Continued from previous message.

    There is a trepidation. The present transit labor contract runs
out on Dec 15th! There's talk in the air of a strike, to start on the
16th, if there is no new contract i place by then. Speak with your
work or school about contingency plans in an actual transit stoppage.
    There are many cultural tours in December, most requiring outdoor
exposure. Please be mindful of winter conditions in New York City
during the holiday season. What may be fun to walk thru for shopping,
visiting, commuting could be devastating on an extended outdoor tour.

Event news
 --------
    NYSkiers crowded into several science lectures in November,
accompanied by [as yet] unattached astronomy-minded folk. The lectures
included Singh's 'Big bang' and Sobel's 'The planets' at the City
University Graduate Center and Johnson's 'Miss Leavitt's stars' at
Columbia University. The last missed the November 2005 NYC Events.
NYSkiers learned of it thru the NYSkies Yahoogroup forum.
    All three were thickly attended, a testimony to the fervor for
science among cityfolk. In fact, I was almost closed out of the Sobel
talk! Its hall had not a single empty seat, despite efforts by the
hosts to hunt them out for the stream of visitors pouring in.
    The NYSkies Seminar continues its lively discussions of astronomy
news, with attendance over ten on the 3rd and 17th. The Seminar on
December 15th, features Steve Lieber on 'International law of outer
space', which he gave this talk to Astronomical Society of Long Island
a couple years ago. His talk is timely for at the United Nations In
November there were a couple committee meetings about outer space law.
Already several UN crew voiced interest in Steve's presentation!
    Many outdoor observing sessions are suspended for the harsh
conditions in a US Northeast winter. However, several continue right
thu the year. Please understand that the cold and wind are most
merciless to the unprepared astronomer! This is specially true in a
field with no shelter.
    Amateur Astronomer Association Inc sticks to its despotic ways,
elaborated in the companion article 'AAA news'. Thus, certain of its
activities carry the risk of abuse and hostility, as marked in the
index and annotated in the listings.
    December is usually a month of low activity due to the yearend
holidays. This year events fill the calendar, right thru New Year's
eve! If you have astronomy family or friends coming to town for the
holidays, they can fill their interest here. Take them to the
astronomy and space events, in addition to the normal 'nickel tour'
sights of the City. Examples:
    On the 13th, visit the observation deck in Rockefeller Center by
day. It is GOR-juss and the views are, erm, out of this world! Then
take any downtown IND 6th Av train to Herald Sq right from the subway
under the Rock. From Herald Square swing your guests to the Science
LIbrary. They'll hear the FREE lecture by Steve Squyres about the Mars
rovers! After the lecture, step across 5th Avenue to the Empire State
Building terrace. Show off Mars in the very sky of New York!!!
    On the 15th, let the little child comes out at the Citicorp model
railroad display. It's huge, detailed, full of action, day/night
lighting, period names on the wagons and coaches. Then hop the
downtown E train -- not V! -- in the subway under Citicorp. Get off at
23rd St. Skip around the block to the NYSkies Seminar with Lieber's
presentation on the law of outer space.
    On the 16th, assuming clear weather, try the stargazing session at
Pupin Hall of Columbia University. Enter thru the 116th St gate, at
the top of the stairs of the 116th St station on the IRT Upper
Broadway line. Ask on campus for Pupin hall; take the elevator to the
13th floor (yes, it's numbered '13'); walk up two more flights to the
rooftop observatory.
    It's a modest facility, to be fair about it, but you can see real
deepsky features from this perch high above Morningside Heights. After
a thoro chilling up there, warm up at Tom's Restaurant, 112th St and
Broadway. Point out the Seinfeld pictures -- this is the place! -- and
note that you're directly under, on an upper floor, NASA headquarters.
This building is home of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies is
the only NASA HQ unit outside the Washington DC area. It does top-
notch space research, right next to busy Broadway.

Sky News
 ------
    We get back Venus in December as she rides a higher ecliptic in
the southwest. Some of us were a but puzzled about the kinetics, being
used to a simple arc up and down as evening star. The ecliptic tilts
up, bringing her above the skyline for a last show before racing
toward inferior conjunction in early 2006.
    Mars is in high sky by nightfall in December. He's the good and
bright orange star in Aries. He stops his retrograde motion on the
10th, and then steams eastward again. The disc is contracting. By
January he may be a bit too small for comfortable viewing in small
scopes.
    Saturn rounds the east horizon in late evening, to replace Venus
in the evening sky in January. His rings are slowly closing up, making
him more 'classical' in appearance.
    The Observer's Handbook arrived at NYSkies on October 20th. The
cost is only $17, including pack and post. NYSkiers can pick up their
copies at our Seminars or other astro and space events around New

 Continued in next message.

---
 þ RoseReader 2.52á P005004