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Next BAS Monthly Meeting:
Monday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m. at the library in meeting room C.
Exploring Astronomical Filters
Description: An overview of Astronomical Filters and what they are used for.
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 .
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/
Venus, after standing alone, is joined by the crescent Moon and low little Mercury in twilight late this week. Higher in the night, Jupiter and Mars continue in their distinctive triangles.
By: Alan MacRobert February 21, 2025
The Euclid space telescope has uncovered an "Einstein ring" in an unexpected place — a nondescript galaxy we've known for more than a century.
By: Ananya Palivela February 20, 2025
A new survey contains 3,628 Type Ia supernovae — the exploding white dwarfs that astronomers use as cosmological toeholds to gauge our expanding universe.
By: Monica Young February 19, 2025
New research explores how the cracking of a neutron star’s crust might determine how fast these extreme stellar remnants can spin.
By: AAS Nova February 17, 2025
So far, searches for archival images that could confirm or rule out the asteroid's impact have come up dry, but Webb observations in May could help pin down the orbit.
By: David L. Chandler February 13, 2025
Extra amounts of an uncommon element — neon-22 — could re-energize some white dwarfs, and potentially make the systems habitable.
By: Hannah Richter February 13, 2025
In a delightful cosmic coincidence, Venus will shine brightest on Valentine's Day.
By: Bob King February 12, 2025
Using the Solar Orbiter, scientists think they’ve pinpointed the locations near the Sun where particles are thrown into the solar wind.
By: Jan Hattenbach February 11, 2025
The company Venturi Astrolab will take the slot left vacant on Griffin Mission One, which could head to the Moon later this year.
By: David Dickinson February 11, 2025
Serendipity led to astronomers finding a galaxy surrounded by an unprecedented number of star-filled rings.
By: Ivan Farkas February 7, 2025
Samples collected from the asteroid 101955 Bennu contain life’s key building blocks, scientists have found.
By: Arielle Frommer February 5, 2025
The development of the VIPER lunar rover has been discontinued.
By: Monica Young February 4, 2025
New data has allowed a team of researchers to reconstruct a detailed view of a famous circle in the constellation Lyra.
By: Colin Stuart February 4, 2025
Big, bright and red, the Mira variable R Leonis portends the Sun's fate. A pair of binoculars is all you need to get acquainted.
By: Bob King January 29, 2025
The discovery marks only the second time that an asteroid's impact risk has reached greater than a 1% chance.
By: David L. Chandler January 28, 2025
Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-current.html)
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)April 13 - 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 00:24 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 21 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 27.4 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.
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 not pose much of a problem so this should be a good 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.
April 27 - 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 19:32 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 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 waxing gibbous moon will block out some of the fainter meteors this year. But if you are patient, you should still should be able to catch a some of the brighter 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 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 16:57 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 27 - 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 03:04 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 31 - Venus at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation of 45.9 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 morning sky. Look for the bright planet in the eastern sky before sunrise.
Next Month's BAS Meeting: April 7, 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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