E A R T H   D A Y   2 0 0 5
 ========================= 
    Earth Day 2005 is celebrated on April 22 Friday and 23 Saturday in 
Vanderbilt Avenue, next to Grand Central Terminal, New York. Hours are 
12:00-19:00 on Friday and 11:00-17:00 on Saturday, EDST. 
    The setting couldn't be more emotionally uplifting for the home 
astronomer! The Terminal, now restored and modernized, represents one 
of the grandest success stories in the annals of home astronomy. It is 
the cynosure of the second of Earth's two crown cities, Grand Central, 
which itself is in the midst of a full-press effort to eradicate 
luminous graffiti thruout its praecicnts. The legendary moonlight 
lamppoles, unique to Manhattan, emitted its 'first light' right in the 
Earth Day fair itself. 
    During April 18 thru 24 the Main Concourse becomes a multiscreen 
show of 'Giant Earth Images'. 5-meter square space views of our home 
planet are projected on the walls of the Main Concourse! Continuous 
display runs from 10:00 thru 20:00 EDST every day. 
    Then, on the 22nd and 23rd Vanderbilt Avenue, the street on the 
west side of the Terminal, hosts EarthFair. Exhibitors from all 
disciplines, including home astronomy, crew booths and displays 
promoting the wonders of nature and our covenant to protect them. 
    NYSkies has a booth under its own banner at EarthFair. The 
exhibition this year is entirely outdoors under tents for weather 
protection. Yet, NYSkies will send its visitors inside the Terminal 
for solar viewing! 
    Uh, how do you view the Sun from inside a massive stone and steel 
edifice? I won't explain now. That's why you should stop at the 
NYSkies table (and hope it's sunny outside). I can let on that one of 
the viscerally enchanting features of Grand Central Terminal is the 
astronomy embedded in it, some from its opening in 1913, all the way 
to some put in place only in the late 1990s. 
    Grand Central is at the confluence of the IRT Lexington Av, 
Flushing, and 42nd St lines. It's the. ahem, grand central terminal 
for MetroNorth railroad. Buses swirl around the station on all sides. 
    Every thing, the Fair, all the music and dancers, and the 'Giant 
Earth Images' is FREE. No fees, no hidden costs. Just show up.

---
 þ RoseReader 2.52á P005004