Come join the DC Women's Hiking Group for our last week of hiking before the summer break!

We will hike Tues., June 17th at Pootatuck State Forest in New Fairfield, CT.

Take 84 East to Exit 5  merge onto Downs St. which turns into North St. Continue onto CT 37N (Padanram Rd) which turns into CT 37N (Pembroke Rd). About 2 miles past the interesection for 37 and 39, make a slight right onto Pine Hill Rd. Continue for about 2 miles. Pheasant Dr. will be on the right.  Take the next road on the right.  It will be right before mailbox #169.
Parking lot is at end of the road at trailhead.
Please bring a picnic lunch for after the hike.

 

Please note:  Meet at 8:45am for this hike.

 

 

We will hike Thurs., June 19th at Seth Low Pierrepont State Park.

Entrance and parking is off Barlow Mountain Rd. across from Scotland and Barlow Mountain Elementary Schools.

Meet at 8:30am.

June 2014 Constellation of the Month -- Draco

Draco, "the Dragon," is a sinuous constellation that winds its way among the circumpolar constellations.   

Face north and look high in the sky.  Find the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), our March 2013 Constellation of the Month.  The open part of the bowl of the Big Dipper faces the smaller bowl of the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor).  The tail of Draco is about halfway in between.  Draco is comprised relatively faint stars – more of the brightness of the stars of the Little Dipper than those of the Big Dipper.

Follow the tail south, in the direction of Hercules, our July 2013.  Then, Draco curves north in an arc around the Little Dipper, heading toward Cepheus our October 2013 constellation.  Then, Draco curves south again and ends with a "head" formed by a quadrilateral of stars near Hercules.   

The head is east of Vega, the very bright star in the constellation Lyra, our August 2013 constellation.  The 4 stars in the head are among the brightest in the constellation.  That, and its compact size, makes the head relatively easy to find.  So, you may want to start there, if you're having trouble finding the tail.

Draco is home to the Cat's Eye Nebula, NGC 6643.  This is a Planetary Nebula, which is the remnant of an exploded star.  A Hubble Telescope photo shows a complex interplay of shapes structure, within the roughly spherical shape of the nebula. 

(picture credit Wikipedia)

The DC Women's Hiking Group will hike this week, Jun. 3rd and Jun. 5th at Tarrywille Park in Danbury.

From I-84 take the airport exit.
At end of ramp turn right.
Follow through traffic lights and at stop sign turn onto Southern Blvd. ( It will be a sharp right turn).
Follow small brown signs for Tarrywile Park.
The park will be on the right, across from Immaculate H.S.
Meet in lower parking lot at 8:30am.

The DC Women's Hiking Group will meet at Pine Mountain on Tues., May 27th and Thurs., May 29th.
Take Ridgebury Rd. and take a right on to George Washington Hwy.
Follow George Washington Hwy. to end and take a right on to Pine Mountain Rd.
Meet at the parking area at the end of Pine Mountain Rd. at 8:30am.

May 2014 Constellation of the Month: Bootes

"Arc to Arcturus":  Face north, and find the Big Dipper high in the sky.  The dipper shape is comprised of a bowl formed by 4 stars and an arc-shaped handle of 3 stars. Extend the curve of the arc away from the Dipper – to the East and South.  The very bright star nearby is Arcturus, in the constellation Bootes.

Bootes is shaped like a kite.  Arcturus is at the bottom of the kite.  In Greek mythology, Bootes is either the Hunter or Herdsman – hunting or herding the bear represented by the Big Dipper (Ursa Major, or Big Bear in Latin).  In May 2014, there are two bright planets Mars and Saturn, which are south and east of Arcturus

Arcturus is the 2^nd brightest star visible from earth's northern hemisphere.  The brightest is Sirius, which sets around 9 PM in May.  In brightness, Arcturus just edges out the very bright star Vega, in the constellation Lyra, northeast of Bootes.  Arcturus appears orange to the naked eye, and it is classified as a red giant – which is what our sun will become in about 5 billion years, as it nears the end of its life.

There are no exciting nebulae or galaxies in Bootes, but there are some nice double stars which can be seen as such in binoculars.  The best of these is named Izar, or epsilon Bootis.  It has an orange giant close to a white dwarf.  It was given the name Pulcherrima, "most beautiful," by its discoverer. 

The DC Women's Hiking Group will hike Tues., May, 13th and Thurs., May 15th at Scott Lot Preserve in Redding, CT.

Coming from the north on Route 7 turn left onto Old Redding Rd. Right after going under RR bear right onto Mountain Rd. Follow Mountain Rd. to end and turn left onto Peaceable St. Parking for the open space will be on the left. If you come to an electrical substation, you went too far.

Meet at 8:30am.

The DC Women's Hiking Group will try out a new trail the week of Tues., May 6th and Thurs., May 8th.
The Knapp Preserve is located on Bennett's Farm Rd. across from Whitlock Lane.
Park on Whitlock Lane and meet at the trailhead on Bennett's Farm Rd. at 8:30am.