The Fort Bend Astronomy Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to the acquisition and dissemination of information pertaining to the science of Astronomy.  Located in Stafford, Texas, FBAC's goal is to serve not only our members, but the general public as well. FBAC members hail from all corners of Harris, Fort Bend and Brazoria counties.

FBAC holds monthly meetings and members regularly get together to observe at the George Observatory, a satellite facility of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, located within Brazos Bend State Park.

For information about FBAC membership, please visit the About FBAC page.  For directions to the monthly club meeting, click here. For information about our community outreach activities, click here. For information about the FBAC list server click here.  To contact FBAC, send an email to fbacastro@gmail.com

The FBAC Novice Presentation - The February Novice Presentation will be not be held this February in order to allocate additional time for the Main Presentation.

The FBAC Main Presentation - The February Main Presentation (video) will be given by Steve Clayworth and Jim Jackson. The video presentation is titled: "Journey to Palomar", a video documentary detailing George Ellery Hale's mission to build the Hale Telescope at Mount Palomar.

February 2012 Astronomy/Space Calendar
(more at JPL Space Calendar)

• Feb 01-03 - Workshop on the Early Solar System Bombardment II, Houston, Texas
• Feb 02 - 35th Anniverary (1977), Burnup of the Salyut 4 Space Station (USSR)
• Feb 03 - Asteroid 477 Italia Closest Approach To Earth (1.858 AU)
• Feb 04 - Asteroid 9007 James Bond Closest Approach To Earth (1.602 AU)
• Feb 04 - 45th Anniverary (1967), Lunar Orbiter 3 Launch
• Feb 05 - Fajr Safir-e-Fajr Launch (Iran)
• Feb 05 - Comet P/2012 B1 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (3.802 AU)
• Feb 06 - Lecture: Lava Erosion on the Terrestrial Planets - Using Analytical Models to Distinguish Between mechanical and Thermal Erosion, Houston, Texas
• Feb 07 - Asteroid 433 Eros At Opposition (8.6 Magnitude)
• Feb 08 - 20th Anniversay (1992), Ulysses, Jupiter Flyby
• Feb 09 - Laser Relativity Satellite (LARES)/ Cubesats/ PW-Sat 1/ Vega Launch (Inaugural Vega Launch)
• Feb 10 - Venus Passes 0.3 Degrees From Uranus
• Feb 10 - Lecture: Uncovering Icy Ocean Worlds - A Geologic History of the South Polar Terrain on Enceladus, Houston, Texas
• Feb 11 - Asteroid 253 Mathilde Closest Approach To Earth (2.334 AU)
• Feb 12 - Kuiper Belt Object 55565 (2002 AW197) At Opposition (45.228 AU)
• Feb 12-21 - Globe at Night
• Feb 13 - John Dreyer's 160th Birthday (1852)
• Feb 14 - Mercury Passes 1.3 Degrees From Neptune
• Feb 15-16 - 15th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference, Washington DC
• Feb 17 - Asteroid 1993 DA Near-Earth Flyby (0.041 AU)
• Feb 19 - Cassini, Titan Flyby
• Feb 19 - Asteroid 38086 Beowolf Closest Approach To Earth (1.183 AU)
• Feb 20 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Polydeuces
• Feb 21 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Telesto, Enceladus, Pallene, Dione & Rhea
• Feb 22 - Asteroid 1159 Granada Closest Approach To Earth (1.516 AU)
• Feb 23 - 25th Anniverary (1987), Supernova 1987A Explosion
• Feb 25 - 5th Annivesary (2007), Rosetta, Mars Flyby
• Feb 26 - Asteroid 84882 Table Mountain Closest Approach To Earth (2.260 AU)
• Feb 27 - Bernard Lyot's 115th Birthday (1897)
• Feb 28 - 5th Anniversary (2007), New Horizons, Jupiter Flyby
• Feb 29 - Asteroid 7336 Saunders Closest Approach To Earth (2.344 AU)

FBAC members and friends gather informally each Tuesday evening between 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM at a southwest Houston restaurant just to socialize. FBAC members have been doing this for nearly 20 years. Come join us for dinner and conversation about most anything!

The current location is the Avalon Diner, 12810 SW Freeway (59 near Kirkwood). The Avalon Diner is at the far west end of the Fountains Shopping Center. Off highway 59, take the Kirkwood exit either way.

From 59 north, cross Kirkwood on the service road and enter the Fountains. From 59 south, go up to Kirkwood and loop under the freeway to come back south on the service road and enter the Fountains.
There are a couple of entrances. Go to the far west end near Borders and Sterling Bank. Click here for a map to the location.

Several observing programs are in the works at FBAC. Leonard Ferguson has developed a double star list and Keith Rivich a planetary nebula list.

 The double star list along with rules is available here.

The double star list by right ascension can be found here.  The original list is still available above.

The globular and planetary files are now available.  Click here for globulars and here for planetaries. Leonard Pattillo's Globular Cluster list is available in .xls format here. Leonard's planetary list in .xls format is here.

Click here for the carbon star list.

The galaxy observing list is now on line.  Click here to download a PDF file.

The Open Cluster Observing List can be obtained in PDF form by clicking here.

Observing forms are available for download here.

FBAC member Steve Goldberg has created a set of observing lists for users of Sky Tools astronomy software. These files are in .stx file format and will only work with Sky Tools software: Planetary Nebulas, Galaxies, Globular Clusters, Open Clusters & Carbon Stars