Michiana  Astronomical  Society

Michiana Star Party  (2023) - this event has already taken place!

Dates: 2023 Dates where:  May 19th - 21st 2023

For details, click here:

MSP-13

Notice: Standard Covid-19 precautions will be observed per current CDC and local government requirements.

Welcome,

The Michiana Astronomical Society is an Astronomy club based in the South Bend/Mishawaka Indiana area. We meet in the third Thursday of the month @ 7:00PM. Meetings take place at the Centre branch of the South Bend library located at 1150 E Kern Road South Bend, IN 46614.

2023 MAS Due's are due in January. 

If you are going to join or renew, please email me and I will send you my address. I have been making very limited trips to the P.O. Box during these Covid times. I would prefer you send your checks direct to me.  treasurer@michiana-astro.org

Thursday November 21th, 2023

The meeting will be held in person. 7:00pm Eastern (+Zoom)

Speaker: TBD

Subject: TBD

 2020 MAS Calendars are now available. $Free just $2.00 shipping or $2.80 shipping for two.

To order: Contact Linda Marks and Steve Accuosti sunandmoonobs@juno.com

Science Alive @ Saint Joseph County Main Library  - Saturday February 5th, 2022 :  Cancelled due to Covid-19, as of January 31st

Saturday Stargazing @ Indiana Dunes National Park (Lakeshore) - Cost: Free

Next Indiana Dunes event Saturday December 16th, 2023 7:00-10:00PM CST.

Indiana Dunes National Park (Lakeshore) is having a stargazing restarting on Saturday September 9th, 2023. The program will take place at the Kemil Parking Lot, near Beverly Shores, one of the Dark Sky Communities. That location is one of the darkest spots between Chicago and Michigan City. The address to plug into gps is "Kemil Beach, Beverly Shores, IN 46304, or GPS Coordinates - 041.40.39N 087.00.35W.   "Kemil Beach and Dune Ridge Trail Parking Lot"

Stargazing outreach at the Indiana Dunes National Park (Lakeshore) Kemil Beach parking lot. Next event Saturday December 16th 7:00-10:00p.m. CDT.

The program is weather dependent, so check back the Saturday of the event.  Here is wishing you Clear Skies!

Contact  Julie Larsen for additional details (219) 395-1821.

Click on the image below to enlarge it.

Notre Dame Science

We've got the moon on our minds This Saturday, October 14, a "ring of fire" annular eclipse will cross our sky, with partial viewing. An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon, at or near its farthest point from the earth, passes between the earth and the sun. Saturday's annular eclipse will cover about 90% of the sun in the southwest United States, and about 40% in South Bend. We are excited to host multiple events featuring eclipse education! Explore Eclipses in the Digital Visualization Theater on Tuesday, October 10, and Wednesday, October 11, at 6:30 pm and 8 pm on both days. DVT director Keith Davis, Ph.D., will take you on a flight around the Earth-Moon system to learn how eclipses happen in our 50-foot domed planetarium. Free and open to the public! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Q6XCb5 Solar Eclipse Watch Party (with telescopes!) on Saturday, Oct. 14: Weather permitting, the Physics and Astronomy Department will have telescopes and eclipse glasses available when the eclipse starts at 11:39 a.m. The watch party will conclude once the moon has completely moved out of the sun’s path at 2:24 p.m. https://bit.ly/3tpAtaZCheck out our Facebook events to RSVP to either (or both!) of these events.

Astronomy at River St. Joe - Outreach Event

Saturday 10/28/2023 - 6:00 - 8:00PM EDT

15475 Walton Road Buchanan, MI, 49107 United States

https://www.riversaintjoe.com/event-list/astronomy-night-at-river-st-joe

 On the Shores of Lake Michigan - Outreach Event - with The Well Spiritual Center

Wednesday 9/27/2023

Indiana Dunes National Park - Kemil Beach - parking lot

Wednesday 9/27/2023 - 7:30 Central time

 Potato Creek Astronomy Program  (Potato Creek State Park)

This event no longer takes place.

TBD - New Carlisle Library Astronomy Program  - Cost: The event is free

This is from Roanna Hootten, of the New Carlisle Library:   "Because of the ever changing nature of Covid, we are postponing in person August/September programs."   So we are looking forward to trying to do this event next spring. Stay tuned! Keep enjoying the views through your own telescopes.

All of our planned public talks for this semester will now be streamed live online and held in person. These can be accessed on Youtube as well as on Zoom using the connection details below:
Our Universe Revealed Youtube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/OurUniverseRevealed
Connect using Zoom (instructions for how to install the Zoom client and connect to the talk can be found at https://bit.ly/2xbGZVs) – https://notredame.zoom.us/j/97890956656 (Meeting ID is 978-9095-6656, Password: NDUniverse).

We will aim to follow our usual event format with a 30-40 minute presentation followed by time for audience questions. Questions can be asked through both Youtube and Zoom platforms at any time during the talk and we will collate and respond to them at the end of the talk.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support with the series in these challenging times. Through the power of technology we will do all we can to keep educating our students, our neighbors and the Notre Dame community whether close by or further afield.

If you think this and our other events would be of interest to any of your friends, family or colleagues, please feel free to forward this email on to them so they are able to join us.

Jonathan Crass
Series Coordinator

Our Universe Revealed - Next talk:

• • The Secret Social Life of Bacteria
  • Maggie Fin
  • Tue Jan. 9th 2024 - 6:30 pm ET
  • Leighton Auditorium, Main Branch, St. Joseph County Public Library

View more talks & full details

Note: Due to limited space, Tickets are required for some events but are typically free of charge.

 Recent News / Activities:
August 17 - MAS Meeting - Hybrid - Open Forum
August 27 - Saturn at Opposition
September 19 - Neptune at Opposition
September 21 - MAS Meeting - Hybrid - Paul Surowiec - Solar Observing
September 22 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation - View in morning
December 4 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation - View in evening

2023 All Upcoming Events:
September 22 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation - View in morning
September 23 - September Equinox
October 3 - Our Universe Revealed: Eclipse - Keith Davis, Ph.D. - 6:30pm Leighton Auditorium SJCPL Main
October 7 - Draconids Meteor Shower with Last Quarter Moon
October 12 - MAS Meeting - Hybrid (2nd Thursday)
October 14 - Annular Solar Eclipse, Partial in South Bend (11:39-14:24)
October 21 - Orionids Meteor Shower with First Quarter Moon
October 23 - Venus at Greatest Western Elongation - View in morning
November 3 - Jupiter at Opposition
November 4 - Taurids Meteor Shower with Last Quarter Moon
November 13 - Uranus at Opposition
November 16 - MAS Meeting - Hybrid
November 17 - Leonids Meteor Shower with Crescent Moon
December 4 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation - View in evening
December 13 - Geminids Meteor Shower with nearly New Moon
December 21 - MAS Meeting - Hybrid
December 21 - Ursids Meteor Shower with Waxing Gibbous Moon
December 22 - December Solstice

Eclipses

October 14 - Annular Solar Eclipse, Partial in South Bend (11:39-14:24)
March 25, 2024 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, South Bend (00:53-05:32)
April 8, 2024 - Total Solar Eclipse, Partial in South Bend (13:53-16:23)
September 17, 2024 - Partial Lunar Eclipse, South Bend (20:41-00:47)
March 13, 2025 - Total Lunar Eclipse, South Bend (23:57-06:00)

Launches
See https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

A recent article in the South Bend Tribune about local Stargazing. Click here to read it: (July 26, 2018 SBT article)

Previous Event - Febuary 4th, 2017 - Science Alive

MAS again participated in Science Alive at the St Joseph county library.

2023/2024 MAS officers are:

Bruce Miller - President

Matt Bielski - Vice President

Mike - Secretary (Chuck Buter - backup Secretary)

Paul Surowiec - Treasurer, Webmaster,  & Alcor

Marc Listello - Member at Large

Many thanks to our previous officers and their service to the Michiana Astronomical Society, it members and the community.

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Meteor Showers:

Orionids - Sept 21th- October 22nd, 2023
Southern Taurids - September 28th- December 2nd, 2023
Northern Taurids - October 13th- December 2nd, 2023
Leonids - November 3rd- December 2nd, 2023
Geminids - November 14th - December 24th, 2023
Ursids - December 13th-24th, 2023

Note on Meteor Showers: These dates are the times of peak occurrence, you can actually see some a few days before and after these dates.

Full Moon 2023 - 

Total Solar Eclipse - Next one in the US is April 8th 2024.