BCFNS NEWSLETTER

October 2024

Issue 56
Contact us at newsletter@BlancoCountyNightSky.org

125 supporting households with more than 280 members
including 23 Lifetime Household members
plus 14 Business members including 4 Lifetime Business Members
1,088 Facebook Group Members -- 539 Instagram Followers
Click here for accomplishments in last year and here for complete history

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40th Birthday at Gem
TACOS FOR THE COSMOS

Please join BCFNS and BCCI (Blanco County Conservation Initiative) as we team up to help celebrate the 40th Birthday of Gem of the Hills. We will be sponsoring a team, "Tacos for the Cosmos", at the Gem of the Hills Taco Cookoff. Stop by Gem of the Hills on November 9th at 1 pm to sample our tacos and help us win by voting our tacos as "simply out of this world"! There are many other events that day so check it out by visiting Gem of the Hills 40th Birthday Celebration

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Star Party

Gem of the Hills will be sponsoring a Star Party on Wednesday, November 6th beginning at 6 pm.
"Bring your flashlights and walk on the trail to the pavilion for this fun star party. The sky should be dark by 6:45 so please plan to arrive no later than 6:30. There will be a few parking spaces at the pavilion. Please note; if you park at the pavilion, you'll need to plan to come early and stay for the entire program. This is because the telescopes need to be on a flat surface, like the road and you'll not be able to leave without taking out a volunteer and a telescope! Thanks to Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky for their efforts to make Blanco night sky friendly and members of Hill Country Astronomers for providing telescopes and starry expertise for this event."

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HILL COUNTRY NIGHT SKY MONTH -- MORE PROCLAMATIONS!

Johnson City and the City of Blanco joined Blanco County, by signing a proclamation declaring October as Hill Country Night Sky Month in their cities. Each proclamation was a bit different, but the basic message was the same.

Here are a few of the statements from the Johnson City Proclamation:

• The experience of standing beneath a star-filled sky inspires feelings of wonder and awe, and may encourage interest in science and nature, especially among young people.
• Solving the problem of light pollution involves making better use of outdoor lighting to direct light down to where it is needed instead of upward into the sky, putting outdoor lights on timers, and using outdoor lighting only where necessary.

To read the entire county document click here: Night Sky Month Proclamation

Proclamation Johnson City Proclamation City of Blanco

The Blanco Library even participated in Night Sky Month by reading a story about the stars to our children. They are our best hope to restore the beauty of the night; if we bother to teach them.

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CELEBRATING OUR LIFETIME MEMBERS!!!

Blanco Country Friends of the Night Sky hosted an Appreciation Reception for our Lifetime Members! Their commitment to our organization has made it possible to maximize our mission and we wanted to show our appreciation by getting together for some social time. In support of Night Sky month, the event was held on October 25th.

Elizabeth Miller (left) and Mike Green (right) present a Night Sky Friendly Business Certificate of Merit to DeAnn Christensen, owner of the Christensen Gallery in Blanco, on October 25th in conjunction with the Lifetime Member Reception of the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS) held in the gallery. The reception recognized 25 BCFNS Lifetime Memberships, each of which had contributed $500 or more to help preserve the night sky above Blanco County. " We wanted to have a classy event in a classy place," said Wayne Gosnell, President of the BCFNS, " and holding this in the Christensen Gallery met both criteria. We are very appreciative of DeAnn’s hospitality and her support of the night sky." At the end of the reception, Christensen wrote a $500 check to register her gallery as the 26th BCFNS Lifetime Membership in Blanco County. (Photo by Stefanie Wright)

Michele and Mike Zarella became Lifetime Members some time ago, but we did not have a sign for them at that time. Bob Heinonen, Board Member, was was finally able to give the Lifetime Membership sign to Mike at the Appreciation Reception. We appreciate your patience. (Photo by Stefanie Wright)

Mike and Michelle are also volunteers who faithfully take Sky Quality Meter (SQM) readings of the night sky for us at a dozen or so locations scattered all around Northern Blanco County so we can monitor the darkness of the sky over time. Thank you both for all your hard work!

Last month we shared that Paula and Mike Lundy became Lifetime Members. BCFNS very much appreciated their attendance at our Appreciation Reception. (Photo by Stefanie Wright)

Have you been considering becoming a Lifetime Member? Now is the time!!! You can find out how to do that by clicking on Lifetime Membership

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OCTOBER BEAUTY IN THE NIGHT SKY

Almost as a tribute to Night Sky Month Blanco County was treated to not one, but two awesome celestial events! On October 10th the Northern Lights made an appearance across the United States. Although they were not predicated to be visible this far south; nature surprised us by allowing their special appearance here in the Blanco area. A pale pink coloring was visible without aid in the north, but cell phone images showed the true colors.

Then, while visible for over a week, on October 14th when most visible to us without the aid of binoculars or a telescope the C2023 A3 Tsuchinshan Atlas Comet made a spectacular visit on the western horizon of the early evening night sky.

Northern Lights 1

On October 10th, BCFNS Lifetime Member, Stacy Sims posted on her Facebook page the above picture which she took from her property in Cielo Springs just south of Blanco. Stacy commented "Holy smokes!! This is right now and unedited facing straight North."
Northern Lights 2 Northern Lights 3

The above two photos were captured by Vicki Guidry from Rockin’ J Ranch about 3 miles south of Blanco. Northern Lights 4 Northern Lights 5

In the above two photos from Wayne Gosnell the "Show Me State" did just that at an Airstream Rally in Sedalia, Missouri.
Comet 1 Comet 2

Photo on left: C2023 A3 Tsuchinshan Atlas Comet over the 13th Hole at Vaaler Creek Golf Club near Blanco, Texas. This image was captured by BCFNS Lifetime Member and astrophotographer, Mike Lundy.

Photo above: Lifetime member, David Loose shared his take on C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS). 87x30 second exposures, shot from Blanco, TX.

Comet 3
Photo by Tom Wiener a few miles west of Blanco.

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WORKING TOGETHER WITH OTHER GROUPS

Austin Friends of Traditional Music

October 18th & 19th the Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM) held the 17th annual Austin String Band Festival at Camp Ben McCullough. AFTM also celebrated their 50th anniversary! Bernard Mollberg and a couple of other Founders of AFTM were on hand for the event. He spent some time setting up " a Small but Mighty PA system" and " managed the 15-minute mini-sets outside" to play during the breaks in the main pavilion.

Bernard is also a member of Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS) and often accompanies the Wizard of the Night Sky as a Musician. When the event organizers asked if he wanted anything else he suggested placing the BCFNS sign as part of the support for the event. Bernard tells us he was " Just spreading a bit of awareness for the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky". Many thanks Bernard! We appreciate you including a shout out for us at this fun event!

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The Wizard, the Wrangler and the Bees

Thursday, October 17, 2024 at Blanco United Methodist Church Bob Heinonen, the Wizard of the Night Sky and Bernard Mollberg, Wizard Wrangler and Musician of the Night Sky made a presentation to the Blanco County Beekeepers.

This event was an educational and entertaining presentation about the causes and hazards of light pollution, and actions that can be taken to mitigate its effects. Most people do not realize that light pollution can have a profound effect on animals and darkness at night is important to their health, wellbeing and purpose in our world. That includes bees!

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NEW MEMBERSHIP SIGN OWNERS

Katy Gentry, her husband, John Duran, and daughter, Maggie are our newest membership sign owners. They chose to purchase a sign and receive a free one-year membership. See the Membership Section below in this newsletter for details on how you can get your membership sign. Katy and a neighbor on the other side of the street were able to persuade PEC to turn off the streetlight that was putting unnecessary light into their homes and obstructing their view of the stars when they sit out to enjoy the night sky. Way to go Katy!!!

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Membership

CONSIDER BECOMING A MEMBER

Your membership is a road sign to others about our mission especially if you purchase and display a Membership sign! We have been successful with our Membership Sign Promotion. The more signs we can get out in the public, the more people we can reach with our message about “saving the stars”.

For those of you thinking of joining BCFNS or renewing your membership, we are offering a free one-year membership ($20) with the purchase of a sign ($35 tax included). A membership sign is the best publicity the night sky can have. Here’s the link: BCFNS Membership Signs

Dee Hardiman and Jenny Joseph are two members who took advantage of our multi-year dues payment option.

For more information on all our membership options click here: Membership Options

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NEXT BOARD MEETING

The next Board meeting will be held at El Charro Restaurant in Johnson City @ 9 am on November 20th. You are welcome to join us.

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THIS NEWSLETTER

We hope you enjoy our newsletter and we are always looking for ways to make it better and more enjoyable. To that end, we invite your suggestions, comments and ideas for articles. In fact, if you would like to write an article to be published in our newsletter, we will certainly consider including it. Please send them to: newsletter@blancocountynightsky.org

Remember we are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Please consult your accountant or tax adviser for details regarding deductibility for your donation.