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Next BAS Monthly Meeting:
Monday, February 3 at 7:00 p.m. at Tri County Tech in the Cherokee Room (note change of venue for this month) and via Zoom. Tri County Tech is located at 6101 Nowata Rd., Bartlesville, 74006.
To get to the Cherokee Room at Tri County Tech, enter at the "Event Center" door and make an immediate left down the hallway. The Cherokee/Delaware Room will be the first and second doors on the left.
Dan Zielinski, Jenks Planetarium Director, will be our special guest speaker!
The title of Dan's presentation is "The Copernicus Method".
Description--Nicolaus Copernicus lived from 1473 to 1543 and wrote "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres" which famously laid the groundwork for the overthrow of the geocentric universe that had held sway for millennia. But what many people are not aware of is that Copernicus' heliocentric system allowed for the first scale model of the entire known solar system in terms of the size of the Earth's orbital radius. What most also assume is that the math and observations involved are too advanced and complex. Dan will show that, with only middle school math, anyone can measure and calculate the distances the planets are from the Sun!
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!
https://sites.google.com/site/bartlesvilleastronomyclub/
The email address is bvilleastro+comments@gmail.com .
Three years ago, the Texas Star Party initiated the John Wagoner Memorial Student Astronomer Award to recognize the accomplishments in amateur astronomy of a high-school or younger student. The TSP will continue this tradition in 2025. We are seeking at least one nomination of a student of elementary through high-school age from each astronomy club in the southwestern US. We are encouraging clubs who do not have junior members to nominate a student known to be active in astronomy – perhaps a child of one of the club's members, or another child in the local community.
The award is named in honor of John Wagoner, who for many years personally managed the Observing Program at TSP, prior to his passing in 2021. John devoted his life to observing, and founded the City Lights Astronomical Society for Students (CLASS) to bring astronomy to inner city schools in Dallas and other cities.
The TSP is looking for students who share John Wagoner's devotion to observing, astronomy education, and public outreach. While other youth endeavors like photography, ATM, and research projects may be included in a student's nomination, these will not be primary selection criteria for this award.
Nominations may be submitted via the attached electronic form until Sunday, March 30, 2025. The Texas Star Party Youth Outreach Committee will evaluate the nominations, and the winner will be announced at this year's Texas Star Party (April 20-26, 2025). TSP attendance by the nominee is not required. The winner will receive a plaque, which will be sent to the local astronomy club for presentation at an upcoming club meeting. The winner will also receive a telescope from Celestron (model to be announced at a later date).
The prize will be shipped by Celestron to the winner's home address. (The Texas Star Party will reach out to the individual who submitted the nomination to please provide the home address of the winner directly to Celestron.)
Please announce this at your next astronomy club meeting and publish it in your club's newsletter and/or on its website. Also bring this to the attention of the leadership of your local astronomy club and nominate a deserving student within your community. If you do not have junior members in your club, please communicate this award to your local middle school, high school, or children's museum. These entities may have deserving students!
Kindest regards,
George D. Ellis
Texas Star Party Youth Outreach
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/
Researchers have unveiled new images of 74 nearby stars surrounded by belts of small, comet-size bodies, not unlike our own Kuiper Belt.
By: Javier Barbuzano January 27, 2025
Mars pulls away from Pollux this week. The winter Milky Way crosses the zenith. Lepus, the Hare under Orion's feet, offers a famous nearby double star and a rare winter globular cluster.
By: Alan MacRobert January 24, 2025
Astronomers have spotted a disintegrating world being destroyed by its star, providing a unique window into the end of a planet’s life.
By: Arielle Frommer January 23, 2025
As a blast from the past reverberates through our galaxy, it illuminates the fine structure of dusty gas that may someday form new stars.
By: Richard Tresch Fienberg January 23, 2025
To our best knowledge, the fall of last summer's Charlottetown meteorite stands as the only video-and-audio recording of a meteorite impact.
By: Bob King January 22, 2025
The distance to the Coma galaxy cluster highlights a discrepancy between different measurements of the universe's current expansion rate.
By: Arielle Frommer January 22, 2025
Nucleus falls to pieces, but the comet continues on!
By: Bob King January 20, 2025
Astronomers have discovered one of the earliest supernovae yet and found that exploding stars may have contributed to the enrichment of the young universe.
By: Arielle Frommer January 20, 2025
A new look at small red galaxies known as “little red dots” reveals that they’re surprisingly abundant in the early universe.
By: Hannah Richter January 17, 2025
Northern Hemisphere skywatchers can now spot this horizon-skirting comet. It's a beauty.
By: Bob King January 15, 2025
The first two lunar missions of 2025 — Firefly's Blue Ghost and iSpace's second Hakuto R mission — are now headed to the Moon.
By: David Dickinson January 15, 2025
After more than a decade in space, the European Gaia spacecraft will end its observations this week. Astronomers are still busy preparing final data blasts.
By: Jan Hattenbach January 15, 2025
Astronomers have witnessed X-ray rumblings and a powerful plasma “burp” following a supermassive black hole’s meal.
By: Monica Young January 14, 2025
With lots of planets and a bright comet vying for our attention, January is an exciting month for skywatchers!
By: Bob King January 13, 2025
Pluto and Charon may have formed differently than we thought
By: Emily Lakdawalla January 13, 2025
The BepiColombo mission has sent back one last preview before it enters orbit around its final destination: Mercury.
By: David Dickinson January 10, 2025
Mars is big and bright again! In a spectacular preview to its upcoming opposition, the full Moon occults the Red Planet on January 13th.
By: Bob King January 8, 2025
In this roundup of recent exoplanet news, we look at whether a famous world is really so airless and at just how long planets take to form.
By: Camille M. Carlisle January 7, 2025
Space-weather sentinels, commercial lunar missions, and lots of planetary flybys are on tap this year.
By: David Dickinson January 5, 2025
Although no total solar eclipses occur this year, skywatchers can look forward to two total lunar eclipses — including one that will be visible across North America.
By: J. Kelly Beatty January 2, 2025
Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-current.html)
January 29 - 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 12:37 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 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 13:55 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the 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 Hunger Moon, since the harsh weather made hunting difficult.
February 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 00:46 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 8 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 18.2 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.
March 14 - 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 06:56 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the 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 Crow Moon, the Crust Moon, the Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.
March 14 - 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 all of North America, Mexico, Central America, and South America. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
March 20 - March Equinox. The March equinox occurs at 08:58 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 29 - 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 11:00 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 29 - Partial Solar Eclipse. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers only a part of the Sun, sometimes resembling a bite taken out of a cookie. A partial solar eclipse can only be safely observed with a special solar filter or by looking at the Sun's reflection. This partial eclipse will be visible throughout Greenland and most of northern Europe and northern Russia. It will be best seen from Canada with 93% coverage.
(NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
Next Month's BAS Meeting: March 3, 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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