2024
Hubble observations reveal that the storm’s size and shape change in a cyclic pattern.
By: Camille M. Carlisle October 10, 2024
Astronomers have obtained the first sharp images of winds blowing from gaseous disks around young stars, paving the way for improved models of planet formation.
By: Jure Japelj October 10, 2024
Newfound Comet ATLAS (C/2024 S1) could dazzle – or fizzle.
By: David L. Chandler October 9, 2024
Astronomers have found a sub-Earth-mass planet orbiting Barnard's star, just six light-years away — for real this time.
By: Jan Hattenbach October 8, 2024
The European Agency’s Hera mission has launched, following up on the destructive impact of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test on the asteroid Didymos.
By: David Dickinson October 7, 2024
An updated forecast predicts observers across the northern and central U.S. may see the aurora two nights in a row — on Oct. 4th and 5th — in the wake of one of the Sun's most powerful flares this solar cycle.
By: Bob King October 4, 2024
NASA engineers have shut down one of Voyager 2’s science instruments to save power and to preserve the spacecraft's next decade of operations.
By: David Dickinson October 4, 2024
NASA's spacecraft to Jupiter's icy moon Europa will explore the little world's potential habitability.
By: Emily Lakdawalla October 3, 2024
New analysis of Betelgeuse's brightness variations and other data points to a small, close companion for this giant star.
By: Colin Stuart October 1, 2024
Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-current.html)
2024
November 1 - 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 12:49 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.
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. The first quarter moon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year. 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 15 - 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 21:30 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. This is also the last of three supermoons for 2024. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.
November 16 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 22.5 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.
November 17 - 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 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. Unfortunately the nearly full moon will block all but the brightest meteors this year. If you are patient, you may still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Leo, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
December 1 - 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 06:22 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 7 - Jupiter at Opposition. The giant 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 Jupiter and its moons. A medium-sized telescope should be able to show you some of the details in Jupiter's cloud bands. A good pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter's four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.
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 nearly full moon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year. But if you are patient, you may still be able to catch a few good ones. 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 15 - 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 09:03 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 21 - December Solstice. The December solstice occurs at 09:17 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, 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. The waning gibbous moon will block out many of the fainter meteors this year. If you are patient, you should still be able to catch some of the brighter ones. 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 25 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 22 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.
December 30 - 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 22:28 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 2, 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
John Grismore
Vice President
Pat Stefanopoulos
Secretary
Denise Gregg
Treasurer
Evan Zorn
Appointed Positions and Board Members:
Program Director
TBD
Mike Woods
Events Coordinator
Luann Wright
Member-at-Large
Brian Turner
Member-at-Large
Craig Brockmeier
Additional Appointed Positions:
Bartian Youth Astronomers Leader
TBD
Meeting Arrangements Coordinator
Denise Gregg
Website and Social Media Administrator
Denise Gregg, Katlynn Hanks, John Blaesi
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
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