Announcements

Reminder for Astrophotography Special Interest Group Meeting

This is just a friendly reminder that the Astrophotography Special Interest Group Meeting (astrophotography event) is scheduled for Dec 11, 2018, 07:00 PM. Please come out and join us!  Bring your latest data with you from the most recent clear weather and let's do some processing!

Cancellation for Rattlesnake Ledge Trailhead Star Party

This Rattlesnake Ledge Trailhead Star Party (star party event) scheduled for Dec 08, 2018, 06:00 PM is cancelled due to inclement weather.

Stargazing in Seattle: December’s Meteors

December brings the annual Geminid meteor shower, which peaks during the early morning hours of December 13 and 14. Under a clear dark sky and far away from city lights, the Geminids typically produce from 50 to 100 meteors an hour and can be spectacular. Light pollution results in fewer visible meteors from a location near the city, but Geminid meteors tend to be bright and as many as 25 meteors an hour might be visible from a suburban location around the optimum 2 AM viewing time. Best viewing is during the pre-dawn early morning hours, because Geminid meteors approach Earth from the direction of the constellation Gemini. After midnight, Gemini climbs higher in the sky and the rate you see meteors increases. Plan to observe for at least an hour.  Dress very warmly and use a reclining lounge chair if possible; otherwise you can simply lie down on a blanket on the ground.  Be patient. It will take 10 to 20 minutes for your eyes to fully adapt to the dark, and because meteors arrive randomly, there will be times when several minutes pass with no meteors. (Stargazing in Seattle times and positions are adjusted for Seattle’s location and are useful throughout the Pacific Northwest.)

Stargazing in Seattle: Winter’s Morning Star

Venus is now a brilliant morning star, shining at magnitude -4.6. Throughout December Venus rises in the East-Southeast almost 4 hours before sunrise and is dazzling when seen against a dark pre-morning twilight sky.  Sunrise remains later than 7:30 AM through the end of January.  At 6 AM the sky is still dark and Venus is high above the horizon (more than 15 degrees at 6 AM through the end of December, decreasing to nine degrees at the end of January).  On January 1, the morning of New Year’s Day, a thin crescent moon will be placed only four degrees above and to the right of Venus.  On January 31^st, a thin crescent moon will be within a degree and a half of Venus. (Stargazing in Seattle times and positions are adjusted for Seattle’s location and are useful throughout the Pacific Northwest.)

Cancellation for Third Quarter Moon Members-Only Star Party

This Third Quarter Moon Members-Only Star Party (star party event) scheduled for Dec 01, 2018, 06:30 PM is cancelled due to inclement weather.

Reminder for Dawn of the Space Age

Dr Julie Lutz presents Dawn of the Space Age plus SAS Board elections at the (general meetings event) on Nov 21, 2018, 07:30 PM. Please come out and join us!

Reminder for Green Lake Public Star Party

This is just a friendly reminder that the Green Lake Public Star Party (outreach event) is scheduled for Nov 17, 2018, 06:00 PM. Please come out and join us!  And if you are an SAS member interested in star parties and the telescopes that enrich star party experience, you may want to inquire about the new SAS equipment co-manager opening by writing to equipment@seattleastro.org.  If you enjoy working with telescopes, astrophotography gear, and other equipment, helping to manage the SAS telescopes might be like an ongoing, delightful star party experience for you!

Reminder for Paramount School Park Public Star Party

This is just a friendly reminder that the Paramount School Park Public Star Party (outreach event) is scheduled for Nov 17, 2018, 06:00 PM. Please come out and join us!

Reminder for Astrophotography Special Interest Group Meeting

This is just a friendly last-minute reminder that the Astrophotography Special Interest Group Meeting (astrophotography event) is scheduled for TONIGHT, Nov 13, 2018, 07:00 PM. Please come out and join us!

We'll be talking about the (newer) program called Astro Pixel Processor for use in processing data.  It's an alternative to the well-known PixInsight and local astrophotographer Wayne Hixson will be sharing his experiences with processing with it.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Reminder for Rattlesnake Mountain Trailhead Star Party

Reminder, the Rattlesnake Mountain Trailhead Star Party  is tonight. Try to arrive before 6pm. The advertised 7pm start time was not adjusted for the end of Daylight Savings Time. Expected temperature will be 40-35 F with 80% humidity. Dress warm and bring your dew protection! There may be patchy fog after 10pm so come early to maximize your observing time.

Reminder for Astrophotography Special Interest Group Meeting

This is just a friendly reminder that the Astrophotography Special Interest Group Meeting (astrophotography event) is scheduled for Nov 13, 2018, 07:00 PM. Please come out and join us!

Wayne Hixson will be showing us the ins-and-outs of Astro Pixel Processor - another processing program available which has some very cool capabilities (especially for processing mosaics).  You can check out the details here: https://www.astropixelprocessor.com

Board Elections November 21st

Board elections will occur at the November 21^st  SAS meeting. The current list of positions and nominees are; President – John McLaren; Secretary – Mary Anderson, Treasurer – David Hoover; VP Education – David Ingram; VP Activities – Rayna Bauer; VP Membership – Jon Minnick; VP Publicity – no nominee. Information on responsibilities for all positions is under the About>Bylaws tabs.

We would like to identify at least one volunteer for the VP Publicity position before the meeting on the 21^st. If you are interested in volunteering for any of these positions, you can nominate yourself. If you have suggested nominees or wish to nominate yourself, please email Board@SeattleAstro.org. We will also accept nominations for all positions from the floor at the membership meeting.

On behalf of all SAS members, we thank outgoing elected board members Peter Moore, Russ Coad and Greg Scheiderer for their service.

Reminder for Third Quarter Moon Members-Only Star Party

This is just a friendly reminder that the Third Quarter Moon Members-Only Star Party (star party event) is scheduled for Nov 03, 2018, 08:00 PM. Please join us. If weather is bad, on Nov. 1, 2, and 3, the Museum of Flight will offer great events for all space and astronomy fans: Free Thursday Night events, Nov. 1 and Space Expo 2018, Nov. 2 and 3. See the MOF site for details: http://www.museumofflight.org

Stargazing in Seattle: November’s Leonids

Prime time to watch this year's Leonid meteor shower will be during the early morning hours of Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18, between moonset and dawn. This shower typically produces about 10 to 15 meteors per hour when viewed from a dark site. A gibbous moon will brighten the sky before it sets at 12:48 am on Saturday morning and 1:52 am on Sunday morning (PST). The sky remains dark after moonset and ideal for meteor watching until nautical morning twilight begins about 6:05 am. To look for meteors, find a site away from bright lights, ideally in the country, and just watch the sky overhead. Dress very warmly and use a reclining lounge chair if possible; otherwise you can simply lie down on a blanket on the ground.  You will need to stay in the dark for at least 10 to 15 minutes to let your eyes become dark adapted, and be patient. The meteors arrive randomly and many minutes may pass before you see one. The Leonid meteor shower is associated with debris from periodic comet Tempel-Tuttle and is famous because it has produced meteor storms with rates up to a thousand meteors an hour or more in the past. The most recent storm occurred in 2001, but no storm is predicted for this year.

Stargazing in Seattle Notes: Moon and Hyades