Thought for the Month
Ignorance is very important! It is an absolutely essential step
in the learning process! - Soloman Einstein
 Announcements
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Greetings to all and best wishes for a successful New Year of 2006.
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The event on 28 January has been cancelled. More information is below.
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The 2006 calendar has been filled in and is posted at this time. If you look at it in detail, you will see that there are some potential conflicts. This calendar is only a guide for possible SunTree activities. There will be changes made as we move through the year.
What Happened in December
Between-the-Holidays at Elephant Butte
We could not have asked for better weather than we got at the "Between-the-Holidays" event at Elephant Butte this year. Even in the evening, it was comfortable to walk outside in my SunTree uniform. Of course the patio fireplace was put to good use and the hot tub was in constant use throughout the evening. Some even reluctantly got out of the tub to take a few hours sleep before planning to return by daybreak. Unfortunately, those plans were not fulfilled because the comforts of sleep kept them tied to the bed until very late in the day.
There is no need to mention the food, because it was as good and in as large a quantity as is expected at SunTree events. The house was decorated in a festive way, though, as you may recall, starting last year, the outdoor decorations were more subdued due to a request from the air traffic controllers.
I did not count the number of attendees, but I believe that there were more participants than even last year. I think that all had a good time.
Advance announcement for the February Ski Event
I want to remind all that we are still considering a ski weekend in February even though the snows are late in coming this year. The lower slopes of Ski Apache do currently have adequate snow and by the end of February there should be enough for the whole mountain to be open. If that does not happen, there will still be some intermediate slopes open and all of the beginner slopes. Please contact SunTree if you plan on participating so that we can select an appropriate size condo to rent.
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Events this Month
January Club Doings
Post-Holidays recovery event:
Once again, SunTree will be in Alamogordo for some serious recovery from the holidays. How do we recover from all of that overindulgence? Why, we eat some more and soak in the hot tub some more. What better way can you think of?
The Cancelled House-Warming Event
The housewarming previously planned for 28 January in Canutillo, TX will have to be scheduled at another time. As anybody who has prepared their plans for moving into a new house (especially a house that is being built for them) they do not always have complete control over the schedule for completion of all of the requirements. The SunTree gang will better enjoy this event when the house is ready for them. Stay tuned for future news on this front.
January Celestial Events
New Year Shifts in the Celestial Population
The first evening of the year finds the crescent Moon, in the icy twilight of sunset to the left of brilliant, Venus. Don’t tarry in your appreciation of Venus this month Venus will be visible in the evening sky for just one week. After that we will lose sight of that planet due to the brilliance of the Sun. Venus will appear as a predawn morning "star" visible after the 21st. By the end of the month Venus will be well up in the morning sky before dawn. If you have some good binoculars or a steady telescope, you will be able to see Venus as a crescent in the morning sky.
Mars will be in the southeast at nightfall, is at its greatest brilliancy of the year, so it gets its show over quickly. It will move across the southern sky through the night to set in the west. In the great solar system horserace, Earth moves ahead of Mars during January. As a result, Mars will fade through the month as it is left behind.
Jupiter will be rising by 3:00 AM on New Year’s morning. By dawn, Jupiter will be that very bright light glowing high in the southeastern sky.
Saturn, in the east in the early nightfall, is at its brightest this month. Each night, it will rise earlier and will be higher in the eastern sky each night. Saturn will be at its brightest (and closest to us) on 27 January. If you are interested in looking at those beautiful rings, get your telescope out late in the evening when Saturn will be high in the sky and not bothered by the horizon’s thick atmosphere.
Our friendly sky pointer, the thin Moon, will be to the left of Venus on New Year’s morning. The Moon (considerably fatter) will be close to Mars on the 8th. Then the Moon will move over to be near Saturn on the 14th and 15th, and close to Jupiter on the 23rd.
Earth reaches perihelion, its closest point to the Sun on the 4th.
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