Great sunset in one direction tonight, and great full moon in the other direction.

   A friend passed along this info from a New York City e-mail bird alert — turns out we are about to experience a Proxigean Spring Tide, a rare event indeed.

   He also shared this link, which tells all about PSTs and other moon tides…(Thanks, John!)

    The William D. McDowell Observatory in  DeKorte Park begins a new month of programming Monday night with free public programs at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. — weather permitting, of course.

  January and February are the only months when the observatory opens at 7, so if you want to see the night sky early in the evening for whatever reason, now is the time. Dress for the weather; with the dome open, you are basically outside.

   Each evening two major objects in the night sky will be viewed, plus one or two other celestial objects or events depending on the observing conditions.

    Pictured at left is the observatory's state-of-the-art telescope with a 20-inch mirror,  housed beneath a retractable dome.

  The telescope, one of the largest in the area, is equipped with cameras to record the stars and planets. Special filters block light pollution.

   For detailed information and the complete February schedule, click here.