NGC 2261 – Hubble’s Variable Nebula

NGC 2261 is a bright diffuse nebula in the constellation Monoceros.  It was discovered by William Herschel in 1783.  It became quite famous in the early 20^th century as Edwin Hubble and others observed the object showing very different appearances in different photographs.  It is now theorized these variations are changes in the shadows cast by dust clouds around the embedded star R Monocerotis.  The nebula was also the subject of the very first image taken by the 200-inch telescope at Palomar Observatory in 1949. 

New to astronomy and not sure how to get started?  Join HAS’ Stephen Jones at the HAS Dark Site for a hands-on introduction to navigating the night sky and telescope operation.  These Novice Labs are held monthly, except for the months with the late-starting summer nights.  Head to the event calendar here on the website and find one that works for you.  Contact Stephen at [email protected] for more info or to RSVP today!

Dear New Member,

We have added you to the HAS membership roster. Welcome to the Houston Astronomical Society (HAS)! Membership has its benefits, but there’s no way to list all of them in one email. We hope that what follows below will get you off to a good start.

2020 – A Year for Involvement

Happy New Year and here’s to a healthy and prosperous 2020 ahead!

Before I begin, though, I’d like to take a moment to thank Don Selle and all of the previous year’s leaders for their commitment and dedication to the Houston Astronomical Society.  I know many of our leaders are continuing on in some capacity with the club in 2020, but their contributions in 2019 are very well appreciated, and they are the reason why the club is able to provide all of the great amenities it does for our membership.

The new year is a time for renewal and resolutions – an opportunity to reflect on the year that’s just passed and to commit to making things better in the upcoming trip around our sun.  Some of those resolutions we make are purely aspirational and are almost a byproduct of the calendar flip.  Heck, I’ve been saying that I’m going to lose those stubborn pounds at the gym every January for years now.  However, other resolutions are an opportunity to really focus on doing things that improve our lives or make us happy in some simple way.

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Old friends, new members, and visitors start the new year at the January HAS meetings at the Trini Mendenhall Community Center, 1414 Wirt Rd, Houston, TX 77055.

From top left going clockwise: Speaker Don Selle, good friends Larry Mitchell, Don Selle, Dana Lambert, Jayne Lambert, and Sue Conner Medders at the Astro Café, Doug McCormick gives announcements to attendees, Kat Pedersen signs in attendees using the new badge sysem.

Posted by: rene-gedaly Link: https://www.astronomyhouston.org/content/meeting-mendenhall