December 2008 General Membership Meeting

St. Louis Astronomical Society

Tonight’s Meeting Items

•Introduction of Officers•Astronomy 101 – Eclipses (John Newcomer)• “The Search For Planets Of Alien Suns”

- Rich Heuermann of Washington University•Upcoming Public Star Parties Announcements•Upcoming SLAS Outreach Star Parties Announcements•SLAS Members-Only Events•2009 International Year of Astronomy•Other Announcements

Current St. Louis Astronomical Society Officers and Board Members

• John Newcomer – President• Joe Bohanon – Vice President• Jerry Loethen – Treasurer• Rich Heuermann – Secretary • Joe McHugh – Hospitality• Bill Breeden – Board Member• Jim Trull – Board Member• Cook Feldman – Board Member

Astronomy 101

Eclipses – John Newcomer

Lunar and Solar Eclipses

Lunar Eclipse

Lunar Eclipses

Lunar Eclipses – completely safe and easy to watch

Lunar Eclipse Progression

2007 Mar 03 Total - Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia

2007 Aug 28 Total - Eastern Asia, Australia, Pacific, Americas 2008 Feb 21 Total - Central Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa

2008 Aug 16 Partial - South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia

2009 Feb 09 Penumbral - Eastern Europe, Asia, Aus., Pacific, Western North America

2009 Jul 07 Penumbral - Australia, Pacific, Americas

2009 Aug 06 Penumbral - Americas, Europe, Africa, West Asia

2009 Dec 31 Partial - Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia

2010 Jun 26 Partial - Eastern Asia, Australia, Pacific, Western Americas

2010 Dec 21 Total - East Asia, Australia, Pacific, Americas, Europe

Upcoming Lunar Eclipses through 2010

Solar Eclipses

Lunar Eclipse

Solar Eclipses

Solar Eclipses - rare in any one location

Solar Eclipse of 2017 Aug 21(Visible in St. Louis area)

A 310-mile (500km) shadow falls over Antarctica during a total solar eclipse on November 23, 2003, in this photo from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. The sun typically hangs low on the horizon during the southernmost continent's almost-summer months, so when the Moon moved between the Sun and the Earth, its shadow fell in a long oval, like the long shadows of a early summer dawn. At the time this image was taken, the sun was at approximately 15 degrees above the horizon. The shadow's long circular shape is the same pattern a flashlight casts an the floor when held at a similar angle.

The Search For Planets Of Alien Suns

Rich Heuermann – Washington University