TAS Virtual General Meeting on Zoom
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How to Attend the TAS Virtual General Meeting on Zoom
Friday, July 23, 2021 @ 7:30 pm CDT
The General Meeting of the Texas Astronomical Society is held on the fourth Friday of each month, except November. No meeting is held in December.
Members in good standing of the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas will receive an email notification containing information about how to join the virtual meeting.
7:00pm | Zoom open for Q&A |
7:30pm | Meeting called to order Opening remarks from the President Speaker Introduction by Vice President Speaker Presentation |
8:45pm | Break |
9:00pm | TAS Business Meeting |
9:30pm | Constellation of the Month |
10:00pm | Adjourn to BAMSIG |
TAS MEMBERS: TAS sends out ZOOM meeting notifications and links via Constant Contact. If you are not receiving our e-mail:
President's Letter - July 2021
Dear Fellow TAS Members,
I hope you were able to join the June TAS General Meeting on Zoom. We were treated to a presentation by Emily Levesque, and she both educated and entertained us. Her presentation covered some of the highlights from her book, The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers. If you missed it, you can log on to the Membership Portal on www.texasastro.org and access the recording.
Atoka is open for use, with the exception of the bunkhouses and the observatory. The learning center, the outhouse, and the shed are all open for use. We still have some minor work to complete in the new bunkhouse, and because of the small space inside the observatory, we will wait a while before doing any more training on the scope in the dome.
The gate code at Atoka has recently been changed, so be sure to register your visit on the Membership Portal of the website before going.
You can make a donation to the Bunks Project to purchase bunks for the new bunkhouse. Go to the website and click on “Donate” and email the treasurer to specify what your donation is for.
The board is working on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and it will be presented to the membership at the July General Meeting. We are including expected expenditures for electrical work at the Atoka dark site as well as other maintenance issues.
We’re also approaching the annual election of the TAS board of directors. At this writing the nominating committee still needs one or two candidates for directors. If you are interested in serving on the board, please email me at president@texasastro.org.
See you at the next General Meeting on Zoom, Friday, July 23rd at 7:30 pm.
Thank You and Clear Skies!
Dodie Reagan
President
Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas
TAS Short Sleeve Logo T-shirts
Three column web layout courtesy of Matthew James Taylor
Sun, Moon, and Tonight's Sky
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(times in CDT): Sunrise today: 6:43am Sunset today: 8:24pm Moonrise today: 3:45am Moonset today: 6:40pm 12% of moon illuminated |
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Current Phase
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Phase Calendar
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Courtesy USNO |
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Click the above image for a chart. Popup blockers must be disabled. Chart courtesy of Fourmilab Switzerland. |
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| Major Planets and Moon Charts |
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Bright Minor Planet Charts Observable Comet Charts Magnitudes observed within the last 5 days:
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
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.
TAS In Action
Donate to TAS
Atoka Weather Station
TAS Recurring Star Parties
Please call the Public Observing Hot Line for the latest star party information and any notices of cancellations.
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:
Our full schedule of activities is on our calendar. Please come out and join us or volunteer at one of our events.
Member Resources
Visit the members' discussion forum to discuss astro-type stuff with fellow TAS members.
Visit the Members Only section for access to:
Constellation of the Month: August: 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.
About the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas
Our annual membership dues are very reasonable and can be paid on-line using the PayPal link listed below. Membership is open to anyone having an interest in Astronomy and the night sky. Please visit the Club Information section for more on TAS. New members can download the New Members Handbook from the Members Only Section of the website. Follow @TASObserveContact TAS Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas P.O. BOX 830742 Email: Membership@texasastro.org Officers: Contact Officers
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Join TAS or Renew your Membership TAS is now 600 members strong....why not become a part of our family?
Newsletter The latest issue of our award-winning monthly newsletter, the Spectrum, can be downloaded below.  Back issues are available under "Features->Spectrum Newsletter" in the main menu. The free Acrobat Reader is required to view this and other downloads.
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TAS is a member of
| TAS is a member of
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The Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas was chartered in 1955
to promote interest and research, and to give instruction in the
science of astronomy and related disciplines. Membership is open to
anyone having an interest in astronomy and related subjects and
includes benefits such as a our monthly newsletter, discounts to
the top astronomy magazines, access to our dark sky observing site
and many more. 
