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with about 300 copies flowing into hands of visitors. The feedback was 
overwhelmingly praiseful. Plus. I got leads for several unrecognized 
astronomy activities within NYSkies territory. I welcome onboard two 
new astronomy clubs. I do mean 'new' being that they were only 
recently formed.
    Say 'hello!' to Orange County Astronomical Association, Chester 
NY, and Buehler-Columbia Amateur Astronomers Association, Paramus 
(yes, THAT Paramus) NJ. Orange County already put up a slate of 
stargazings for 2004. Buehler-Columbia has informal meetings until its 
observatory at Bergen Community College is complete this summer. 
    Two newcomers to NYC Event collaborate for astronomy day on May 
15th. First is the Wilder Observatory at Amherst College for evening 
starviewing. The other is A-Z Science, a museum in Northampton MA for 
daytime exhibits and sunviewing. These two carry on a regular program 
of public astronomy, so they'll be included in future NYC Events. 
    Science, altho not strictly astronomy, is featured at some rather 
odd places! Try the science-&-art play at Cornelia Street Cafe', smack 
in Greenwich Village, on May 2nd. Before or after, you can cruise the 
bookshops in the area for those astrobooks you always hoped to own. 
    I tossed in a couple events on climate and global warming/cooling 
from the interest raised by current planet explorations and studies. 
And thee are a couple on the new York subway system for historical 
context and importance as a major weapon against luminous graffiti.
    I showed mockups of a simplified NYC Events at NEAF. The one with 
repetitive events listed only for the first date was a disaster. Not 
only did the events bunch up at the front of the month, but when you 
looked at dates near the end of the month, there was no way to realize 
that there were in fact events for them. You would miss a LOT of 
chances for your astronomy fix! 
    It also turns out that many clubs pass along NYC Events to their 
own members, at times with some editing out of 'remote' items. They 
WANT to see each instance of their activity in the list. 
    On the other hand, you really liked the starred items in the list 
of places for those within the City. 
    What's with Northeast Astronomical Society and Rockland Astronomy 
Club? See 'Astropolitics' below. 

Major Events
 ----------
    NYSkies was a hit at both the Northeast Astronomy Forum on April 
17-18 and Earth Day on the 24-25!At the former, it hosted about 200 
visitors; the latter, some 2.000! The percent of visitors was vastly 
higher at NEAF because the attendees were already home astronomers. At 
Earth Day they came from all sectors of society, including many who, 
after sniffing at our table, fessed up that they were not interested 
in astronomy.
    Earth Day was the more spectacular of the two for its setting and 
thousands of out-of-town visitors, Many were tourists from overseas, 
who took NYSkies litterature to illustrate home astronomy in the City 
for their friends back home. Others were suburban folk arriving at 
Grand Central for a daytrip or to take in the whole earth Day show. 
For them, NYSkies was a welcome source of astro activity in their 
districts around the City. 
    The big upcoming event in May is the fifth and last of the public 
hearings of the space commission set up in January by US president 
Bush. It got a long bureaucratic name but everyone knows it as 
'President's Commission on Moon, Mars, and beyond'. It even says that 
right in the title on its own website. 
    Anyway, come to Asia House on Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th 
to hear the commissioners explain their work and answer questions. Who 
knows? Maybe we will see astronauts tramping and hopping around on the 
Moon again. Maybe even before the Second Avenue subway is finished. 
    The annual Tour de Sol alternate energy vehicle show rolls into 
town on the 25th at Battery Park. This is a tentative location, but 
definitely you'll see the cars and get free rides in them somewhere in 
Lower Manhattan. If you can't wait, you can catch the show in 
Burlington on the 22nd and Trenton on the 24th, both in New Jersey. 

Skywatching
 ---------
    After the five-planet parade of March, April was quiet. We had 
lots of routine viewing of the planets, just that there ws no extra 
special activity. The weather hasn't been that clear. Clouds and rain 
were common all during the month.
    May is an other story. Venus starts her run toward the Sun. Slowly 
she arcs lower in the west at first, then by mid month she's in 
freefall. You;ll lose her by month end in the sunset.
    May and June are the spring season for spotting the Milky Way from 
New York. I mean the summer reach only, which is up during the owl 
hours to dawn. The winter Milky Way, rapidly sinking in the west at 
dusk, so far has not been seen within the City for many decades. Late 
spring and early summer typicly has haze moist skies, smothering any 
hope of a Milky Way sighting. At times, once in a while, the sky gets 
really, like really, clear and dark. On such nights the Milky Way can 
show thru in its brighter parts.
    The end of May is the first of New York's two Stonehenge sunset 
windows. The Manhattan street grid allows the Sun to set in line with 
an east-west street on May 29-31 and again on July 10-12. You need a 
clear view down the whole street, with no obstructions, to Hudson 

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