Welcome to Houston Astronomical Society

Fostering the science and art of astronomy through programs that serve our membership and the community. Founded in 1955, Houston Astronomical Society is an active community of enthusiastic amateur and professional astronomers with over 70 years of history in the Houston area. Through education and outreach, our programs promote science literacy and astronomy awareness. We meet via Zoom the first Friday of each month for the General Membership Meeting and the first Thursday of the month for the Novice Meeting. Membership has a variety of benefits, including access to a secure dark site west of Houston, special interest groups that focus on particular areas of astronomy, an active community outreach program, and much more. Joining is simple.

“Celestial Wonders Down Under -

Exploring the Night Skies of Australia”

By Chris Morisette

“Celestial Wonders Down Under” recounts Chris Morisette’s journey across Australia in search of heavenly treasures seldom seen by stargazers here at home. Along the way we’ll will learn the basics of navigating the southern sky before embarking on a guided “Sky Tour” featuring several deep-sky objects captured during the trip with the Dwarf Mini smart telescope.

The tour includes several iconic objects, including Eta Carinae, Omega Centauri, and the Southern Pleiades. Chris will also provide an overview of the observing sites visited throughout the expedition, along with practical insights for anyone considering a long-distance astronomy road trip.

Through a collection of images and commentary, participants will experience the splendor of Australia’s night skies — a true bucket-list destination for novice and experienced astronomers alike.

Speaker Bio: Chris Morisette is HAS Novice Chairperson and an active member of the Houston Astronomical Society, North Houston Astronomy Club, and the Fort Bend Astronomy Club. He is also a member of The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors.

To see the video, click Celestial Wonders Down Under - Exploring the Night Skies of Australia.

"Mauve – New Eyes Study how Stellar Activity Shapes the Exoplanet Environment”

By: Dr. Christopher Johns-Krul

Blue Skies Space, a United Kingdom space science data company, has successfully launched its first satellite, Mauve, marking the start of a three-year mission to study the stars and how their activity influences the habitability of distant exoplanets. The satellite was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Nov. 26 as part of the Transporter-15 rideshare program.

Mauve will enable the study of transient, energetic phenomena from stars, largely emitted through powerful explosions, known as flares, that will affect the planets around them. This emission is largely seen at energetic ultraviolet wavelengths, which Mauve can observe over long periods of time. In addition to stellar flares, research priorities include young exoplanet hosts, hot stars and binary stars.

Speaker Bio: Dr Christopher Johns-Krull is Professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, and Blue Skies interim vice president for research. Dr. Johns-Krul researches star formation and early stellar evolution in addition to solar and stellar magnetic activity, in addition to extra-solar planets. Dr. Johns-Krul is a key member of the Mauve science program.

To see the video, click "Mauve – New Eyes Study how Stellar Activity Shapes the Exoplanet Environment”.

" Light Pollution Effects on Human Health

and the Environment”

By: Deborah Moran

Swayed by strong economic and climate-related arguments, many localities and businesses around the world are switching to LEDs for use in street and premises lighting. However, not all LED lighting is optimal.

LED fixtures which produce excess blue light are harmful to both human health and the environment. They interfere with circadian rhythms and reduce melatonin production which can lead to suppression of the human immune system. There is now voluminous data showing a higher risk of hormonally linked cancers with melatonin suppression. Excess blue light also can have negative effects on plants and wildlife.

Lighting fixtures that are overly bright, improperly designed or installed can create glare. Overly blue-colored light makes the glare worse, since blue light scatters more in the human eye. This leads to increased disability glare which has serious implications for night-time driving visibility and can hide pedestrians or other conditions from a driver’s view.

Speaker Bio: Deborah Moran has had a lifelong interest in astronomy since her childhood in Midland, TX where all the scenery is in the sky. She has been a member of the Houston Astronomical Society since 1980, where she has served in several capacities in the past including Treasurer, Education chair and Novice chair for nine years. She also participates in outreach programs and is a volunteer telescope operator at the George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park.

Deborah is the 2017 recipient of the International Dark-Sky association’s Hoag-Robinson Award for education of government officials about outdoor lighting issues. In 2010, her Woodside neighborhood became the first one within Houston city limits allowed to install low glare fully shielded decorative streetlights. For the past several years she has presented concerns about the choice of high glare white LED street lights in Houston to city officials and hopes that the Houston area will someday join other communities in moving to warm or soft white to amber LEDs which are recommended by the American Medical Association for their reduced glare and reduced disruption of day/night circadian function.

She has combined her love of travel and astronomy by chasing total and annular solar eclipses around the world. In 2010, Deborah retired from the Houston Symphony violin section after 27 years.

To see the video, click Light Pollution Effects on Human Health and the Environment”.

AP SIG TOTM is out! M16: The Astrophotography Special Interest Group new Target of the Month! M16! A late nighter for now. But oh so bright- you can see star birth in our Milky Way... see our Discord for starting a MEGA stack on M16!