JULY 2016 VOLUME 35 | #7 ST AT THE JULY 1 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS PRESIDENT’S LETTER 5 EDITOR’S LETTER 6 NOVICE PRESENTATION 7 MEMBER PROJECTS 7 ARTICLE 9 SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES CAUSE n July, Vojta Ciml, the Founder of work on program that would improve the GALACTIC WARMING ISlideslive.com will present at the HAS clarity of the video of the presenter as General meeting. SlidesLive is one-click well as the ability to show whatever the ARTICLE 10 conference recording service, that is presenter was showing during his original changing the audiovisual industry forever. demonstration. HUBBLE’S BUBBLE LIGHTS Their network of professional teams is The vision grew. Now that he UP THE INTERSTELLAR always ready to record any event. had a web-based format, he had to figure RUBBLE Easy to embed on your out a way to get high quality content. website, share publicly or privately So, he uses a network of professional with your colleagues or even monetize videographers, much like Uber, who are ALL MEETINGS ARE AT THE access to the content.Slideslive.com ready to take video and organize the UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON captures presentations using a unique presentations. The final presentations SCIENCE AND RESEARCH format whereby a dual screen setup are easy to embed on a website and can BUILDING. SEE THE LAST synchronizes a video of the presenter(s) be shared publically or privately. As he PAGE FOR DIRECTIONS TO with a video of the presentation slides states, “I am on the mission to record THE LOCATION AND MORE that are being shown to the audience. every single conference and presentation And you are seeing them side by side – in the World.” He was introduced at a INFORMATION. both being clearly viewed. speaking conference as “changing the Vojta started the company world of on-line education”. In one of his NOVICE MEETING when he was attending Czech Technical presentations, he likened capturing every 7:00 P.M. University in Prague. He used to video presentation as being the modern version SEE PAGE 7 tape certain lectures so he could play of the Library at Alexandria. them back during his studies. However, And, indeed, he’s on to something. Go GENERAL MEETING he discovered that his video wasn’t to Slidelive.com and see for yourself the high quality and he couldn’t make out variety of interesting topics and how 8:00 P.M the professor’s slides or other lecture clearly they are presented. materials. So he came up with an idea to 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS CALENDAR PG 3 JULY 1 AUGUST 2 7:00 P.M. HAS NOVICE MEETING 3:45 P.M. NEW MOON ABOUT H.A.S. AUGUST 5 @ U OF H 7:00 P.M. HAS NOVICE MEETING PG 4 8:00 P.M. HAS GENERAL MEETING @ U OF H @ U OF H SOCIETY DIRECTORY 8:00 P.M. HAS GENERAL MEETING JULY 2 @ U OF H PRIME NIGHT, COLUMBUS AUGUST 10 PG 5 1:21 P.M. FIRST QUARTER MOON JULY 4 AUGUST 12 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 6:01 A.M. NEW MOON PERSEID METEORS JULY 7 AUGUST 16 PG 6 11:00 A.M. PLUTO AT 4:00 P.M. MERCURY AT GREATEST ELONGATION EAST FROM THE EDITOR OPPOSITION AUGUST 18 JULY 12 4:27 A.M. FULL MOON PG 7 7:52 P.M. FIRST QUARTER MOON AUGUST 20 OBSERVATORY CORNER JULY 19 1:00 A.M. ASTEROID 2 PALLAS AT OPPOSITION 5:57 P.M. FULL MOON AUGUST 24 6:30 P.M. HAS BOARD MEETING, NOVICE PRESENTATION: 10:41 P.M. LAST QUARTER MOON TRINI MENDENHALL THE ART OF OBSERVING AUGUST 26 COMMUNITY CENTER 7:30 P.M. NOVICE LAB, COLUMBUS JULY 29 AUGUST 27 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 6:00 P.M. LAST QUARTER MOON PRIME NIGHT, COLUMBUS PG 8 SHALLOW SKY OBJECT SEND CALENDAR EVENTS TO DOUG MCCORMICK OF THE MONTH [email protected] FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON CLUB EVENTS, GO TO ASTRONOMYHOUSTON.ORG PG 9 | ARTICLE: SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES CAUSE GALACTIC OTHER MEETINGS WARMING JOHNSON SPACE CENTER ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY | jscas.net Meets in the the Lunar and Planetary Institute on the 2nd Friday of each month. PG 10 | ARTICLE: HUBBLE’S BUBBLE FORT BEND ASTRONOMY CLUB | fbac.org/club_meetings.htm. LIGHTS UP THE Meets the third Friday of the month at 8:00 p.m. at the Houston Community INTERSTELLAR RUBBLE College Southwest Campus in Stafford, Texas. PG 11 NORTH HOUSTON ASTRONOMY CLUB | astronomyclub.org A LETTER FROM THE GREAT Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the 4th Friday of each month in the Teaching Theatre TEXAS GIVEAWAY of the Student Center at Kingwood College. Call 281-312-1650 or E-mail [email protected]. PG 12 GENERAL GUIDESTAR BRAZOSPORT ASTRONOMY CLUB INFORMATION Meets the third Tuesday of each month at the Brazosport planetarium at 7:45 p.m. The Brazosport planetarium is located at 400 College Boulevard, Clute, TX, 77531. PG 13 For more information call 979-265-3376. PARKING AT UH 2 ABOUT THE HOUSTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CHECK THE WEBSITE The Houston Astronomical Society is a non-profit corporation ASTRONOMYHOUSTON.ORG organized under section 501 (C) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The HAS website not only has news and The Society was formed for education and scientific purposes. information about our society, but also All contributions and gifts are deductible for federal income tax a variety of features to manage your purposes. General membership meetings are open to the public and membership and connect with other attendance is encouraged. club members. Current members can post photos, All members have the right to participate in Society functions trade gear, pay dues, manage discount and to use the Observatory Site. Regular and Student Members magazine subscriptions, swap stories in the forum, and more. receive a subscription to The Reflector. The GuideStar, the monthly Questions about the site? Need a hand publication of the Houston Astronomical Society is available on to get your account set up? Contact the web site. Associate Members, immediate family members of a [email protected]. Regular Member, have all membership rights, but do not receive The HAS web site is the winner of the publications. Sustaining members have the same rights as regular 2012 Astronomical League award for members with the additional dues treated as a donation to the excellence Society. Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazines are available to Houston members at a discount. Astronomical Society MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION You can join (or renew at the organization web site, www. GuideStar_HAS astronomyhouston.org. Click the ‘Join HAS’ Tab. Send funds to address shown on last page of GuideStar. Attention - Treasurer, along with the following information: Name, Address, STARLINE Phone Number, Special Interests in Astronomy, Do you own a 832-go4-HAS0 Telescope? (If so, what kind?), and where you first heard of H.A.S. EVENT NOTIFICATION OR CANCELLATION To receive text messages, send any or all of HAS uses RAINEDOUT.NET to communicate late breaking updates about our various the following (one at a time) to 84483 events. Message delivery is via text messaging and e-mail. There are several ways to OUTREACH Public Outreach Events subscribe. If you would like to receive these notices via text messaging directly to your STARPARTY Members only star Parties phone, subscribe to any of the sub-groups which interest you. URBAN Urban Observing Events MEETINGS HAS Meetings RainedOut notices will also automatically be sent to our e-mail list. Note that regular e-mail list conversations are not part of RainedOut communications and will not be You will receive a confirmation message sent to your phone as part of this service. Instructions to sign up for the e-mail list (a back for each successful enrollment. great way to keep your finger on the pulse of the club) are found here: For more information, please visit www. http://www.astronomyhouston.org/about/email-list. RainedOut.net. 3 HOUSTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY DIRECTORY DIRECTORS AT LARGE FIELD TR./OBSG TEXAS STAR PARTY JESSICA KINGSLEY STEPHEN JONES STEVE GOLDBERG [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] H: 713 385 4072 BILL KOWALCZYK MEMBERSHIP [email protected] JESSICA KINGSLEY & BILL KOWALCZYK OBSERVATORY & TRAILER [email protected] SPOT BOOKING JUSTIN MCCOLLUM STEVE GOLDBERG [email protected] NOVICE [email protected] DEBBIE MORAN DEBBIE MORAN [email protected] VIDEOGRAPHY [email protected] H:713-774-0924 C:713-562-7670 ROB MOREHEAD H:713.774.0924 C:713.562.7670 [email protected] OBSERVATORY BRAM WEISMAN MIKE EDSTROM observatory@ WEB TECHNOLOGY [email protected] astronomyhouston.org P: 832-689-4584 MARK FERRAZ [email protected] OFFICERS PROGRAM PRESIDENT JUSTIN MCCOLLUM URBAN OBSERVING RENE GEDALY [email protected] STEVE MUNSEY [email protected] [email protected] PUBLICITY VICE PRESIDENT BRAM WEISMAN ED FRANI [email protected] [email protected] ADVISORS TELESCOPE DR. REGINALD DUFOUR SECRETARY ALLEN WILKERSON Rice University MARK HOLDSWORTH [email protected] [email protected] P: 832- 265-4773 DR. LAWRENCE PINSKY University of Houston TREASURER DON SELLE AD-HOC COMMITTEE DR. LAWRENCE ARMENDAREZ [email protected] CHAIRPERSONS University of St. Thomas AL COORDINATOR DOUG MCCORMICK COMMITTEE [email protected] HAS BOARD MEETING CHAIRPERSONS AUDIO/VISUAL HAS Board meetings are scheduled AUDIT MICHAEL RAPP regularly. All members are invited to SCOTT MITCHELL [email protected] attend these meetings, but only board [email protected] members can vote on issues brought GUIDESTAR EDUCATION & OUTREACH before the board. Meetings are held BOB WIESNER DEBBIE MORAN & JOE KHALAF at the Trini Mendenhall Community [email protected] [email protected] Center (1414 Wirt Road) at 6:30 p.m. [email protected] TEXAS 45 COORDINATOR on the date specified the calendar.