PS 102 Stargazing Tonight!

I have the parks department permit in-hand! They verbally confirmed it was approved a week ago, but the paperwork takes a while, so it was only yesterday that it was finally ready. Today I went over Prospect Park and picked it up. As I was walking out, I noticed it read "no vehicles in the park at any time." Oops! I had specifically requested permission to drive into the park to haul the telescopes. So, I walked back in and asked. They first attempted to find someone who might be working that evening to escort me in. It’s a safety issue, of course, the parks are full of people and especially at risk are small children. After calling around, they gave me a set of verbal rules to follow when driving in: flashers on, keep it under 10 mph, have a walker in front of the car to help clear the way and make sure its safe. Of course, with a walker in front, the real speed will have to be under 5 mph!

But the important part is that the event is a go, and the weather looks fabulous. And unlike Tuesday, which was two days before the new moon, now it is two days after the new moon and we will have an opportunity to do some (very) early evening viewing of a very thin crescent moon.