Fostering the science and art of astronomy through programs that serve our membership and the community. Founded in 1955, Houston Astronomical Society is an active community of enthusiastic amateur and professional astronomers with over 70 years of history in the Houston area. Through education and outreach, our programs promote science literacy and astronomy awareness. We meet via Zoom the first Friday of each month for the General Membership Meeting and the first Thursday of the month for the Novice Meeting. Membership has a variety of benefits, including access to a secure dark site west of Houston, special interest groups that focus on particular areas of astronomy, an active community outreach program, and much more. Joining is simple.
“Observing Jupiter and Saturn”
By: Chris Morisette
Saturn and Jupiter enter into opposition on September 7th and December 7th respectively. To prepare for these events Chris Morisette will present “Observing Jupiter and Saturn”. In this talk Chris will discuss tools and techniques for observing these beautiful planets and will delve into key facets of each planet, including the various moons that orbit these gas giants.
To see the video, click Observing Jupiter and Saturn.
Exoplanet Atmospheres with JWST
By: Dr. Caroline Morley
JWST has been operating for two years, and the science results it has returned so far are truly amazing! Consider its impact on exoplanet science. We stand at an incredible time in exoplanet science, as we begin to characterize worlds outside the solar system in great detail.
The exquisite capabilities of JWST allow us to see the atmospheres of planets from super-Jupiters to sub-Neptunes to Earths. Dr. Morely will highlight some of the most exciting results from the first two years of JWST science for exoplanets. She will also discuss in more detail, two aspects of exoplanet atmosphere science as it stands in mid-2024.
The first is our path to observing true Jupiter analogs, which takes us through observations of the coldest brown dwarfs and directly-imaged planets. Dr. Morely will highlight some discoveries from the first cycle of JWST observations of cold brown dwarfs, including detections of deuterium and possible aurorae.
Next, Dr. Morely will discuss how atmosphere loss may be sculpting the atmospheres of small planets, with huge implications for the next five years of studying Earth-sized planets with JWST. She let us know where she thinks the next 10 years of exoplanet atmosphere science will take us, so we may understand the breadth of data delivered to astronomers inboxes each week.
To see the video, click Exoplanet Atmospheres with JWST.
Have you ever built a magnetometer? The Astronomical League has an award in its Observing Programs called:
Solar Maximum Observing Challenge. (deadline for submission is April 30, 2025)
This Challenge is to experience the Solar Maximum.
Go to the Astronomical League website and scroll down to Number 11.
https://www.astroleague.org/al-observing-challenge-special-observing-award/
Here you will find the complete description. For you DIY builders, here is some information:
Build a soda bottle magnetometer.
Use that magnetometer to detect variations in the Earth’s Magnetic Field.
Complete the program and receive a certificate.
Happy Observing!
“Meteor Observing and Photography”
By: Will Sager
On a warm late summer night under the stars, you see a bright streak speed across the sky. A meteor! You know that this brief flicker was just a piece of space dust burning up upon hitting the atmosphere. But it is an immediate and exciting show just for you. You want more. Maybe you also heard that the annual Perseid meteor shower is coming.
Few things in astronomy are as immediate and enjoyable as watching a bright Perseid fly down the Milky Way. Perhaps you want to watch some meteors yourself. How do you watch a meteor shower? Perhaps you want to make observations to help meteor astronomers understand this phenomenon. Maybe you want to take a picture of a meteor.
Our speaker will talk about meteors, meteor showers, and how to observe and photograph them.
To see the video, click Meteor Observing and Photography.
"Mediocre (almost successful) Astrophotography"
By: Bill Spizzirri
Bill Spizzirri is NOT an astrophotographer but in the 80's and 90's he made two attempts of what were, for him, very ambitious attempts at capturing celestial events that sort of worked: a total lunar eclipse and the impact of comet Shoemaker/Levy-9 into Jupiter. While you may not pick up any pointers on current equipment and techniques, Bill hopes to show you how good you have it these days and give you a few laughs at what happened and how they came out.
To see the video, click Mediocre (almost successful) Astrophotography.
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End Twilight: 09:39 P.M.
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