ASTRONOMY CLUB OF TULSA

OBSERVER

February 2004

http://AstroTulsa.com

ACT, Inc. has been meeting continuously since 1937 and was incorporated in 1986. It is a nonprofit; tax deductible organization dedicated to promoting, to the public, the art of viewing and the scientific aspect of astronomy.

What

The Astronomy Club of Tulsa Club

When

Friday, 6 February, 2004 at 7:30 PM

Where

Room M1 inside Keplinger Hall, the Science & Engineering Building at TU

Enter the parking lot on the East Side of Keplinger Hall from Harvard and 5th Street
This will take you directly toward the staircase to enter the building.
Room M1 is the first room on the left.

 

President’s Message

Craig Davis

As the winter months continue to pass we should still get several good observing nights like last Friday night for our club's star party. It was another one of those good clear nights for winter observing considering all the weather systems that have been playing with us the past few weeks. Even though the remainder of this winter will reward us with several more crisp clear nights we will also have to sacrifice many due to the frigid temps as well as total overcast. Not unusual at all this time of year.

I know that everyone couldn't help but see the temporary "warm up" room that has been assembled inside the observatory's classroom. It is of very simple design but its main purpose is to confine and maintain more heat within the enclosed area so it will be much better for anyone to come in out of the cold and warm up. It is a winter experiment to see if the now enclosed area may help or not. I realize it may not look overly appealing but again, its main purpose is to merely hold the heat better so that we will all be able to benefit from it, as we should. With people coming and going through the main front door of the observatory it is near next to impossible to keep the entire classroom area warm during these cold winter months. That again is why this is being tested. And I seriously doubt if anyone enjoys it when you get really cold and the painful muscle and joint aches set in. I believe with perhaps a bit of luck this temporary room will serve its purpose quite well. It will be much more comforting to grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate or check the computer for a star or nebula while the surrounding air is warmer than what we have had before. In simple terms, a warm area to be in is better than a cold one.

We now have two probes operating on Mars at the same time. The first time this has come about in almost thirty years. The first venture and achievement like this was back in 1976 when Viking I and Viking II had landed. But the great difference between the first two probes and the two that have just landed is that both of the Viking probes carried out all of their testing operations from the site at which they had landed. Where as both Spirit and Opportunity are remotely operated rovers that will roam about in different directions from their landing site. At the same time each shall be carrying out geologic tests, along with many other for possible signs of water as well as any evidence of life, no matter what form it may be.

At present there is a software problem in Spirit but from recent reports that problem should be corrected within three weeks. Spirit will have completed rehab and be up and fully functional. Opportunity will begin its first trek off into the hematite-laden landscape in no more than a few days. Opportunity's EDL - Entry, Descent & Landing alone went like clockwork, no problems at all. Once the software problem has been taken care of on Spirit JPL controllers will also be able to make sure that Opportunity will not run into the same software problem later on. It's going to be very interesting to keep up with how things are going and what information is being transmitted our way. When you think on it for a moment it will always remain amazing that we have managed to build, launch, direct, control and perform after many months such precise feats of accuracy from a very far distance away. Over the coming months the amount of information that will be funneled and received about our close neighbor will keep us busy for years to come. This is truly a time to always remember and look forward to as our two funny looking Martian dune buggy's continue to wheel around from point to point, transmit and provide information as we have never had before. What will be heading to Mars next?

Our February meeting will be held on the 6th at Keplinger Hall, University of Tulsa at 7:30 PM.

This month's main lecture topic will be ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY. Our Guest Speakers for our February club meeting will be David Matheny and Kevin Brown. Both are local resident Astrophotographers with an enormous amount of experience in both standard Film and the latest usage of Digital formats. David Matheny owns a machine shop and does machine work as his day-to-day business. Kevin is a sales engineer with M&D Controls here in town. Both were captured by astrophotography after seeing so many of the wonderful works by so many of the truly accomplished experts. David's primary equipment that he is using is a Meade LX200 coupled with a small guide scope. Kevin is using a Celestron 203 SCT and they both have hours upon hours of well-timed work committed to this. With the amount of experience that they both hold I honestly believe that we will have innumerable questions answered concerning basic astrophotography along with many others. And that in and of itself is one area that I know we shall all benefit from. It will be very enjoyable to see their work as well as what they will have to pass on to all of us.

We will hold our early quest speaker dinner at the Village Inn, 27th & Harvard, from 5 - 7 PM. We have a room reserved for our club and I wish everyone to feel free to attend. Please remember that this will remain as the restaurant we will be going to for the rest of the year.

Clear skies,
Craig D. Davis
President

 

 


Hubble Telescope Needs Your help

By John Land

Recently many of us were encouraged to hear President Bush suggest we take a bold look forward to completing the dreams set forth by Man's first steps on the Moon 35 years ago. He proposed NASA inhabit the Moon and dream of walking on Mars. Two generations have been denied voyaging into and conquering the vast frontier beyond earth's orbit. Only a decade ago we had a goal of manned flight to Mars in 2005. The next favorable opposition is 2018; I have encouraged my present crop of High school students to catch a dream and prepare themselves to be part of that grand adventure. Those brave souls who once walked on the moon will soon be gone. I can think of no sadder epitaph than to read on the memorial "That's one small step for man" "Now Crushed Dream for Mankind". Already in the minds of a majority young people their great achievement is but a faded memory in yellowing textbooks. Regardless of their political views, I applaud any national leader who encourages us to dream beyond our cosmic shores.

NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe's announced January 16th that the management at NASA has determined that the completion of the International Space Station must be the primary focus of the remaining shuttle missions. It was announced recently that the planned repair and replacement mission to the Hubble Space telescope for 2006 has been canceled. Without desperately needed new gyroscopes the Hubble telescope will become uncontrollable in 2 or 3 years and perhaps even earlier. NASA had announced last year that the Hubble would be retired in 2010 and replaced by a newer version Space telescope. While looking forward to more advanced instruments in orbit, astronomers worldwide have pleaded for the Hubble to be extended giving us two great eyes to probe the depths of space.

We have known for some time that the aging Shuttles need to be replaced with a more visionary and SAFER vehicle. While looking toward the Moon we must not forget that a vehicle with large cargo capacity capable of extended missions in orbit is essential to astronomers goals of maintaining a fleet of advanced orbiting observatories. If the present plans of the NASA administration stand unchallenged, it now appears there is a good possibility this great platform of exploration will be closed not only by the loss of the Hubble but also by failing to develop a new vehicle to launch and maintain new observatories in orbit.

I encourage you to call, write, email your representatives and let your voice be heard.

John Land

CONTACTING YOUR REPRESENTATIVE. You can find names and Addresses at www.house.gov www.senate.gov

HUBBLE SUPPORTERS FIGHT BACK

"A national icon should not be cut down without substantial public discussion...."

http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/article_1158_1.asp

YOUR VOICE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE ! !

HOW TO HELP HUBBLE

It now seems that an outcry by astronomers, the US Congress, and the public could force O'Keefe to reconsider -- and maybe even reverse -- his decision....

http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/article_1160_1.asp

 

 

There Once was a Sky Full of Stars

by Bob Crelin

NOTE: In order to get our order in for the March Meeting you need to pay me at the Feb meeting or contact me via email at membership@astrotulsa.com SUBJECT Book Sky full of Stars.

This is a wonderful children's book about the sky and light pollution. Written in bedtime story book style this wonderfully illustrated book would be an excellent gift to that special child in your life. Do you have a school or public Library nearby? Think about donating a copying in name of the Astronomy Club with our web address inside.

The book starts out " There once was a sky full of Stars, before lighting the roadways for cars. The worlds far away would come out to play, like Jupiter, Venus and Mars."

It goes on to describe some of the wonders of the night sky and then poses the question with a some kids looking up into a yellow dusky sky. " Where are these wonders, these beautiful sights? And why are they so hard to find?" From there its tells about light pollution, some of its affects on viewing and animals and ends with the kids putting up well-shielded lights and taking back the night.

I gave away several copies as Christmas presents but will have one at the January and February meetings. If you buy them from Sky & Telescope the cost is $12.95 plus $4.95 shipping. ( $5.00 of each book goes to the International Dark Sky Association.)

However if we make a group order I can have them available at the March meeting for $13.50 each. You can reserve your copies by contacting me at membership@astrotulsa.com or paying me at the January or February meeting. Contact John Land

 

 


DAVID'S ASTRO CORNER

By David Stine

" New Club Observing List, Review on Astronomy Software programs, Messier Marathon 2004, and Comet Linear T-7."

Recently I was browsing through the Astronomical Leagues Observing Clubs Certificate Awardees list and noticed several members from the club. I think these individuals should be noted and would like to list their names here. I am sure everyone knows about the Messier Club but that is just one of the many different clubs a person can get involved with and earn a certificate. This list is of March 2002, so there may be some names and clubs that get omitted if they received their certificates after that date, mainly Messier awardees. If you have earned a certificate recently please let me know and I will recognize you in a later Astro Corner. Who do you think was the first person in the club to receive their Messier Certificate? Don't cheat and look at the list, hint-produces our website.

Tulsa Astronomy Club Members - Past and Present.

Arp Pecular Galaxy Club

Certificate # 21V KC Lobrecht

Asteroid Gold Club

Certificate #15 Rod Gallagher

Binocular Messier Club

Certificate #145 Michael Hann
#528 KC Lobrecht
#543 Rod Gallagher

Caldwell Silver Club

Certificate #16 KC Lobrecht
#39 Gary Buckmaster

Deep Sky Binocular No Club Members yet!

Double Star Club

Certificate #159 Rod Gallagher
#186 KC Lobrecht
#206 Tom McDonough

Earth Orbiting Satellite No Club Members yet!

Galaxy Groups & Clusters No Club Members yet!

Herschell 400 Club

Certificate #143 KC Lobrecht

Herschell II

Certificate #10 KC Lobrecht

Lunar Club

Certificate #145 David Stine
#307 Rod Gallagher
#317 KC Lobrecht

Master - Ten Observing Clubs Accomplished

Certificate #17 KC Lobrecht

Messier Club

Certificate # 308 Tom McDonough
# 373 John Land
# 421 Steven Cohenor
# 422 Jere Iwata
# 423 Dale Lightfoot
# 581 Dennis Mishler
# 962 Don Cole
#1223 KC Lobrecht
#1399 Lynda Jones
#1443 Scott Parker
#1800 Phillip Jones
#2088 Brad Young
#2092 Gary Buckmaster

Meteor Club - No club members yet!

Southern Skys Binocular Club - No club members yet!

Sunspotters Club

Certificate # 69 Gary Buckmaster

Universe Sampler Club

Certificate # 47 Brad Young

Urban Club - No club members yet!

Please, if I left off someone let me know and I will recognize you at a later time. Congratulations to all. Members that are either working on observing clubs or have finished and are awaiting confirmation of their certificate are:

Rod Gallagher - Arp Galaxy Club and Urban Club

There are two new observing clubs that have been recently established the Sky Puppies Club, mainly for young astronomers and Constellation Hunter Club. The Constellation Club is one that we all can start working on. You have to make naked eye observations of all the constellations in the Northern Hemisphere or Southern Hemisphere and sketch each. Go for it KC, Brad, Gary, and Rod.

You can get all the information on any of the clubs and what you have to do to get a certificate at the Astronomical League website www.astroleague.org.

As Observing Chairman of the Astronomy Club of Tulsa, I have developed two observing clubs for our members, a summer/fall club and just recently a winter/spring club. When you achieve the objectives of each club you will also receive a special designed certificate. Three club members have achieved the Summer/Fall certificate: Certificate #1 Brad Young #2-Rod Gallagher #3- KC Lobrecht. I plan to have a nice log and picture description for the Winter/Spring club soon. For now here is the list and information for you to get started on:

1. Iota Trianguli RA-02h 12m DEC +30 18' Mg. 5.3/6.9 Stunning color-contrasted double star-Primary yellow star and secondary pale blue. Must see both.

2. Gamma Andromedae RA 02h 04m DEC +42 20' Mg. 2.3/5.5 Almach-One of the best double stars for small telescopes. Primary golden star and secondary greenish blue.

3. NGC 1365 RA 03h 34m DEC -36 08' Mg. 10.3 Best example of a barred spiral galaxy and is known as the Great Barred Spiral. Easily found in a 4-inch scope.

4. Van den Bergh 23 RA 03h 47m DEC +24 06' The reflection nebula embedded in the Pleiades star Alcyone. Must see the nebula not just Alcyone.

5. NGC 1435 RA 03h 46m DEC +23 47' The reflection nebula embedded in the Pleiades star Merope and known as Tempels Nebula. Must see the nebula not just Merope.

6. NGC 1952/M-1 RA 05h 35m DEC +22 01' Mg. 8.4 Famous Crab Nebula - Supernova remnant of explosion of star witnessed by Chinese astronomers in 1054.

7. NGC 2099/M-37 RA 05h 32m DEC +32 32' MG. 6.2 The best open star cluster in Auriga, contains about 170 bright stars.

8. NGC 1499 RA 04h 03m DEC +36 25' California Nebula -Best seen with nebula filter, low power and wide field eyepiece.

9. Trapezium in Orion RA 05h 35m DEC -05 23' MG. 7.9 Four young bright hot stars at Mg. 5.1,6.7,6.7, and 8.0. embedded in Orion nebula. Must see at least the 4 major stars. It takes at least a 15-inch scope to see the additional 11-16 stars that are embedded in the nebula. List any above the four you see.

10. Fish Mouth RA 05h 35m DEC -05 17' Dark patch lying between M42-M43.

11. Orion Triple Nebula NGC1973, NGC 1975, NGC 1977 Glowing Triangle of nebulosity consisting of three separate emission/reflection nebulas that appear to be connected. Must be able to distinguish between the three.

12. 8 Epsilon Monocerotis RA 06h 24m DEC +04 36' MG. 4.5 Triple Star system of yellow white to bluish white components. Must see all three stars.

13. Rosette Nebula NGC 2237/Star Cluster NGC 2244 RA 06h 30m DEC +05 03' Emission nebula very large with a star cluster embedded. Must see both and describe.

14. NGC 2264 RA 06h 41m DEC +09 54' Christmas Tree Star Cluster - Star cluster and nebula resembling its name. Cone Nebula, a black nebula intrudes into the southern end.

15. NGC 2362 RA 07h 19m DEC -24 57' MG 4.1 Tightly packed star cluster, one of the real gems of the sky for all scopes. The star 30 Tau Canis Majoris lies at the heart and seems to jump when viewed for a long time hence its name Mexican Jumping Star.

16. NGC 2440 RA 07h 42m DEC -18 13' Mg. 11.5 Planetary Nebula in Puppis. Look for its bluish color.

17. NGC 2438 RA 07h 42m DEC -14 44' Mg. 11.5 Planetary Nebula in M46

18. NGC 2360 RA 07h 18m DEC -15 39' Mg 7.2 Spilt Table Salt Star Cluster - Visible in binoculars, star cluster of 80 dim stars, resembles crystals of spilt table salt thus its name.

19. WASAT - 55 Delta Gemini RA 07h 20m DEC +21 59' Mg. 8.2 White star with red dwarf companion

20. NGC 2392 RA 07h 30m DEC +20 03' Mg. 8.3 Eskimo or Clown Nebula. Bright planetary nebula resembles clown or Eskimo face.

21. NGC 2682/M67 RA 08h 51m DEC +11 48' Mg. 7.5 One of the oldest star clusters 4-5 billion years old. Some 500 stars.

22. R Leonis RA 09h 48m DEC +11 26' Mg. 4.4 Red Giant Mira Type variable star, one of the earliest discovered

23. M65,M66,NGC3628 - The Leo Triplet Three galaxys within a telescopes view in Leo, must see all three and describe.

24. NGC 3031/M81 and NGC 3034/M82 Fine double contrasting galaxies in low power view of scope in Ursa Major.

25. NGC 4647, NGC4621/M59, NGC 4649/M60 All in a low power view. Three galaxys in Virgo. M60 one of the largest elliptical galaxies known, amazing 1 trillion suns.

26. NGC 4567 and NGC 4568 RA 12h 37m DEC +11 14' Mg. 11.7 Two interacting galaxys in Virgo that seem attached thus their name Siamese Twins

27. 3C273/Clark 331 RA 12h 29m DEC +02 02' Mg. 12.8 Brightest known Quasar and most distant object visible in an 8-inch scope, 2 and a half degrees southeast of M61.

28. NGC 4594/M104 RA 12h 40m DEC -11 37' Mg. 8.8 Sombrero Galaxy easily visible in a 3-inch scope. In larger scopes the tightly coiled spiral arms and dark lane resemble its name of the famous Mexican hat.

29. NGC 4361 RA 12h 25m DEC -18 46' Mg. 11 Planetary Nebula in Corvus.

30. NGC 4038, NGC 4039 RA 12h 02m Dec -18 52' Mg. 10.9 The Ring-Tail Galaxy-Two interacting galaxies

31. Must observe one comet or asteroid

32. Must observe 3 hours of meteors and log each with mg., shower member, time and description(color, train, etc.)

33. Must observe 3 planets and describe or sketch what you see.

34. Must observe 1 iridium flare, estimate its brightness, location in the sky and time.

35. Must observe ISS pass or other satellite, time its passage, mag. estimate and if not ISS name the satellite.

Be sure and log everything and turn in your observations to a club officer or me. As I said I hope to have available the official manual soon. Rod Gallagher has designed a nice observing log that will be available in the manual. Speaking of Rod, he has some very good points to make concerning purchasing planetarium programs. I have had several request and enquiries into what the best software is to buy. Rod has some very good suggestions:

1. First you need to determine if you only want the brighter stars and major objects or if you are a serious observer you will want the fainter stars and unlimited objects. This is one of the major differences between the less expensive programs and the more expensive ones.

2. Am I going to use this program for planning purposes before I observe or will I use this program as I observe. Printout of charts vs. on screen display is also a consideration. Many programs have a great visual display but their chart printing leaves a lot to be desired.

3. Am I going to use this program to control a computer controlled telescope or is it only going to be used for manual operation? Again, some programs are better in this regard than others.

4. Will I ever want to observe dynamically changing objects such as comets, asteroids, or satellites? Some programs are easily updated with information from the Internet, some programs are difficult to update or do not have this capability.

Here are some very good programs that I am aware of for your consideration:

Starry Night

Comes in 3 versions: Enthusiast, Pro, and Pro Plus. For a comparison, look here: http://www.starrynight.com/support/product_comparison/ The main difference is Enthusiast contains fewer stars, deep space objects and will not control telescopes. I have Starry Night Pro 3.1 and find that it is a good program for planning and has a good user interface that is easily learned. It does not easily support the automatic downloads of many objects (asteroids) and is not very useful for advanced observations. However, I recommend this program to a beginning to intermediate observer. You used to be able to download a 15 day trial version from their website for evaluation purposes. You might want to check this out.

The Sky

Comes in 4 versions, I,II,III and IV. For a comparison look here: http://www.bisque.com/Products/TheSky/TheSkyDetails.asp. Again the lower version contains fewer stars and objects. I have TheSky Version 5, Level IV. I really use this program more than any other because of its advanced features and program integration with CCD and telescope controls. With the software suite from Software Bisque you can automate many observing programs (asteroid searches, supernova searches, etc.). It has a large database available of celestial objects and is easily updated with dynamic objects (asteroids, comets, etc.) from the web. It is not as user friendly as Starry Night, but can do many more things. I would highly recommend this program for the advanced user.

Cartes du cie!

Although I do not have this program, it has been highly recommended by many people on the web. And the price is right, it's FREE. You might want to check it out. http://www.Stargazing.net/astropc/

I would also like to throw in my two cents with Rods review and add another good program for Comet Observation is MegaStar, a windows based star chart/comet plotter. This program will allow you to plot the correct size of the comet based on recent coma diameter estimates, determine magnitude parameters, plot the expected direction of the ion tail, update the most recent orbital elements directly through the internet and determine the visibility of a comet near the horizon in various instruments. This is a big plus as most comets are near the horizon as they become brighter. More information on MegaStar can be obtained at http://www.willbell.com/software/megastar/index.htm.

Now everyone can go out and buy their program that will work for them. Thanks Rod for the information.

The TUVA Astronomy Club has announced the dates of this years Messier Marathon for Saturday night March 20 and Sunday morning the 21st. This is always a highlight event for the year and is attended by many Astronomy Club of Tulsa members. Each year hosts Ron and Maura Wood open up their residence and wide open spaces to anyone wanting to try their luck at seeing all 110 Messier objects from dusk to dawn. It is a great experience for all that attends. This year is an added bonus as all nine planets may be visible during the session, so an added Planet Marathon will be added. During the first marathon back in the 90's, I found 97 objects and Ron claimed me as the Messier Marathon winner. Now it has become a tradition for whoever finds the most objects during the marathon to be declared the winner and have his or her name engraved on the now David Stine Messier Marathon Award Plaque. Last years winner was Rod Gallagher who found 104 objects. There is plenty of room to camp out and facilities to keep you warm when you take breaks during the night of observing. Bring warm clothes though as it can get very cold as it did last year, and plenty of snacks for yourself and everyone. It's only about a 30-45 minute drive from Tulsa depending on your location. I always get there early to visit and set up my equipment, so if you meet me at 91st/Memorial at the Homeland there you are welcome to follow me. We will be meeting at 3p.m., so be at the Homeland lot no later than 3p.m. I will have directions and more detail on the event in next month's newsletter. So mark your calendars for a great evening of observing March 20. You can also go to the Messier Marathon site http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/marathonresults.html#mm2003 and TUVA Club site http://tuvaclub.org/ and read about last years marathon experience at the TUVA Observatory.

Comet C/2002 T7 (Linear) is reaching near naked eye brightness, however we don't have too much time left to view the comet as it gets lower each evening until late March when it will be too near the horizon to view. As of January 26th the comet was reported at 7.2 Mg. which is a little brighter than predicted for this time. In a dark location it is an easy object in 10x50 binoculars, traveling between Pices and Pegasus. It has shown a smooth and steady rise in brightness. The coma size has averaged 10 minutes in size from reports in January. The tail has developed nicely and at times sports several tails when imaged. The comet is now predicted to reach no worse than 1st mg. and possibly as bright as 0 mg. or brighter in the spring in May. However at that time it will be in the southern hemisphere and won't be visible here. During the period between Feb. 5th and the 10th, it will be passing very near the corner star, Gamma Pegasus in the square of Pegasus. It will be visible from dusk till it sets around 10p.m. By the Messier Marathon the comet will be setting by 7p.m. so it will be a difficult if not impossible target at that time. After that time it won't be viewable in the northern hemisphere until the first part of June where it may still be naked eye at 5.5 Mg. Now is the time to observe this interesting comet. The internet site of Heavens Above now has added the comet to their list of objects and you can get a location chart daily at this site: http://www.heavens-above.com/main.asp?Loc=Tulsa&Lat=36.154&Lng=95.993&TZ=CST.

If you have not been receiving my Astro Alerts be sure and send me your e-mail address to dstine@exposquare.com.

That's it from my corner this month, don't forget to print out the winter/fall observing list and start observing and to mark your calendar for March 20 for the Messier Marathon.

 

http://www.AstroTulsa.com


 

 


Astroland Tidbits

by John Land

Illuminated Telerad Star Chart guide Occassionally I get emails sent to the club about astronomy products. This one seemed like a product some club members would like. -- What if you lost the plastic overlay that came with your atlas? That's were the Telguide comes in. The Telguide is an illuminated overlay for use with all versions of the SkyAtlas 2000 and Uranometria 2000, other atlases are available on request. Simply find the object you want to view on your sky chart, place the Telguide over it and line up your Telrad to match the view. The Telguide can also be ordered for use with the Rigel Quick Finder. To purchase a Telguide, please visit thier web site at www.actonastro.com 10% Discount on Sky & Telescope products - If you are a Sky & Telescope subscriber you simply have to give them your subscription number and information on the shipping label to qualify for the 10% discount. See details in their catalog or online. I have preordered a couple of extra copies of the new children's book "There Once was a Sky Full of Stars" You can preview it at the meeting. This would make an excellent gift to a library or school near you. See expanded Explanation in this letter.

Welcome to our new members. Adam Brennan, Robert Frommel, Justin Guerrero, Maurice Terry

TIME for MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS and MAGAZINE RENEWALS - See information below about sending in your renewals or bring them to the Friday Feb 9th meeting.

ON LINE REGISTRATION - We now have an automated on line registration form on the website for new AND renewal memberships plus magazine subscriptions. You simply type in your information and hit send to submit the information. You can then print a copy of the form and mail in your check. At this time we do not have an option for credit card payment but may explore that at a later time. http://www.astrotulsa.com/Club/join.asp

EMAIL NEWSLETTER vs POSTAL PRINTED NEWSLETTER In order to save postage and printing expenses and keep annual club dues low, The 100 plus members who have email will receive notice when each month's newsletter is posted on the web. If you prefer to also receive a printed postal newsletter make a request at membership@astrotulsa.com Email subscribers I will begin sending out notices on expiring memberships so you can stay current.

Magazine Subscriptions: You can get substantial discounts for Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazine by ordering thorough the Astronomy Club. If your magazines are coming up for renewal, try to save the mailing label or renewal form you get in the mail. Do NOT mail renewals back to the magazine!

To get the club discount you must go through the club group rate.

Sky & Telescope is $33 / yr www.skyandtelescope.com

Astronomy is $29 for 1 year or $55 for 2 years. www.astronomy.com

If you cannot attend the TU meetings mail your orders with check to Astronomy Club of Tulsa to the address below.

Club Memberships and Renewals:

If you see errors or make any changes in your address or E-mail please keep us informed.

Contact John Land membership@astrotulsa.com or by mail to the address below

You may make Renewals and changes at any club meeting or mail a check to

Astronomy Club of Tulsa
25209 E 62nd St
Broken Arrow, OK 74014

Note: Sending your check to the club mailbox may delay processing several weeks.

Club memberships are $25 per year for adults and $15 per year for students.

Online registration automated form is found at http://www.astrotulsa.com/Club/join.asp or you may pick up a membership form at any of our club events. You may forward questions to the club by email membership@astrotulsa.com or call our message line at 918-688-MARS ( 6277 )

Please leave a clear message with your name, phone number, your question - along with address or email Please make email subject lines address your question.

Address corrections: Every month we get several newsletters returned due to faulty addresses. Check your address label to see if it needs changes and send us an address change if you move. Also on your mailing address label you will see the month that your membership dues expire. Email subscribers I will begin sending out notices on expiring memberships.

Email Addresses - Sign UP to get the latest Astro Alerts from David Stine and other events that take place during the month. If you have not been receiving these we do not have a valid email address for you. If you would like to added to our email list send us your NAME - and Email address with subject - “Astronomy Club email list” to membership@astrotulsa.com

 

 

Astronomy Club of Tulsa, 918.688.MARS

President: Craig Davis, 918.252.1781

Vice President: Ruth Simmons, 918.488.8993

Treasurer: John Land, 918.357.1759

Secretary: Jim Miller, 918.627.4551

RMCC Observatory Manager: Gerry Andries, 918.369.3320

RMCC Facility Manager: Craig Davis, 918.252.1781

Observing Chairman: David Stine, 918.834.1310

Web Master: Tom McDonough, 918.665.1853

New Membership: Dennis Mishler, 918.274.4772

Newsletter: Richie Shroff, 918.835.3565