TAS Virtual General Meeting on Zoom
Friday, October 23, 2020 @ 7:30 pm

Guest Speaker Presentation:

David J. Eicher
Author of GALAXIES: Inside the Universe’s Star Cities

Abstract: GALAXIES: Inside the Universe’s Star Cities will explore the incredible advances astronomers have made with understanding the origin, evolution, and fate of the basic systems of stars and gas in the cosmos. This illustrated talk will explore the discovery of the nature of galaxies, the cosmic distance scale, the Local Group, distant galaxies, and important advances in understanding active galaxies, interacting galaxies, and black holes.

David J. Eicher

David Eicher is one of the most widely recognized astronomy enthusiasts in the world. He has been with Astronomy magazine for 36 years, beginning as an assistant editor and working through associate, senior, and managing positions. He has been the magazine’s chief editor since 2002.

Dave has spoken widely to amateur astronomy groups, logged many hundreds of hours at the eyepiece, and written 15 books on astronomy. Among them are GALAXIES: Inside the Universe’s Star Cities (Penguin Random House); MISSION MOON 3-D (with Brian May, London Stereoscopic Co. and MIT Press), and THE NEW COSMOS: Answering Astronomy’s Big Questions (Cambridge University Press).

Dave has also written 9 books on American history, including THE LONGEST NIGHT: A Military History of the Civil War (Simon and Schuster), DIXIE BETRAYED: How the South Really Lost the Civil War (Little, Brown), and CIVIL WAR HIGH COMMANDS (with John H. Eicher, Stanford University Press).

He has spoken to many science and business groups around the world, including locations with his collaborator Brian May, and at Harvard University, the Starmus Festival, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

A native of Oxford, Ohio, Dave grew up around Miami University, where his father was a professor of organic chemistry. Rather than turning to chemistry, however, Dave was attracted to the stars as a 14-year-old when he spotted Saturn through a small telescope at a star party. Comet West really turned him on to observing, and Dave soon went far beyond to explore clusters, nebulae, and galaxies from his dark backyard — he soon was hooked on viewing deep-sky objects.

In 1977, Dave founded and began editing the magazine Deep Sky Monthly. Five years later, the publication moved with Dave to Milwaukee, turned quarterly, and was renamed Deep Sky, which was issued regularly until 1992. In addition to his book writing, Dave has written or edited hundreds of articles on all facets of astronomy, science and hobby. In 1990, the International Astronomical Union named a minor planet, 3617 Eicher, for Dave in recognition of his service to astronomy.

Dave was president of the Astronomy Foundation, the telescope industry and astronomy outreach group, from 2011–2017.

Dave has appeared on CNN, CNN Headline News, MSNBC, Fox News Channel, National Public Radio, and other media outlets to promote the science and hobby of astronomy. He has written planetarium shows for Adler Planetarium in Chicago and film scripts for NASA.

Dave is also enthusiastically interested in minerals and meteorites and has a collection of more than 1,500 specimens representing Earth and a smattering of asteroids in this branch of planetary science.

An accomplished rock and blues drummer, Dave enjoys jamming with his colleagues at Kalmbach Publishing Co., and the focus is on blues and blues-rock, centering on the styles of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, the Allman Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and others. Dave is also a big fan of the Green Bay Packers, and during the football season, you will often find him in Lambeau Field.

He lives in Waukesha Township, Wisconsin, near Big Bend, with his wife, Lynda, a schoolteacher. His son Chris is a journalist and videographer.

TAS General Meeting Agenda
Online Virtual Meeting via ZOOM

The October General Meeting of the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas will be an online virtual meeting via ZOOM. The meeting will begin at 7:30 pm. CDT. Members in good standing of Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas will receive an email notification containing information about how to join the virtual meeting.

Meeting Agenda

7:00pm	Zoom open for Q&A
7:30pm	Meeting called to order Opening remarks from the President Guest Speaker Introduction by Vice President Guest Speaker Presentation
8:45pm	Break
9:00pm	TAS Business Meeting
9:30pm	Constellation of the Month
10:00pm	Adjourn to BAMSIG

UTD Campus Map

President's Corner
October, 2020

The club elections were held virtually at the September General Meeting via Zoom. Please join me in thanking the outgoing Officers and Directors and welcoming our new Board Members. Several TAS members who have not previously served on the board stepped up to fill positions this year, and I thank them for their willingness to serve. I look forward to another year of enjoying astronomy with fellow TAS members.

Your Officers include:

President: Dodie Reagan
Vice President: Tammy Onufreiczuk
Secretary: Nathan Day
Treasurer: Daniela Grushevska

Your Directors include:

John Wagoner
Matt Cooper
Lloyd Lashbrook
Grady Muldrow
Clayton Fitchett
Lint LaCour

Please join me in thanking the previous board for their service. Gary Carter served as President, Frank Castanho served as Secretary, Dennis Wardell served as Treasurer, and Carlton Crothers served as a director at large. The accomplishments of our club under the leadership of President Emeritus Gary Carter are impressive. The Covid-19 Pandemic presented the club with unprecedented challenges, but Gary led the board and the club to continue our monthly board meetings and general meetings virtually. Volunteers found ways to continue work on the bunkhouse project and brought it to near-completion. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.

Going forward, we have a list of objectives to consider and to accomplish in the coming year. These include finalizing the bunkhouse finish-out, raising capital for bunks for the bunkhouse, updates to the TAS website, repairs to electrical outlets at Atoka, additional painting at Atoka, and other projects. If you have questions, ideas, or requests please contact a board member. TAS depends on volunteer members. Please consider volunteering for one of the above positions next year and for assisting with projects throughout the year as we call for volunteers.

As we move into the autumn season, Atoka continues to be open seven days a week with specific guidance as previously reported in the Spectrum. Before heading to Atoka, please remember to go to the Membership Portal on texasastro.org to read the Conditional Reopening Guidelines, sign the Dark Site Liability Release, and obtain the current gate code. Also remember to use mosquito protection whether you are at Atoka or in your backyard. Our hobby takes us outdoors a great deal, and we should always take precautions to stay safe. By following these guidelines, we can safely enjoy the dark skies of Atoka together.

We have a truly special speaker scheduled for the October 23rd General Meeting. David Eicher, Editor of Astronomy Magazine and author of the recently published GALAXIES: Inside the Universe's Star Cities will join us on Zoom.

Until we can meet again in person, I hope to see you on Zoom at the General Meetings!

Clear Skies,

Dodie Reagan
President, The Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas

TAS Short Sleeve Logo T-shirts

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Three column web layout courtesy of Matthew James Taylor

Sun, Moon, and Tonight's Sky

Richardson, TX (times in CDT): Sunrise today: 7:39am Sunset today: 6:44pm Moonrise today: 3:31pm Moonset today: 1:07am 54% of moon illuminated
Current Phase	Phase Calendar
Courtesy USNO
	October		November
		1st		8th
		10th		15th
		16th		22nd
		23rd		30th
		31st

Tonight's Sky:

Click the above image for a chart. Popup blockers must be disabled. Chart courtesy of Fourmilab Switzerland.

Major Planets and Moon Charts

Bright Minor Planet Charts

Observable Comet Charts
Magnitudes observed within the last 5 days:

***** :	brighter than 5.0
**** :	5.0 to 8.9
*** :	9.0 to 13.9
** :	14.0 to 17.9
* :	18.0+
(no stars) :	no recent observations

Minor planet and comet lists, and corresponding orbital elements, are courtesy of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Charts courtesy of Fourmilab Switzerland

Special Interest Groups

APSIG (Astrophotography Special Interest Group) is sponsored by the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas, Texas.

APSIG meets once a month to share information and learn more about the art and science of Astrophotography -- taking photographs of objects in the night sky such as planets, galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. Imaging these celestial objects requires special techniques and equipment, but are attainable by anyone willing to point their camera skyward. Come learn how! For more information on APSIG just follow this link...

ObSIG (Observing Special Interest Group) is sponsored by the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas, Texas. ObSIG meets once a month to promote astronomical observing with telescopes, binoculars, and naked eye. We are also here to help new comers to the hobby of amateur astronomy to get started, learn the sky, and get help picking out the right equipment. For more information on ObSIG, follow this link.

Our meetings are held online via ZOOM, on the third Wednesday of each month. All ObSIG meetings start at 7:00.

ObSIG Meeting Schedule

July 22, 2020
August 19, 2020
September 16, 2020
October 21, 2020
November 18, 2020
December we will not meet due to the busy holiday season.

If you would like to attend an online ObSIG meeting, send an e-Mail to:

Lloyd Lashbrook
Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas
lblashbro@verizon.net

ATMSIG (Amateur Telescope Makers Special Interest Group) is sponsored by the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas, Texas.

The ATMSIG meets every other month to explore the design, construction and adjustment of both do it yourself and professionally built telescopes. Anyone interested in building their first scope will find this group a big help in finding the best place to start. You don’t need to have a well equipped workshop, just a few simple tools and an interest in building or modifying it yourself. The ATMSIG is a wonderful place to see projects built locally by TAS members and to share new ideas for the future! For more information, just follow this link...

Please Note: ATMSIG is currently inactive.

Clear Sky Clocks

Dallas, TX:

Atoka, OK:

Comanche Springs, TX (Home of 3RF):

Click an image for a complete sky condition forecast.

Clocks courtesy of ClearDarkSky.com

Facebook

Please visit our Facebook Club Page.

TAS In Action

Donate to TAS

Atoka Weather Station

Click Here

TAS Recurring Star Parties

TAS holds 4 regular monthly Star Parties where our members get together to observe and educate about the night sky. Come join us to look at planets, stars, and other celestial wonders. The monthly Star Party schedule is as follows:

StarGeezer's Star Party: Spring Park in Garland; Next event date is Saturday November 7th.
Frisco Starfest: Frisco Commons Park in Frisco; Next event date is Saturday November 14th.
Cedar Hill Starbolt: JW Williams Park in Cedar Hill; Next event date is Saturday November 21st.
Stars on the Rock: The Shores Park in Rockwall (New Location); Next event date is Saturday October 24th.

Our full schedule of activities is on our calendar. Please come out and join us or volunteer at one of our events.

Please call the Public Observing Hot Line at 214-800-6000 for the latest cancellation information.

Member Resources

Visit the members' discussion forum to discuss astro-type stuff with fellow TAS members.

Visit the Members Only section for access to:

Revised TAS bylaws
Order a custom TAS member badge online
The Current Month's Spectrum
A new area for presentations by speakers
TAS Member Telescope User's Guide

Constellation of the Month: October: Cassiopeia and Cepheus

Check out our Telescope Buying Guide ,Telescope Mount Buying Guide, and Star Charts for beginners. These can also be found under the "Features" section of the Main Menu.

Visit our Deep Sky and Solar System Galleries and see the work of our world-class astro-imagers!

We invite you to further explore our website for more information and hope you consider becoming a member of our Society. TAS is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, donations to which would be tax deductable for U.S. taxpayers under IRS rules. Donations may be given by using our secure PayPal site and indicating "donation" on the form.

Thank you for your gracious support of the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas.

Guest Speaker Presentation:

David J. Eicher
Author of GALAXIES: Inside the Universe’s Star Cities

David J. Eicher

Meeting Agenda

Navy Short Sleeve T-Shirts with Printed White Logo

$15 Each
Plus $4.00 Shipping & Handling

Sizes: S, M. L, XL, XXL

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Contact Us

TAS is a member of
The Astronomical League,
The World's Largest Federation of Amateur Astronomers

TAS is a member of
The International Dark Sky Association

Guest Speaker Presentation:

David J. Eicher Author of GALAXIES: Inside the Universe’s Star Cities

David J. Eicher

Meeting Agenda

Navy Short Sleeve T-Shirts with Printed White Logo

$15 Each Plus $4.00 Shipping & Handling

Sizes: S, M. L, XL, XXL

Click Here to Order - Online Sales ONLY!

Contact Us

TAS is a member of The Astronomical League,The World's Largest Federation of Amateur Astronomers

TAS is a member of The International Dark Sky Association

David J. Eicher
Author of GALAXIES: Inside the Universe’s Star Cities

$15 Each
Plus $4.00 Shipping & Handling

TAS is a member of
The Astronomical League,
The World's Largest Federation of Amateur Astronomers

TAS is a member of
The International Dark Sky Association