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Árbol del Sol
Thought for the Month The SunTree Traveler
We were all the fools in this case. If there were any who showed up at this event, we extend our apologies. Due to massive lack of communication, most (possibly all) of the SunTree gang did not go to this event. In the case of most of us (including your newsletter editor, I am sorry to admit) there were conflicting personal plans that prevented participation. I cannot say what the thoughts of the others were, but I made the assumption that our Faywood events are always well attended, so my absence would not be noticed. That would have probably been true if I were the only one who did this. One of the non-attendants had a mixed-blessing situation. Illness kept our Alamogordo contingent from attending, but had they showed up, they probably would have taken a ton or two of food for the potluck. Sincere apologies to all who were there expecting a SunTree event.
There was certainly a good number of participants at the home of our Belen members for Earth Day (we forgot to bring the trees to plant, so we will have to do it again someday). A beautiful home with a hot tub that would not fit into my backyard made this a delightful weekend. Of course the gracious hosts of this event made the weekend very enjoyable. Need I mention food? I think that I will refrain because it is the same old story of too much of a good thing.
Alamogordo for Mother’s Day Alamogordo will be the site of our next event on 13 and 14 May for a Mother’s Day event. Once again food and good company will be the high points of this event. Be sure to contact the hosts or the club to indicate your intention to participate and what you plan to bring for your contribution to the Saturday evening potluck meal.
Due to a personal plea in the form of a personal phone call from Smoky the Bear (or is that bare?) we are canceling our planned camping trip into the Gila National Forest over the Memorial Day Weekend. We also plan to drop the camping trip plans for the Independence Day weekend as well for the same reason. [Most of you, especially the ones who have visited the grave of Smoky the Bear in Capitan have probably guessed that there was no personal phone call.] Because of these cancellations, we will be adding some additional events to our calendar for camping trips to Faywood Hot Springs. Be sure to watch the newsletter or the website to see when these events will be added.
Early Month Activities by Meteors and by Jupiter We are planning to start off the month with a nice little meteor shower. This is the Eta Aquarid shower and it is made up of the roadway gravel left by Comet Halley (remember him?). This shower is comparable in size to the Leonid Shower that we normally schedule for mid-November when we are camped out at Faywood Hot Springs. Great views in the early pre-dawn sky while soaking in one of those fantastic pools. The Eta Aquarid Shower is planning to have its peak activity in the early morning hours of 4 May. On the same day as the Eta Aquarid Meteor shower Jupiter will reach the point in its orbit where it is opposite the Sun from the perspective of those readers of this who live on planet Earth. It will be the following night, however when it will reaches its brightest display of the year. It will be out pretty well all night glowing at magnitude – 2.0 (remember, the smaller the magnitude, the brighter the glow. Smaller numbers are like golf scores, the smaller the better. o you know anybody who can shoot a minus 2? That is fantastic!) The Moon once again fulfills its self-appointed role of pointing to the various planets to let us know where to look to find them. This month, on 3 May, the Moon moves in close to Saturn so that you can train your telescope there to look at those beautiful rings. On 11 May, the Moon will be in the neighborhood of brilliant Jupiter. It will then move on to visit with Venus on 24 May. It just barely misses a collision with Mercury on 27 May. Having enjoyed the company of Saturn on 3 May, it decides to pay another visit again on 31 May. The odd tilt of the lunar orbit keeps the Moon extremely low during the midmonth period. If you are planning a trip into the northern parts of Canada and Alaska, the Moon will not rise at all. Mars will be fading throughout the month. It will travel throughout the month to pay a nice visit toward the end of the month to its planetary friend Saturn.
© 2004 SunTree Travel Club - Site updated Summer 2008 |
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What Happened in April?