leaned, there 
being very little rubbish or construction material around. Delivery 
trucks were parked in the new garage. No vehicle came or went during 
my visit.
    The hayden Sphere was receded opticly into the cube from the lack 
of strong lighting from the Sun. From some angles, it almost vanished! 
I had clear sightlines from almost any point around the park due to 
both the lack of direct Sun and leafs on the trees. The chainlink 
fence did not interfere at all. I could poke the camera thru the mesh 
with no need to struggle against sunlight shining onto it. 
    Altho the Planetarium is not ready for full function, it was 
opened on occasion for special visits. The biggest event was a New 
year's Eve dedication ceremony for the Museum officials and some major 
outside bigwigs. Also journalists were taken on tours and their 
stories ran in the local papers in late 1999.
    None of the exhibits is really open, they being covered by tarps 
for protection during the remaining stages of work. The timeline ramp 
is finished. Visitors privileged to see the inside could walk along 
it. The sky theater is finished and under test. The Zeiss projector 
proved out perfectly.
    The Planetarium crew is starting to move into its new offices 
within the edifice as the rooms are cleared for occupancy. 
Commissioning of the new Hayden Planetarium is on the board for mid or 
late February of 2000, not at all overly 'late'. Over the 2-1/2 year 
construction the slippage is only some 50 days. 
    Some readers noted that the lighting on the Planetarium was turned 
on once in a while at night. They saw it as they passed by the Museum. 
I haven't seen the place at night yet! I'll have to get in a night 

 Continued in next message.

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