Super Moon 2016 at Mineola Nature Preserve

The Full Super Moon rising in the East at Mineola Nature Preserve on Nov. 13th and 14th. It was clear on the 13th so the first shot is the Moon over the tree line. The 14th had a cloud bank to the East which made it impractical to adjust the camera settings. Finally about 7pm the moon rose over the clouds to show it's detail.

Star Gazing at Mineola Nature Preserve Fri., Oct. 21th

The Mineola Nature Preserve with the Astronomical Society of East Texas will present a STAR GAZING at the Mineola Nature Preserve on Friday, May 26th. This is a free program and everyone is invited. The activity begins a little before 9 PM and will end about 11 PM. The location will be the amphitheater next to the pavilion. The program is a group exercise in identifying objects in the night sky that can be seen with binoculars or the naked eye (Naked eye astronomy). The International Space Station will do a flyover about 8:45pm. This is a weather permitting program. In the event of inclement weather or cloud cover, the program will be postponed or cancelled. A “CANCELLED” notice will be posted in the “Calendar” page of the Society’s website: www.asetexas.org/calendar on the date, on the Society’s Face Book page, a sign will be posted at the Preserve entrance and an announcement will be aired by radio station KMOO 99.9FM Mineola by about 5pm. A makeup date may be posted also. Please keep an eye on the weather and dress appropriately for it. We have had significant amounts of rain lately, so wear clothing to ward off the mosquitoes. If you bring mosquito repellant, do not bring aerosols; use wipes instead. For more information on this event and the Society, contact us at info@asetexas.com or text to 903-805-9902.

NatureFest Star Party at Mineola Nature Preserve

The Astronomical Society of East Texas will sponsor a telescope star party at NatureFest at the Mineola Nature Preserve on Friday, September 30th. Solar viewing will begin at 5pm and night sky viewing will begin at twilight. If in the event of cloudy weather the event will be postponed until Saturday night, October 1 with the same time schedule. Due to recent weather, hot and wet, please wear mosquito proof clothing and use towelette mosquito repellent. Please no spray repellent. Postponement or cancellation will be posted on the Society's Face book page. Postponement and Cancellation will be posted on the Society's Face Book

page.

Perseid Meteor Shower Friday Morning Early!

Thursday night , the 11th and Friday morning , August 12 will be one of the greatest meteor showers of the year. The evening of the 11th will not be so good because a near full moon is wash out the sky with light and the weather forecast is partly cloudy with a 30% chance of rain. If you area is free of a pm rain shower or thunderstorms, you may be able to see and photo some of the Perseids from 2am to before 5am (astro. twilight). Remember there will meteors that show that don't radiate from between the constellations Perseus and his mother-in-law Cassiopeia. Look slightly East of North. Now despite this, NASA says that it will be very good show this year because the Earth will pass through at least three streams of the debris near the middle of the debris field instead of the edge., so the number of meteors per hour may double. I may be worth the loss of sleep. I ran across this article on the history and techniques of observing and photography this meteors shower. You may be able to get something from it. If you can't see them then you can see them via computer. KEEP LOOKING UP!!! Paul Join Slooh for the Best Meteor Shower of 2016 Explore the Myth and Wonder of the Perseids Meteor Shower On Thursday, August 11th, at 5:00 PM PDT / 8:00 PM EDT / 00:00 UTC (International Times: http://bit.ly/2b7BV9V), Slooh will host a special 4-hour long broadcast viewing the meteors live as they streak across the sky in four different countries, thanks to our global network of partners. Those live streams will come from Slooh’s observatory in the Canary Islands, Slooh HQ in Washington, CT, and our feed partners in the United Kingdom, and Thunder Bay, Canada. Then, on Friday, Slooh will present extended coverage of the Perseids starting at 9 AM EDT, courtesy of Weathernews Japan. The Perseids is a favorite of many stargazers because it shows more bright meteors than most showers, usually about 50-60 per hour. In addition to our live streams, Slooh’s 5-hour broadcast will give viewers everything they need to watch and enjoy the shower, including information on the best ways to watch, where to look, and what they should bring along with them on their meteor shower journey. If that’s not enough, Slooh Astronomers, Eric Edelman and Bob Berman, will explain all you need to know about meteor showers, and even tell the amazing discovery story of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the comet responsible for the slew of falling stars this time of year. Plus, viewers will get a unique opportunity to learn about capturing amazing meteor shower photography with a standard DSLR camera, and how they can hear these streaking bits of space debris, even when they can’t see them. And for the historically inclined, we’ll also feature segments telling the harrowing myth of the Greek hero Perseus, from his adventures fighting the Gorgon, Medusa, to his daring rescue of the Princess Andromeda. “With Decembers Geminids spoiled by a full moon, these Perseids will be the best shower of 2016,” says Bob Berman. “Add to that the juicy peril of its parent comet, Swift-Tuttle, the most hazardous object in the known universe, and you have all the ingredients for a 4 star spectacle.” The Perseids are visible in most of the Northern Hemisphere, and even some of the Southern hemisphere, and have been viewed by civilizations stretching back millennia. In medieval Europe, the Perseids were called the “Tears of St. Lawrence” because they occur near the anniversary of the death of Laurentius, a Christian deacon who was martyred by the Roman Emperor Valerian in the year 258 A.D. The first recorded observation of the Perseids was by Chinese astronomers in 36 A.D., making it an event that perfectly sums up humanity’s need to gaze at the stars and wonder at the heavens, even to this day. Viewers can join in the meteor watching fun by sending their questions, and their own meteor observations to @Slooh on Twitter, or by using the live chat on Slooh.com. Event Time Announcer - Perseids Meteor Shower on Slooh Event Time Announcer shows time for Perseids Meteor Shower on Slooh in locations all over the world. In UTC it happens on Midnight between Thursday,… timeanddate.com

Stargazing at Mineola Nature Preserve Wed.,Aug. 3

The Mineola Nature Preserve

will present a STARGAZING at the Mineola Nature Preserve on Wednesday, August 3th. This is a free program and everyone is invited. The activity begins about 9 PM and will end about 11PM. The location will be the amphitheater next to the pavilion. The program is a group exercise in identifying objects in the night sky that can be seen with binoculars or the naked eye (Naked Eye Astronomy). This is a weather permitting program. In the event of inclement weather or cloud cover, the program will be cancelled. A “CANCELLED” notice will be posted in the “Calendar” page of the Society’s website: www.asetexas.org/calendar on the date, a sign will be posted at the Preserve entrance and an announcement will be aired by radio station KMOO 99.9 Mineola by about 5pm. Please keep an eye on the weather and dress appropriately for it. We have had significant amounts of rain lately, so wear clothing to ward off the mosquitoes. If you bring mosquito repellent, do not bring aerosols; use wipes instead. For more information on this event and the Society, contact us at info@asetexas.com or text to 903-520-7338.

Mercury Transit of The Sun

Mercury will make a rare transit of the Sun's disc on Monday, May 9 beginning at about 6am and will conclude about 2pm. WARNING!!!!! IT IS DANGEROUS TO OBSERVE THIS EVENT WITHOUT EYE PROTECTION!!! EYE DAMAGE OR BLINDNESS COULD OCCUR. A viewing of this event will be held at Tyler Junior College's Center for Earth and Space Science Education from 9am to Noon on Monday weather permitting.

Star Gazing at the Mineola Nature Preserve

The Mineola Nature Preserve will present a STAR GAZING at the Mineola Nature Preserve on Friday, May 6th. This is a free program and everyone is invited. The activity begins a little before 10 PM and will end about 11PM. The location will be the amphitheater next to the pavilion. The program is a group exercise in identifying objects in the night sky that can be seen with binoculars or the naked eye (Naked Eye Astronomy). This is a weather permitting program. In the event of inclement weather or cloud cover, the program will be cancelled. A “CANCELLED” notice will be posted in the “Calendar” page of the Astronomical Society of East Texas website: www.asetexas.org/calendar on the date, a sign will be posted at the Preserve entrance and an announcement will be aired by radio station KMOO 99.9 Mineola by about 5pm. Please keep an eye on the weather and dress appropriately for it. We have had significant amounts of rain lately, so wear clothing to ward off the mosquitoes. If you bring mosquito repellant, do not bring aerosols; use wipes instead. For more information on this event and the Society, contact us at info@asetexas.com or text to 903-520-7338.

APRIL 9 CESSE STAR PARTY CANCELLED

THE PLANETARIUM PROGRAM WILL GO ON AS ANNOUNCED. THE OUTSIDE VIEWING IS WASHED DUE TO CLOUDY SKIES.

International Dark Sky Week April 4th- 10th

School Night for Astronomy 2016

Wayne Smith, Cristo Sanchez and I, with help from Billy Fort of Longview and Bob Sanford of Tyler had 21 students and 8 Adult as this year's School Night for Astronomy at the Mineola Nature Preserve last Saturday night. We had a brilliant Iridium Flare light up the sky. Pictures by Johnny Taylor. While at the event Johnny Taylor did so solar photography with his solar filter on his camera. He captured the image of the jet transit the Sun's disk. He said, "It may be the luckiest picture he has ever taken."

All Visible Planets Together at One Time

All five (5) of the naked eye planets are visible in the same area of the sky at the same time. About an hour or so before Sunrise they all can be seen in a line from East to the Southeast. Look at the diagram included.