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 Carl Schurz Pk - MH - clearsky starviewing - fotordavis{at}aol.com
 Carl Schurz Pk - MH - clearsky sunviewing - fotordavis{at}aol.com
 Freeport - LI - Amat Obsrs Soc lecture - www.aosny.org
 Great Kills Pk - SI - starviewing - vfleetsales{at}aol.com, 718-494-1370
 Jenny Jump St Pk - NJ - Utd Astr Clubs NJ mtg - www.uacnj.org Sat -
 R Moses St Pk - LI - clearsky starviewing - www.aosny.org.
 Voorhees St Pk - NJ - clearsky sunviewing - www.njaa.org
 Washtn Xing - NJ - clearsky starviewing - www.princetonastronomy.org

General news
 ----------
    December meetings of many astroclubs are yearend celebrations,
rather than lectures or shows. Moreover, the meeting may be at a site
other than the usual one, like a restaurant, not specificly stated in
announcements to hand when I compile NYC Events. For the most part,
visitors are welcome anyway. Please check with the club's contact
first before going to a December meeting.
    Some events are within a property, typicly a museum, that has an
admission fee. The 'free' or '$xx' charge noted in NYC Events is that
AFTER getting into the host property.
    Some parks where specific public sessions are held are also used by
stargazers on other dates under stipulations set by each park. BEFORE
availing of the park for such extra stargazing, learn from the contact
about these stipulations. If the park finds you on its grounds outside
of public sessions without satisfying its terms of use, you may be
removed from the property. This admonition is a fallout from the
ongoing revision of access to various lands across the country.
    The NYSkies calendar section and NYC Events now are essentially
congruent. An event missed in NYC Events or or an existing one has
substantial change, it is tagged with '(CLICK)'. The event's details
and contact are behind your mouse click. Print the calendar in
landscape mode to avoid clipping off the far right days.
    The website for Long Island Space Society is www.lispace.org, not
www.liss.org. The latter is for Live Internet Seismic Server, a
nonastronomy -- tho pretty interesting geological -- service.
    The College of Staten Island Observatory and Stamford Observatory
both have a $3 admission for all their public nights, not just for
special sessions.

Skywatching
 ---------
    November had two major visitors in our skies, asteroid Hermes and
comet Encke. Altho both were a bit dim for most City scopes, some of
us did catch sight of either or both. By early November Hermes was
faded well beyond City astronomers and Encke by late November receded
into evening twilight.
    Two special events were lost to us. The Leonids were a washout on
the morning of November 19th. It rained in some places; others got
just deep overcast. The other missed event was the Moon's occultation
of gamma Virginis on the morning of November 20th. Thin cloud and
bright dawn veiled it.
    Despite these setbacks, NYSkiers carpooled to Wilcox Park on
Friday the 21st and to Voorhees State Park on the 22nd. They got
pleasing clear skies and did some excellent starviewing with the host
clubs. New Jersey Astronomical Association hosted them at Voorhees;
Mid Hudson Astronomical Association, Wilcox.
    We had one sighting of northern lights! On October 29-30, we got a
strong white glow in the north and northeast from the massive solar
storm that slammed Earth that afternoon and evening. The aurora struck
most of the United States and many overseas places, sometimes with
very spectacular displays.
    On November 20-21 an other round of aurora sweeped over Earth, but
it missed the City. We were looking, based on solar storm alerts, but
saw no aurora. The storm apparently missed the northern US and gave
strong displays to the southern latitudes.
    Both Venus and Saturn came into easy view in our evening skies.
Yes, NYSkiers were following both for a couple months, but now they
are out in more convenient hours. SOme of us are getting revved up for
the Venus transit, in next June!, as we see Venus winding up for her
grand promenade across the evening sky. The precession culminates with
her mad dash toward the Sun in May, and then, bang!, she slides across
the solar disc.
    Saturn attains his perihelic opposition on December 31st, with the
rings still almost fully open. He's the 'new' star in Gemini about
half between Betelgeuse and Castor-Pollux.

Special Events
 ------------
    NYSkiers on November 18th flocked to New York Institute of
Technology near Columbus Circle for Dr Edward Belbruno's talk on
NASA's human space exploration plans. On the morning of his talk he
took badly ill and cancelled out. Some of us went for lunch and chat
across the street in the cafeteria of Fordham University.
    I include this year the most famous tree lighting in the world, at
Rockefeller Center on December 3rd. And one on December 2nd at City
Hall. There's little astronomy in them, except a strained relation to
the Star of Bethlehem. These events are part of the cultural fabric of
the planet and are a favorite treat to attend. The two take place in
confined spaces, the front of City Hall and the plaza at Rockefeller

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