NYC EVENTS FOR DECEMBER 2019

NYSkies Astronomy Inc The support service for home astronomy in New York
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NYC EVENTS FOR DECEMBER 2019 --------------------------- John Pazmino NYSkies Astronomy In+c nyskies@nyskies.org wwww.nyskies.org The following astronomy activities in the commuting ring enclosing New York City are operated by various organizations. A few cultural tems of special importance to City astronomers are also included. Altho NYC Events confirms the listed items, they are subject to change by their sponsors. Check with their contacts. Let the sponsor know that you learned of its event thru NYC Events. Frequently asked questions and explanation of NYC Events is at 'www.nyskies.org/nyc-faq.htm'. You may ask for previous NYC Events thru 'nyskies@nyskies.org' because only the current issue is in the website. It is replaced by next month's issue. For events which missed NYC Events, check the NYSkies Yahoogroup forum. Join NYSkies by visiting 'www.nyskies.org/yahoo.htm' and picking either the email or website option. All hHours are Eastern Standard Time (UT - 5h). General notes ----------- / 'whole City' means the event has no specific or dedicated place. It may be enjoyed from the whole NYSkies territory or at a number of individual places. Celestial events are typicly 'whole City' events. c 'all day' means the event is continuous or repeating during the open hours of the host facility. Facilities may have limited hours per day or days per week. Check with the event contacts. 'adv regn reqd',for 'advance registration required/requested' means that the event requires or requests signing up before the event. You must have your ticket in hand at the gate. There could be a deadline some days before the event, after which no more signups are accepted. Check with the event contact for specifics. Prices cited are the 'rack rate'. You could qualify for discounts As may be offered by the sponsor. Besides the base price there may be noptional extra fees to consider. Current Month calendar -------------------- Plain dates are in current month; -, previous month; +, next month. #, NYSkies Astronomy Seminar c Moon phase: .NM., .FQ), (FM), (LQ. Sunset is noted for each Saturday --------------------------------- Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat sunset 1 2 3 .4) 5 6# 7 16:28 8 9 10 11 (12) 13 14 16:29 15 16 17 (18. 19 20# 21 16:31 22 23 24 25 .26. 27 28 16:36 29 30 31 +1 .+2) +3# +4 16:41 ---------------------------------------------- Index of Events / ------------- * = NASA-JPL Night Sky Network affiliate Date = entry in 'list of events' section '0' = entry in 'ongoing and continuing events' section 'ART',= entry in 'skipped, autumnt resumption' section 'SPR' = entrt in 'skipped, spring resumption' secrion '???' = entry in 'skipped, uncertain resumption' seciton ------- ----------------------------------------------- BROOKLYN - BK Astronomy on Tap - - - - 18 Canarsie line curtailment 0 *Floyd Bennett Field - - - 6 Secret Science Club - - - 0 CONNECTICUT - CT *A S of Gtr Hartford - - 18 Astro Soc of Greenwich - ??? *Astro Soc of New Haven - 31 Bowman Observatory - - - 4, 18 *Litchfield Hills AAC mtg 13 *Litchfield Hills lecture SPR *McCarthy Observatory - - 14 New Pond Farm - - - - - - 7 Stamford Observatory - - 6, 13, 20, 27 *Van Vleck Obsy (ASGH) - - 7 Van Vleck Obsy (WU) - - - SPR Western CT St Univ Obsy - 7 *Westport Astro Soc mtg - 17 *Westport Astro Soc starvg 4, 11, 18 ------------------------- Boothe Meml Astro Soc - 203-377-9933, www.facebook.com/Boothe-Memorial-Astronomical-Society LONG ISLAND - LI *Amateur Observers Soc - - 1 *Amat Obsrs Soc starviewing 0 Amer Instt Aero & Astro - ??? Astro Soc of Long Island 4, 11, 18 Brookhaven National Lab - 5 Custer Institute - - - - 7, 14, 214, 28 Hofstra Univ Obsy - - - - 8 Montauk Observatory - - - 7 SUNY Stony Brook - - - - 6 *Susan Rose Observatory - 7, 14, 21, 28 MANHATTAN - MH *Amat Astro Assn starvwg - 0 *Amat Astro Assn lecture - 13 Amer Instt Archarology - sPR Bloomingdale's storer - - 1-Jan 5 Canarsie line curtailment 0 Ctr for Atmosp Ocean Sci - SPR Ctr for Science & Society ??? Central Pk (Great Lawn) - 6,7,8,13,14,15,20,21,22,27,28,29 Christmas Day - - - - - - 25 Christmas Eve - - - - - - 24 City of Science - - - - - 5 *Columbia Univ Obsy - - - 6 Earth Institute - - - - - ??? Globe at Night - - - - - 18-27 Hayden Planetarium - - - 2, 19, 20 Holiday train - - - - - - 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Instt Stud Ancnt World - 3, 4, 5, 12 Intrepid Museum - - - - - SPR *Inwood Astronomy Project 7, 14, 21, 28 Natl Musm of Mathematics 4 New Year's Eve - - - - - NY Academy of Sciences - ??? NYC-H2O - - - - - - - - - 0 New York Map Society - - 7 NYU Astrop & Relatvty - - SPR *NYSkies Astronomy Seminar 6, 20 Observer's Handbook offer 1-indef Rockefeller Center - - - - 1-Jan 5 SciCafe' - - - - - - - - 4 Simons Foundation - - - - SPR *Top of the Laawn - - - - 6,7,8,13,14,15,20,21,22,27,28,29 Urban Park Rangers - - - 0 WTC station closings - -- 0 ------------------------------- Ctr for Space Sci Edu - - info@nyccsse.org, www.nyccsse.org, 212-608-6164 n METRO-NORTH - NY Lamont-Doherty Obsy - - - 4 measles epidemic - - - - 0 Mid-Hudson Astro Assn - - ??? Ramapo Challenger Ctr - - 15 Rockland Astro Club - - - 7 Vassar College Obsrvatory SPR Ward Pound Ridge - - - - SPR Westchester Amat Astro - 6 NEW JERSEY - NJ A A A of Princeton - - - 10 *Amat Astro Inc meeting - 6, 13, 27 *Amat Astro Inc lecture - 20 A S of Toms Rv Area - - - 13 Morris Musm Astro Soc - - 12 New Jersey Astro Assn - - SPR North Bergen Viaduct - - 0 No Jersey Astro Gp mtg - 11 No Jersey Astro Gp starvg 5, 12, 19 Peyton Observarory - - - 18 Plasma Physics Lab - - - 6, 20 Rutgers Univ Astro Collqm 4, 11 Rutgers Univ Astro Semnr 5 *S*T*A*R - - - - - - - - - 5 Schommer Observatory - - 12, 19 *Sheep Hill Astro Assn - - 6 *Sheep Hill Observatory - 20 *Utd Astro Clubs of NJ - - SPR Washington Xing St Pk - - SPR WTC station closings - - 0 --------------------------- Dark Sky Observers - www.users.nac.net/gburke/club McDowell Obsy - mec.rst2.edu, 201-460-8300 Montclair Telescope Club - 973-948-5284,, users.erols.com/njastro/orgs/mtc.htm NW Jersey Amat Astro - www.nwjaa.org, info@nwjaa.org Passaic Co Astro Assn - www.users.nac.net/gburke/PCAA, 973-523-0024 *Raritan Vy Co Coll Plm - www2.raritanval.edu/planetarium Skyland Stargazers - skylandstargazers.tripod.com s QUEENS - QN York College Observatory 11 REST OF WORLD Franklin Institute - - - 1-Jan 5 STATEN ISLAND - SI Coll of Staten Is Obsy - SPR Great Kills Park - - - - SPR Staten Is Community TV - 6, 13, 20, 27 THE BRONX - BX ============================= Ongoing and continuing events -------------------------- all day - ehole county - NY - measles epidemic Indef duration. Outbreaks of measles in several counties in NYSkies. Of the 1,500+ cases in US, some 1,000 are in NYSkies! UN WHO warned that if epidemic continues thru yearend, it may revoke US status as a measles-free country. Most counties offer free measles shots. Consult health provider for precautions and vaccination. all day - H&M WTC line - MH - WTC station closings STATION STAYS IN SERVICE ALL WEEKENDS IN DECEMBER 2019 Thru ate 2020. World Trade Center station closes every weekend to repair tunnels under Hudson River ruined by hurricane Sandy. Station closes at 00h on each Saturday, reopens at 05h on following Monday. WTC-bound trains turn at Exchange Pl station. For service to WTC, use 33 St line to connect to NYC subways. www.panynj.gov all day - H&M WTC line - NJ - WTC station closings STATION STAYS IN SERVICE ALL WEEKENDS IN DECEMBER 2019 Thru late 2020. World Trade Center station closes every weekend to repair tunnels under Hudson River ruined by hurricane Sandy. Station closes at 00h on each Saturday, reopens at 05h on following Monday. WTC-bound trains turn at Exchange Pl station. For service to WTC, use 33 St line to connect to NYC subways. www.panynj.gov all day - North Brgen Viaduct - NJ - road closings and rebuild Thru end 2020. One lane in each direction is closed during major rebuild of viaduct on NJ495 between NJ Tpk and Lincoln Tnl. Buses have priority on remaining lanes. On-off ramps for local street close from time to time. www.restorenj495.com all day - Canarsie line - MH - night and weekend slowdown Thru mid 2020. Curtailed service 20h to 05h daily and 20h Fri-05h Mon on weekends. Trains run single-track thru one tunnel between Bedford Av statio aand 8th Av terminal. Round- trip takes about 20 minutes. Other track and tunnel are closed. Service may change according as progress of work. Normal two-way service runs 05h-20h on weekdays. www.mta.info. all day - Canarsie line - BK - night and weekend slowdown Thru mid 2020. Curtailed service 20h to 05h daily and 20h Fri-05h Mon on weekends. Trains run single-track thru one tunnel between Bedford Av statio aand 8th Av terminal. Round- trip takes about 20 minutes. Other track and tunnel are closed. Service may change according as progress of work. Normal two-way service runs 05h-20h on weekdays. www.mta.info. all day - whole island - LI - clearsky starviewing VARIOUS PLACES, DATES, HOURS; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Amat Obsrs Soc. Sessions convene in parks usually at dusk. Occasional daytime sunviewing. Free. Cancelled for clouds. www.aosny.org, suerose@optonline.net all day - whole City - MH - cultural tour VARIOUS LOCATIONS AND TIMES; INQUIRE AT CONTACT NYC-H2O. Walk, bike, ride thru history and culture of NYC muwater system facilities and natural waterways in and near the City. Events are pay orfree, adn regn reqd. Bike tours need own bike. www.nych2o.org, matt@nych2o.org all day - whole City - MH - clearsky starviewing VARIOUS PLACES, DATES, HOURS; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Amat Astro Assn. Sessions convene in parks usually at dusk. Occasional daytime sunviewing. Free. Cancelled for clouds. president@aaa.org, 718-522-5014, www.aaa.org all day - whole City - MH - clearsky starviewing VARIOUS PLACES, DATES, HOURS; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Jupiter Joe's Sidewalk Astronomy. Sessions convene in parks usually at dusk. Occasional daytime sunviewing. Free. ` Cancelled for clouds. www.jupiterjoesastronomy.org, jupiyerjoesastronomy@gmail.com all day - whole City - MH - cultural tours & lectures VARIOUS PLACES, DATES, HOURS; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Urban Park Rangers. Tours of parks, landmarks, nabes, hoods. Lectures on history and culture of NYC. Program varies each month. Free. www.nyc.gov/parks 20:00 - Bell House - BK - Secret Science Club meeting OCCASIONAL SESSIONS; INQUIRE AT CONTACT 149 7 St, 2/3 Av. Lecture and music on various science topics. Free. secretscienceclub.blogspot.com, 718-638-4400, List of Events ------------ Sun 1 Dec all day - whole City - MH - Observer's Handbook offer OPENS The NYSkies offer for the 2020 RASC Onserver's Handbook opens on September 16. The books are printed in mid October for delivery to NYSkies in late October. You better put in your request NOW. Cost is still $23 per copy, with P&P. www.nyskies.org/oh.htm, nyskies@nyskies.org, www.nyskies.org/ohclub.htm all day - Philadelphia - PA - 'Museum of the Moon' exhibit Thru Jan 5. Franklin Institute, Franklin Py & 20 st. World's largest most detailed model of Moon, 7m diam, ~200 micron print res. This is exhibit's only show near NYC. Explore and enjoy Instt science museum and planetarium. $23 genl adm. www.fi.edy, guestservices@fi.edu, 215-448-1200. all day - Bloomingdale's store - MH - holiday exhibit Thru Jan 5. Store windows celebrate 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 with space-themed animations and displays. Exhibit in both both Lexington Av and 3 Av sides. all day - Rockefeller Center - MH - street closings Thru Jan 5. Streets bordering RockC closed to motor traffic for shoppers and tourists. Additional closings on Dec 4 for Christmas tree lighting ceremonies. 10:00 - 6 Av & 8 Av lines - MH - Holiday train Transit Museum runs vintage train on 6 Av & 8 Av lines on Sundays between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Train is mixed with regular trains with a complex route. Train leaves 2 Av station at 10h, 12h, 14h, 16h. It leaves 125 St station at 11h, 13h, 15h, 17h ---------------------------------------- uPTOWN: 2 Av/Houston, Bway-Lafa/Houston, W 4 St upper, 14 St/8 Av, 23 St/8 Av, 34 St/8 Av, 42 St/8 Av, 50 St/8 Av, 59 St/8 Av, 125 St/8 Av. Train relays at 145 St/StNick lower center track. ------------------------------------------------------- DOWNTOWN: 125 St/8 Av, 59 St/8 Av, 7 Av/53 St, 50 St/6 Av, 42 St/6 Av, 34 St/6 Av, W 4 St lower, Bway-Lafa/Houston, 2 Av/Houston. Train turns at 2 Av center track. --------------------------------------- ------ 13:15 - Uniondale - LI - Amat Obsrs Soc meeting. Hofstra Univ, Berliner Hall. Free. www.aosny.org, suerose@optonline.net Mon 2 Dec 19:00 - Hayden Planetarium - MH - 'Frontiers' lecture Kayfnamm Thtr. Enter at 81 St/Cntl Pk W. $15, adv regn reqd. 212-769-5100, www.amnh.org/programs Tue 3 Dec 18:00 - Inst Stud Anc World - MH - cultural lecruee 15 E 84 St, 5/Madison Av. Various topics on history and culture of ancient societies. Free, adv regn reqd. isaw..nyu.edu, isaw@nyu.edu, 212-992-7800 Wed 4 Dec 10:30 - Piscataway - NJ - astronomy lecture Colloquium series. Rutgers Univ, Busch Campus, Astro & Phys Lecture Hall. Free. www.physics.rutgers.edu/colloquium, 732-445-3974+ 16:00 - Natl Musm of Mathematics - MH - science show Also 19:00. 'Mathematical Encounters'. Free, adv regn reqd. 212-542-0566, www.momath.org, info@momath.org 18:00 - Inst Stud Anc World - MH - cultural lecruee - see Dec 3 18:00 - Palisades - NY - science lecture Lamont-Doherty Earth Obsy, Monell Audm. 'our changing planet'. Free, 845-365-8634, www.ldeo.columbia.edu, suzana@ldeo.columbia.edu, 19:00 - Greenwich - CT - clearsky starviewing Astro Soc of Greenwich. Curtis Elem Schl, Bowman Obsy. Free. Cancelled for clouds. rickbria@optonline.net, 203-415-6762. , astrogreenwich.org 19:00 - Amer Musm Natl Hist - MH - SciCafe' show Hall of Ocean Life or hall of planet Earth. Music, drinks, chat with Museum scientists. Free, be 21 or be gone. GI photo ID reqd. 212-769-5100, WWW.AMNH.ORG/PROGRAMS 20:00 - Westport - CT - clearsky starviewing Westport Astro Soc. Rolnick Obsy. Free. Cancelled for clouds. www.was-ct.org, 203-227-0925 20:00 - Centerport - LI - Astro Soc of LI meeting Vanderbilt Plm. Free. asliastronomy@yahoo.com, www.asliclub.org Thu 5 Dec 13:30 - Piscataway - NJ - astronomy lecture Seminar series. Rutgers Univ, Serin W330. Free. 732-445-3974, www.physics.rutgers.edu/ast/seminar 15:00 - Upton - LI - Summer Sundays science show Brookhaven Natl Lab. Bldg 510. 'A new paradigm for dark matter search at the LHC'. Free, have GI photo ID for campussecurity. 631- 344-2651, www.bnl.gov/evnts 18:00 - Inst Stud Anc World - MH - cultural lecruee - see Dec 3 18:30 - CUNY Graduate Center - MH -'Ciry of sceince' lecture 365 5 Av & 34 St, Skylight Room. 'Navigating the maze of science and technology policy'. Free, adv regn reqd. www.gc.cuny.edu/publicprograms 20:00 - Lincroft - NJ - S*T*A*R meeting Brookdale Commty Coll, Mommouth Museum. Free. www.starastronomy.org, s-walters@comcast.net 20:00 - Upper Montclair - NJ - clearsky starviewing No Jersey Astro Gp. Montclair St Univ, Richardson Hall. Free, cancelled for clouds. njastro.org, 973-655-7266 Fri 6 Dec 10:00 - Princeton - NJ - science tour Plasma Physics Lab. Walk thru history and culture of fproject to capture energy from controled hydrogen fusion. Free, adv regn reqd. Have GI photo ID for campus security. www.pppl.gov/events 18:30 - McBurney House - MH - NYSkies Astronomy Seminar DISCUSSION: OBSERVING DEEPSKY OBJECTS 125 W 14 St, 6/7 Av. Discussion of astronomy topics, show & tell, skywatching reports, news of astro activity in NYSkies territory. Free. nyskies@nyskies.org, www.nyskies.org 19:0:0 - Columbia University - MH - astronomy lecture Pupin Hall, signs to lecture room. Indoor lecture, clearsky starviewing. Free. outreach-admin@astro.columbia.edu, www.astro.columbia.edu/outreach, 212-854-3278 19:30 - Boonton - NJ - Sheep Hill Astro Assn meeting Boonton Senior Ctr. Free. www.sheephillastro.org, contacts@sheephillastro.org, wwestura@optonline.net 19:30 - Cranford - NJ - Amat Astro Inc meeting Union Co Coll, Sperry Obsy. Indoor talk, clearsky starviewing. Free. www.asterism.org 19:30 - Stony Brook - LI - astronomy lecture SUNY Stony Brook, Earth & Spc Sci Hall. Indoor lecture, clearsky starviewing. Free. www.ess.sunysb.edu/astro, 631-632-8100, slutterbie@notes.cc.sunysb.edu 19:30 - Pleasantville - NY - Westchester Amat Astro meeting Pace Univ, Lienhard Hall, Free. www.westchesterastronomers.org, waa-president@westchesterastronomers.org 19:30 - Staten Is Community TV - SI - science show 100 Cable Way, Mariners Hr SI. 'Geology forum' Live audience, seating at 19:30, on air at 20:00. Free. www.sictv.org, 718-727-1414 20:00 - Stamford - CT - astronomy lecture Stamford Obsy. $5. Indoor lecture, clearsky starviewing. 203-322-6537, www.stamfordmuseum.org info@stamfordmuseum.org 20:00 - Floyd Bennett Field - BK - clearsky starviewing Community Garden. NYSKies & Natl Park Svc. Free. Cancelled for clouds. www.nyskies.org, stephenlieber@nyc.rr.com, nyskies@nyskies.org 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing PLUS OCCASIONAL EXTRA SESSIONS; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Top of the Lawn. North path of Great Lawn. Free. Cancelled for clouds. tags_p@yahoo.com, www.nyskies.org, nyskies@nyskies.org Sat 7 Dec 14:00 - Avenues HQ - MH - New York Map Society lecture TENTATIVE DATE; INQUIRE AT CONTACT 11 E 26 St, 17th floor. Various topics about map making, cartography, geography. Free, adv regn reqd. Have GI photo ID for caampus security. www.newyorkmapsociety.org, mapsocietyny@gmail.com 17:00 - Danbury - CT - astronomy lecture Westn Conn St Uv, Obsy/Plm. Indoor planetarium show, clearsky starviewing. Free. www.wcsu.edu/starwatch, 203-837-8671, dawsond@wcsu.edu 18:00 - Bridgehampton - LI - astronomy lecture Montauk Obsy. South Fork Natl Hist Musm. Indoor talk, clearsky sunviewing. Free. www.montaukobservatory.com 19:00 - West Reading - CT - clearsky starviewing New Pond Farm, obseratory. $10, adv regn reqd. cancelled for clouds. www.newpondfarm.org, 203-938-2117 20:00 - Middletown - CT - clearsky starviewing Astro Soc of Gtr Hartford, Wesleyan U, Van Vleck Obsy. Free. cancelled for clouds. www.asgh.org, 860-872-9069, pparkerrs@cs.com 20:00 - Bear Mountain - NY - clearsky starviewing TENTATIVE DATE; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Rockland Astro Club. Anthony Wayne Rec Pk, picnic field. Free, cancelled for clouds. www.rocklandastronomy.com 20:00 - Susan Rose Obsy - LI - clearsky starviewing Amat Obsrs Soc. capus of Custer Institt. Sessions concurrent with Custer's own events. Free, cancelled for clouds. www.aosny.org, suerose@optonline.net 20:00 - New Milford - CT - astronomy lecture McCarthy Obsy, New Miford HS. Indoor lecture, clearsky starviewing. Free. www.mccarthyobservatory.org, 860-354-1595, mccarthyobservatory@gmail.com 20:00 - Inwood Hill Park - MH cleasky starviewing OCCASIONAL EXTRA SESSIONS; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Inwood Astronomy Project. Meet at park entrance, Seaman Av & Isham St. Free. Cancelled for clouds. 917-529-2359 www.inwoodastronomy.org, asonskendall@gmail.com 20:00 - Southold - LI - Custer Institute meeting OCCASIONAL EXTRA EVENTS; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Custer Instt. Indoor program, clearsky starviewing. $5-$15. Varies with program. www.custerobservatory.org, president@custerobservatory.org, 631-765-2626 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 Sun 8 Dec 10:00 - 6 Av & 8 Av lines - MH - Hliday train - see Dec 1 18:00 - Uniondale - LI - clearsky starviewing Hofstra University,Berliner Bdg, Rm 117. Free, adv regn reqd. Cancelled for clouds. 516-463-2759, www.hofstra.edu/Academics, observatory@hofstra.edu 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 Tue 10 Dec 19:30 - Princeton - NJ - Amat Astro Assn of Princeton meeting Princeton U, Peyton Hall. Free. www.princetonastronomy.org, 609-737-2575, info@princetonastronomy.org Wed 11 Dec 10:30 - Piscataway - NJ - astronomy lecture - see Dec 4 19:00 - York College - QN - astronomy lecture . Core Academic Bdg, Rm AC-2E01. Indoor lecture, clearsky 20:00 - Upper Montclair - NJ - No Jersey Astro Gp meeting Montclair St Univ, Richardson Hall, Room 232. Free. njastro.org, 973-655-7266 jjj 20:00 - Westport - CT - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 4 20:00 - Centerport - LI - Astro Soc of LI meeting - see Dec 4 Thu 12 Dec 18:00 - Inst Stud Anc World - MH - cultural lecruee - see Dec 3 19:30 - Morristown - NJ - Morris Museum Astro Soc meeting Morris Museum. Free. 973-386-1848, 973-386-1848,, www.morrismuseum.org/astro-society, info@morrismusem.org, ckkrish@gmail.com 20:00 - Upper Montclair - NJ - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 5 20:30 - Piscataway - NJ - clearsky starviewng Rutgers Univ, Schommer Obsy. Free. Cancelled for clouds. 732-205-0020, www.physics.rutgers.edu/ast/ast-serin.html pryor@physics.rutgers.edu Fri 13 Dec 18:15 - Amer Musm Natl Hist - MH - Amat Astro Assn lecture Kaufmann Theater. Free, no musm adm fee. 718-522-5014, president@aaa.org, www.aaa.org 19:00 - Toms River - NJ - Astro Soc of Toms Rv Area meeting Ocean Co Coll, Novins Planetarium. Free. www.astra-nj.org, 732-255-0343, webmaster@astra-nj.org 19:30 - Torrington - CT - Litchfield Hills Amat Astro Club mtg Central Congregational Church. Free. lhastro.org, lhastro@gmail.com 19:30 - Staten Is Community TV - SI - science show - see Dec 6 19:30 - Cranford - NJ - Amat Astro Inc meeting - see Dec 6 20:00 - Stamford - CT - astronomy lecture - see Dec 6 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 Sat 14 Dec 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 20:00 - Inwood Hill Park - MH cleasky starviewing - see Fec 7 20:00 - Susan Rose Obsy - LI - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 7 20:00 - Southold - LI - Custer Institute meeting - see Dec 7 Sun 15 Dec 10:00 - 6 Av & 8 Av lines - MH - Hliday train - see Dec 1 14:00 - Airmont - NY - science show Ramapo Challenger Ctr, 225 Rt 29. Multimedia imulation of space missions. $20., director@lhvcc.com, 845-257-3416, ramapoparks#ramapo.org, 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 Tue 17 Dec 20:00 - Westport - CT - Westport Astro Soc meeting Rolnick Obsy. Free. www.was-ct.org, 203-227-0925 Wed 18 Dec 19:00 - Greenwich - CT - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 19:00 - whole CIty - MH - Globe at Night exercise Thru Dec 27. NYSkies runs its own Globe at Night exercise in 2018-2019 while Orion is in sky at nighfall. Same method and procedure as for prior years for documenting sky transparency over City. Details at www.nyskies.org/gannyc.htm 19:30 - New Brittain - CT - Astro Soc of Gtr Hartford meeting Central CT St Univ, Copernicus Plm. Free. www.asgh.org, 860-872-9069, pparkerrs@cs.com 20:00 - Princeton - NJ - clearsky starviewing Princeton Univ, Peyton Hall. Free. Cancelled for clouds www.astro.princeton.edu/observatory/publicobserving.php, jeg@astro.princeton.edu, lee@astro.princeton.edu 20:00 - Way Station Pub - BK - Astronomy on Tap meting 683 Washington Av & Prospect Pl (Prospect Hts). Informal astronomy discussion in pub setting. Free, one drink purchase reqd. astronomyontap.org/locatons/new-york-city 20:00 - Westport - CT - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 4 20:00 - Centerport - LI - Astro Soc of LI meeting - see Dec 4 Thu 19 Dec 19:00 - Hayden Planetarium - MH - holiday lecture 'Earthshine: Apollo 8'. Enter at 81 St/Cntl Pk W. $15, adv regn reqd. 212-769-5100, www.amnh.org/programs 20:00 - Upper Montclair - NJ - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 5 20:30 - Piscataway - NJ - clearsky starviewng - see Dec 12 Fri 20 Dec 10:00 - Princeton - NJ - science tour - see Dec 6 18:30 - McBurney House - MH - NYSkies Astronomy Seminar DISCUSSION: STARS OF OUR WINTER SKY 125 W 14 St, 6/7 Av. Discussion of astronomy topics, show & tell, skywatching reports, news of astro activity in NYSkies territory. Free. nyskies@nyskies.org, www.nyskies.org 19:00 - Hayden Planetarium - MH - 'Astronomy live!' lecture Live narrated planetarium show. Enter at 81 St/Cntl Pk W. $15, adv regn reqd. 212-769-5100, www.amnh.org/programs 19:30 - Staten Is Community TV - SI - science show - see Dec 6 20:00 - Cranford - NJ - Amat Astro Inc lecture Union Co Coll, Smith Audm. Indoor talk, clearsky starviewing. Free. www.asterism.org 20:00 - Boonton - NJ - clearsky starviewing Sheep Hill Astro Assn Obsy, Free. Cancelled for clouds. sheephillastro.otg, contacts@sheephillastro.org, wwestura@optonline.net 20:00 - Stamford - CT - astronomy lecture - see Dec 6 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 Sat 21 Dec 20:00 - Inwood Hill Park - MH cleasky starviewing - see Fec 7 20:00 - Susan Rose Obsy - LI - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 7 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 20:00 - Southold - LI - Custer Institute meeting - see Dec 7 Sun 22 Dec 10:00 - 6 Av & 8 Av lines - MH - Hliday train - see Dec 1 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 Tue 24 Dec all day - whole City - MH - cgrustnas Eve Please check with event contact for session falling on this day by rule or outdated schedule Wed 25 Dec all day - whole City - MH - Christmas Day Please check with event contact for session falling on this day by rule or outdated schedule Fri 27 Dec 19:30 - Staten Is Community TV - SI - science show - see Dec 6 19:30 - Cranford - NJ - Amat Astro Inc meeting - see Dec 6 20:00 - Stamford - CT - astronomy lecture - see Dec 6 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 Sat 28 Dec 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 20:00 - Inwood Hill Park - MH cleasky starviewing - see Fec 7 20:00 - Southold - LI - Custer Institute meeting - see Dec 7 20:00 - Susan Rose Obsy - LI - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 7 Sun 29 Dec 10:00 - 6 Av & 8 Av lines - MH - Hliday train - see Dec 1 20:00 - Central Park - MH - clearsky starviewing - see Dec 6 Events Skipped This Month ----------------------- EVENT MAY RESUME AT DIFFERENT PLACE OR HOUR; INQUIRE AT CONTACT -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- [SPR] SPRING RESUMPTION OF ACTIVITY -------------------------------------- 14:00 - New York University - MH - astronomy lecture 726 Broadway, Rm 940. Various topics in astrophys and relativity. Free. Have GI photo ID for campus security. physics.nyu.edu/events.htm 15:30 - Courant Institute - MH - science lecture Ctr for Atmosp & Ocean Studies. Weaver Hall, 251 Mercer St. Various topics in geophysics and earth science. Free. caos.cims.nyu.edu, shafer@cims.nyu.edu 16:15 - Simons Foundation - MH - scinece lecture 160 5 Av & 21 St. 'Reductionism vs. bootstrap: Are big things always made of elementary things?'. Buffet smacks 16:15, lecture 17:00. Free, adv regn reqd. 646-654-0066, ww.simonsfoundation.org 17:30 - Intrepid Museum - MH - Free Friday show Pier 86 and ship. Exhibits, demos, talks. Clearsky movies and starviewing. Free. www.intrepidmuseum.org 18:30 - CUNY Grad Ctr - MH - Amer Instt Archaeolgy lecture TENTATIVE LOCATION; INQUIRE AT CONTACT 365 Fifth Av, 34 St.Various topics on archaeology and anthropology. Free, adv regn reqd. GI photo ID required for campus security. www.aia-nysociety.org, info@aia-nysociety.org 20:00 - Litchfield - CT - Litchfield Hills A A C lecture White Meml Consrvn Ctr. Free. Indoor lecture, clearsky starviewing. lhaacsec@gmail.com, lhastro.org 20;00 - Wash'n X'ing - NJ - clearsky starviewing Amat Astro Assn of Princeton. Simpson Obsy. Free, cancelled for clouds. www.princetonastronomy.org, 609-737-2575, info@princetonastronomy.org 20:00 - Middletown - CT - clearsky starviewing MEETS ONLY DURING CLASSES; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Wesleyan U, Van Vleck Obsy. Free, cancelled for clouds. 860-685-3664, www.wesleyan.edu/astro/events 20:00 - Ward Pound Ridge - NY - clearsky starviewing Westchester Amat Astro. Meadows Picnic Area. Free. Cancelled for clouds. waa-president@westchesterastronomers.org www.westchesterastronomers.org, 20:00 - Jenny Jump St Forest - NJ - Utd A C of NJ mtg UACNJ Obsy. Indoor talk, clearsky starviewing. Free. www.uacnj.org 20:00 - Great Kills Pk - SI - clearsky starviewing Natl Pk Svc. Enter at Hylan Bv to playground; Free. Cancelled for clouds. www.nps.gov/gate, 718-987-6790 n 20:30 - Voorhees St Pk - NJ - NJ Astro Assn meeting NJAA-HQ, Robinson Obsy. Indoor lecture, clearsky starviewing. Free. www.njaa.org, 908-368-8500 20:30 - Coll of Staten Is - SI - clearsky starviewing Astrophys Obsy. Free, cancelled for clouds. 718-982-2818, csivc.csi.cuny.edu/supernove7/files/home.html, robbins@mail.csi.cuny.edu, 21:00 - Poughkeepsie - NY - clearsky starviewing MEETS ONLY DURING CLASSES; INQUIRE AT CONTACT Vassar College, Observatory. Free. Cancelled for clouds. physicsandastronomy.vassar.edu/observatory.html, 845-437-7340 -------------------------------------- [???] UNCERTAIN RESUMPTION OF ACTIVITY -------------------------------------- 15:30 - Greenwich - CT - Astro Soc of Greenwich meeting Greenwich Audubon Center. Free. rickbria@optonline.net, 203-415-6762. astrogreenwich.org 18:00 - Columbia University- MH - Ctr for sci and Soc lecture Fauenweather Hall, Room 513. 'Comparing domains of improvisation'. Free, adv regn reqd. 212-854-7211, scienceandsociety.columbia.edu 18:00 - Hempstead - LI - Amer Instt Aero & Astro lecture Hofstra Univ, Breslin Hall, rm216 . Various topics in aeronautics and astronautics. 'Observations from the Apollo LM to the Shuttlre and ISS, and beyond'. Free, $7 opt pizza-soda, adv regn reqd.718-812-2727, greghomatas@msn.com 19:00 - NY Academy of Sciences - MH - astronomy lecture 'The nystery of our mathematical universe'. $20. www.nyas.org 20:300 - Lk Taghkanic St Pk - NY - clearsky starviewing Mid-Hudson Astro Assn. West Beach parking lot. Free, cancelled for clouds. Adv regn reqd with vehicle make, model, plate number for park security. ` www.nidhudsonastronomy.org General news ---------- I removed a couple ongoing cultural activities from NYC Events. While they are still wonderful events, they during 2019 became absorbed into the astronomer's life. I continue to list temporary ones, like exhibits and shows. Astro Soc of Greenwich shifted its meetings to Greenwich Audubon Center. They were at the Greenwich Public Library. Some weekly events are suspended across Christmas and New Year's. They continue on normal schedule in January. Weekend Walks ended in November, There are no events in December. NYC DOT will run these street closings again starting in spring 2020. College of SI Obsy seems to lose it entire fall season. I moved it to 'SPR' pending details of its operations. There were several in-house viewings of the Mercury transit on November 11. i knew of a couple but, not being public, they were not included in the November 2019 NYC Events. all sessions were successful with mild clear weather, Please be wisely of winter weather for events in December-February. They could be cancelled for adverse road or rail conditions or be forced closed by heavy snow. Check with event contact before going to a winter event, even if it is an indoor event. NYSkies does not cancel its Seminar save for the most compelling causes. In fact, we cancelled only ONE session in our history. That was the session when hurricane Sandy knocked out electric, other utilities, around McBurney House. City news ------ On Oct 30 some 20 towns and counties in New Jersey cancelled Halloween outdoor celebrations. They all cited fear of rain for the next day and evening. Morning newscasts on the 30th read off the list and a fw suggested these towns will call off Christmas events due to cold or snow. It did rain lightly in Halloween evening but heavy downpour came near midnight when most outdoor activity was over. The Greenwich Village Halloween parade stepped off on time with no concern for rain. NYC DOT closes off curb lanes in 5th Av from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day to widen paths for shoppers and visitors. The lanes are set off by temporary barriers, leaving the two center lanes for toad traffic. The reach is 48 St-51 St. NYSkies Astronomy Seminar on Nov 1 gave last minute information FedEx on Nov 23 -24 tested 'Roxo',its new robot delivery vehicle, in SOHO MH. The white meter-cube with a human-tall sensor mast carries the 'FedEx' splash. It moves at up to jogging speed, can mount curbs and ramps, turn in place. Test made bo deliveries but ran thru assorted streets to exercise its AI and sensing systems. A FedEx crew paced the device to record its actions and deter people from molesting it. Roxo is tested in other towns but still is only a prototype. for the mercury Transit. We answered questions and detailed the use of transits to determine the Earth-Sin distance. As at the meeting date NYSkies knew of only four public transit viewings: Morris Museum Astro Soc, Morristown NJ; Maontauk Obsy, East Hampton LI; McCarthy Obsy, new Milford CT; Westport Astro soc, Westport CT. a couple of us heard of other viewings under planning with no firm details. We then move to the prime topic of exoplanets. We saw how serious suggestion of exoplanets came up in the 1780s to explain the light output of star Algol The idea faded until the 1940s with better understanding of star birth and development. Some of the material in the nebula around a star did not all fall into the star. It could cool into solid drops in orbit around the star as planets. Deliberate attempts to dins exoplanets, also called extrasolar planets, began in 1950s by tracking wobbles in a star's proper motion. The disturbing pull on the star could indicate a low-mass cold body, a planet, rather than a small dim star. Results were persuasive but hardly conclusive. One star studied by van de Kamp, Barnard's star, in 2018, long after his time, was confirmed to host a planet. An other method, dominant in the late 20th century, relied on Doppler motion of the star as a planet tugged on it. At first only massive planets close to the star were found, the 'hot Jupiters'. Today we can detect planets that wiggle the host star by mere meters per second of Doppler shift. The method quickly improved to capture Neptune planets farther away from the star. The transit method dominates the 21st century mostly from planet-hunting satellites above the atmosphere. The planet crossing in front of the star blocks a bit of its light. This is sensed by photometers to flag a potential planet. Kepler and COROT spaceprobes so far found several thousand planets. Direct imaging in visual and infrared bands in 21st century found several planets when they are far from the star, like for star Fomalhaut, The early planets were discovered around dim obscure stars out of reach from home astronomers. in 1995 a planet was found at 51 Pegasi, visible by bare-eye or binoculars. By 1999 about a dozen more planets were found around bright stars, with upsilon Andromeda hosting several of them. I realized these special stars -- planetary stars - could become a major new target for home astronomers. They can see the star and muse that the people on its planet are looking back at our Sun in their own sky. I started to collect information on the bright planetary stars, which evolved into the present master table in our web. It contains over 100 planetary stars, almost all with Bayer or Flamsteed names, with about 150 planets. it's at 'www.nyskies.org/articles/pazmino/planstar.htm'. The table is updated occasionally to capture newly announced planetary stars. We learned that several webs track all planetary stars, such as Extasolar Planet Encyclopedia. This web presents data in a spreadsheet for download and manipulation. We skimmed over the search for extraterrestrial life on the exoplanets for want of time. Looking for life actually was tried in the 1890s when the new radio industry heard signal code from mars. It later was proved false because in fact the noise came from Jupiter, in the sky with Mars at the time.Jupiter generates natural radio noise,. In the 1920s all radio transmission on Earth was halted for one minute to listen for radio signal from mars with none heard. Searching for life beyond Earth merits a full session for itself. Takeaways were extras of the Mercury transit package from the Oct 18 meeting, Historical articles pictures of dustdiscs at stars that could condense into planets, diagrams and Examples of the various planet detection methods, pages from exoplanet webs, maps of 51 Pegasi and planetary stars in Corona Borealis,pages from the master table of bright planetary stars, cartoons of Earth astronomers looking at a planetary star and extraterrestrials looking at our Sun. The Donald on Oct 30 officially switched residence from new York to Florida, being fed up with reckless taxation and incompetent administration in the City. His permanent abode is his second home in Palm Beach FL. He continues to visit Trump Tower until he leaves presidency in 2025. Strong winds in eve of Nov 27 caused Macy's parade to apply its strong-wind plan for the balloons. Altho winds calmed by morning of 28th, Thanksgiving Day, balloons were pulled to 2m from ground. Extra handlers under balloons kept them from scraping ground or striking street furniture. NYSies Astronomy Seminar on Nov 15 heard several reports of the mercury transit and discussed double stars. Greg Homatas missed watching the transit but followed it on webcasts and emails from other observers. John Pazmino and Steve Kaye viewed thru filtered optics from their homes in Brooklyn.e Steve showed pictures he took of the event. Others went to a watch arranged on short notice in Floyd Bennett Field to watch thru its scopes. Joe Fedric watchedfrom his home in the Bronx by filtered direct view and telescope projection. Every one commented on the utter absence of sunspots on the Sun, leaving only Mercury to mar the solar disc. We then went into the double star topic. We learned some history, starting with Galileo's attempt to observe parallax with Mizar. he found no detctable parallax, suggesting that it was either way too small, the Mizar components were really adjacent, or, erm, the Earth didn't orbit the Sun to generate a parallax. we mentioned several double stars found by chance in the 1600s-1700s all be accident and assumed to be chance alignment of independent stars. We discussed Michell's statistical work to show that double stars were orders more common than reasonable odds would a;;pw. He at the time had no evidence to back him up because double stars were too casually observed. Herschel discovered hundreds of double stars with intent to study parallax and proper motions. He found that most doubles were in fact two stars in orbital motion, the first instance of gravity applied beyond the solar system. The first orbit for a double, binary, star was worked up in 1820s for xi Ursae Majoris and gamma Virginis. gamma was about to round periastron in 1830s, inducing dread and fear among astronomers. with no idea what stars were, the prospect of some catastrophe when the comites 'merged' seemed real. The stars survived, merely coming closer together than scopes of the time could resolve. We recalled the next periastron of gamma in the 2-thous, with amazement for home astronomers reliviing the cosmic drama. We explored telescope resolution to see how star imaged can blend under too low power or very close stars. We saw that a binary star has two sun-sized masses orbiting a center of mass between them. Kepler found a simple form of the law of periods in the solar system because the Sun had almost all the mass between him and any planet. The CM is inside the Sun, masking it from detection. Newton added the mass factor in the 1680s but he couldn't test it because binary stars were not yet known. We studied diagrams of several binary stars of short period, whose orientation a and separation change substantially within an astronomer's career. We learned that if the comites of a binary star are separately visible they must be far apart linearly. The farther away a binary star is, the longer is its period, centuries or millennia. The decades-long period stars are nearby to us, tens to hundreds of lightyears away. We examined diagrams for astrometric and spectrometric binaries to see how the individual mass of the components is determined. from the stars's luminosity ad spectral class we plot it on the Hertzsprung Russell diagram. Each plot is labeled, for many binary stars, the mass. The trend comes out that the star mass increases upward along the Main sequence, leading to the mass-luminosity rule. Binary stars are specially useful in understanding stellar evolution because their comites were created at about the same time and have the same chemical makeup. We didn't bear up on the distinction of 'double' and 'binary' star for casual observing. Both types, the chance lineup and gravity binding, form beautiful targets in small scopes.The colors, generated by the spectral class, are strongly exaggerated in double stars by physiological effects in human vision. Takeaways were historical articles on double stars, diagrams of spectrometric and astrometric binaries, orbits diagrams of several short-period binaries, sample HR diagram and period-luminosity graph. NYC DOT on Nov 7 began adding raised platforms at certain bus stops along 14th St on Manhattan. These let buses stay in center lane and not pull over to curb for doing stops. other vehicles in curb lanes, which must leave 14 St at next right turn, have to swerve around the platforms. Work also extends sidewalks along Union Sq, leaving only the center lanes open. NYC Transit in mid November fitted route M14 buses in 14 St with head-end cameras. Bus driver by pedal snaps pictures of vehicles obstructing bus lanes. Prints of the picture is sent, with moving- violation ticket, to car's owner. fine is typcly $100, plus city & state processing fees. Sky news ------ Transit of Mercury was widely observed all over NYSkies. almost all viewing was by individuals or small groups. Weather was balmy, around 15C, light breeze, some scattered clouds. Sky clouded over in late afternoon, long after 4th contact. In general, this is the final Mercury transit local astronomers will witness from NYSkies land, unless they do transit-chasing trips in 2032 or 2039. November 2019 was a so-so month for observing, with many cloudy or rainy nights. Overall, the clouds stayed thru the night. Clear nights gave good observing, with some allowing bare-eye sights of several DSOs. No night was up to letting the Milky Way shine thru. First snow in NYSkies fell on Nov 7 evening. Almost all in west sector of turf, laying a few cm on ground. City and LI got some rain. The solar eclipse on December 26 recalled to some readers the Christmas eclipse in 2000. That was partial in NYSkies, observed under full winter air. This year's eclipse occurs at local midnight. It illustrates the 'rule-of-19' where a given eclipse is followed by an other one on the same date 19 years later. There may be a chatter of one day. 2019 Dec 26 is 19 years after 2000 Dec 25, missing by only 21 minutes. Intl Earth Rotttn Svc will NOT add a leapsecond in the last minute of 2019 Dec 31. Delta-T remains -37s until further notice. Previous leapsecond was added in 2019 June 30. The convention of planets and Moon in southwest on Nov 28 eve was veiled by haze or thin cloud for most of NYSkies. From bottom to top: Venus, Jupiter, Moon, Saturn. Haze/cloud softened earthshine on Moon. First snow in NYC came in afternoon of Nov 12. Flurries fell over most places with no accumulation. Rest of NYSkies got rain. In some areas the rain froze to ground ice, making road travel hazardous. New bright planetary star epsilon Indi with one planet. Star is a binary with brown dwarf comes. Planet orbits the visible component. Some specs: ------------------------------------------ star name | epsilon Indi HD number | H d 209100 distance | 3.6 pc spectrum | K2-V App magm | +4.7 Rt Asc (2000)| 22h 03m 22s Decl (2000) | -56d 47m 10s -------------+------------- planet mass | 3.25 Jupiter semimaj axis | 11.55 AU orbit period | 16.509 day -------------------------- Readers ask why planetary star HR5183, reported in august is not in our table of bright planetary stars. When a star lacks a Bayer/Flamsteed na me I , include it if it is brighter than +6.0 magnitude. HR5183, having no Bayer/Flamsteed name, is +6.3 magn, too dim for the master table. It's in the news because its planet runs in a grossly excentric orbit and some investigators fear the planet may spiral into the host star with a colossal explosion.The flash could be a bare-ee sight from Earth. Some specs for further inquiry: HD# = 120066,RA = 13h47m, DE = +06d21m, dist = 31pc, Mapp = +6.3, Spec = G0- V. it sits once more beyond from zeta Virginis to between 78 and 84 Virginis. Asteroid Vesta slides thru Cet, Ari, Tau in winter 2019-20. At 6th-7th magn it is easily followed in binoculars. In late Nov it's in Caput Ceti, then arcs north and east by Feb 2020.