Blue
Hill Observatory Links |
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Notes
from the Observer's Office |
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November Cold Wave Among
Coldest on Record
Five consecutive
days with temperature minima below 20F, 11/19-23,
was only the third occurrence on record and first
since 1917. This was also the earliest such period
on record. Considering daily mean temps, the 5 day
(11/19-23) and 6 day (11/18-23) periods were the
7th coldest on record for November and coldest
since 1938. One colder period in 1933 was earlier.
Five or more days in November with minimum
temperatures below 20F:
11/19-23 in 2008
*
6 days
Five day periods (mean temps,
deg. F) 11/25-29: 19.1 in 1903 11/26-30:
20.6 in 1901 11/25-29: 21.6 in
1917 11/25-29: 22.2 in 1938 11/21-25: 22.3
in 1888 11/15-19: 23.4 in 1933 11/19-23:
24.2 in 2008
The coldest six day periods
in November all occurred in the early records of
the Observatory before 1940, the latest of which
is 23.6 occurring 11/24-28/1938 followed by 25.3
on 11/18-23 in 2008.
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Blue Hill
Observatory Members are Always
Welcome
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One
of the benefits of membership is that you are
welcome to visit the Observatory 365 days a year
(as long as we have staff here to greet
you!).
We
are open to the public for tours on weekends
(resuming on Saturday February 14, 2009), but we
are closed during the week when we host visits
from community and school groups.
If you are a member and
would like to visit during the week, please
contact us and we will do our best to welcome you
to the Observatory.
If you are hiking on
the hill, and see the CLOSED sign on the door,
please knock on the door and we will accommodate
your visit whenever possible.
Click HERE to become a member of
the Blue Hill
Observatory. |
About
our Facility
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The
Blue Hill Observatory is a National
Historic Landmark.
Our facility on top
of Great Blue Hill has many resources, including a
History Room and Library, climate archives,
computer lab, and a backyard barbecue.
From the tower roof, you can enjoy a 360
degree view of the Boston skyline, the mountains
in central Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and
Providence, Rhode Island.
Our gift shop,
offering snacks, beverages and unique gifts, is
open to the public on
weekends.
Please come
visit!
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The Green
Box
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Green Tip for the
Holiday Season
Most gift wrap,
greeting cards, gift boxes and packaging can be
recycled, along with food and beverage
containers.
Remember to give the
Earth a gift this holiday season and
recycle!
Make a New Year's
Resolution to recycle; contact your city or town
for more
information.
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JOIN OUR
LIST
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 Blue Hill Observatory
P.O. Box 500 Milton, MA
02186
Executive Director Charles
Orloff corloff@bluehill.org (508)
776-1879
Program Director Don
McCasland dmccasland@bluehill.org (617)
696-0562
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Sky-mail
is the electronic newsletter of the Blue Hill
Observatory Science Center. Sky-mail will keep you
up-to-date on Observatory events, important
weather news and milestones and future
plans.
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Spectacular
Views from the Summit
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Blue Hill
Haze Camera
By George Allen, Senior
Scientist, NESCAUM
If you've ever been up
to the Blue Hill Observatory (BHO) tower on a
clear day, you know that the view is spectacular,
with vistas of more than 70 miles. But if
you were up there on a 3-H (Hot, Hazy and Humid)
summer day, you might not have been able to see
downtown Boston very well even though it is only
10 miles away. The difference?
Fine-particle air pollution (PM2.5), along with
high humidity, usually associated with a high
pressure system off the central-Atlantic coast
that pumps up warm, moist, and polluted air from
the SW. The BHO has worked with NESCAUM (an
organization that works with the 8 northeast
states - http://www.nescaum.org) since 2005
to operate a "hazecam" from the tower to provide
the view on the web, updated every
15-minutes. Unlike the ubiquitous "webcams",
a hazecam is a very high resolution picture.
The BHO hazecam has 2 cameras (northeast and
northwest views) with a total of 16 MP resolution,
and is part of a network of similar hazecams
called Camnet at: http://hazecam.net/bluehill.html
(or from the Webcam tab on the BHO home page),
along with 9 other hazecams in the
northeast. Camnet's purpose is to show the
effects of air pollution on various rural and
urban scenes, along with an indication of PM2.5,
black carbon soot, and ozone levels (for the BHO
hazecam these data are from Boston, not
BHO). More detailed information on current
pollution levels in Boston is at: http://airbeat.org or at the U.S.
EPA's AIRNow web site: http://airnow.gov. One of the
other 9 Camnet sites is in Swampscott, and looks
back at BHO from 22 miles away: http://hazecam.net/boston.html.
Here's an example of a BHO Camnet picture of
downtown Boston on a very clear (clean) day that
demonstrates the resolution of these
photographs:
 When the
visibility is good, you can see the north shore
and Cape Ann in the right picture, and Mt.
Wachusett (44 miles) and the Monadnock range (65
miles) in the left BHO hazecam zoomed
images. Links to similar hazecams around the
country are at: http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.webcams The
U.S. EPA has a "regional haze" regulation that is
intended to reduce visibility degradation from
man-made sources by 2064 at Class I airsheds like
Acadia National Park that "should be"
pristine. More information on that program
can be found at: http://www.nescaum.org/topics/regional-haze.
But haze is not always "regional". Sometimes
in urban areas it is local vehicle exhaust trapped
by an inversion layer, hanging over the city as a
grey layer. When this happens, the black
carbon data from Boston can get very high for a
few hours. An example of this can be found
on the Camnet home page, as the "featured
event". Finally, I would like to acknowledge
the state air agencies and the U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service for funding Camnet, and hazecam
hosts such as the BHO for in-kind support of
on-site Camnet
operations.
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WINS
Program Expands Mentoring Efforts
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The Women in Natural
Science (WINS) program is an educational
initiative of the Blue Hill Observatory geared
toward middle and high school aged girls from
Boston and surrounding communities. WINS
seeks to inspire girls to learn about math,
science and technology using a natural science
curriculum and "hands on minds on" learning
experiences. We are working to improve
our mentoring program for high school girls to
help them make education and career choices.
We are please to report that we have been invited
to participate in the Intentional Mentoring
Initiative. This opportunity has been made
possible by the United Way of Massachusetts Bay
and Merrimack Valley in conjunction and the Big
Sister Association of Greater Boston. For more
information about WINS, please contact Stephanie Radner.
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December
Skies
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By Kelly Beatty, Clay
Center Astronomer Clay
Center Obseratory, Dexter and Southfield
Schools
Although the weather has turned
cold, December can sometimes bring clear skies of
remarkable clarity -- all the better so see some
nice celestial events in the coming
weeks.
On December 21st at 7:04 a.m. EST,
the Sun reaches its *solstice,* marking the
astronomical beginning of winter and the longest
night of the year (15 hours 00 minutes in
Boston).
The year ends with a nice pairing
of dazzling Venus and a 4-day-old crescent Moon on
New Year's Eve. They'll be a little farther apart
(3 degrees) than they were earlier this month, and
Jupiter won't be joining them this time.
And the new year begins with another nice
meteor shower, the Quadrantids. If you can talk
yourself into getting up in the darkness before
dawn on Saturday, January 3rd, you might be
rewarded with one of these shooting stars every
minute or so.
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Have
Your Special Event or Fundraiser at Blue Hill
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Are
you looking for a unique destination for your next
meeting or special event?
How
about the Blue Hill Observatory? We have the
perfect room for a small business or club meeting,
birthday party or other special affair. The
Observatory is a beautiful location for hosting
charity fundraisers. Your guests can learn
about the incredible history of the Blue Hill
Observatory while enjoying the most beautiful view
in southern New England. Call Charles Orloff at
508-776-1879 for reservation
details. |
From
the Observatory Store |
Get carried away with our new
Blue Hill tote bag. This
durable and attractive tote is perfect for use as
a small grocery bag or book tote. It makes a
great holiday gift for your favorite weather
enthusiast and is environmentally friendly,
too! Just $7.50
Special
logo combo of mug, tote bag and embroidered cap
(specify blue or gray) for just $25 (including
tax, shipping, and handling).
Check out our other specials:
- Purchase
$50.00 worth of books from our online
bookstore and get a Blue Hill Observatory
logo tote bag FREE.
- Buy
the new book Weather: The Ultimate
Book of Meteorological Events from Accord
Publishing and get your choice of either Climate (Ochoa,
Hoffman, Tin) or Extreme Weather
(H. Michael Mogil), as well as a free tote bag,
for just $67.50
(including tax, shipping and
handling).
To
order by phone call 617-696-0562 or come
to the Observatory gift shop to see all of our
great products and find out about other
specials. |
Blue
Hill Observatory and Science
Center
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Blue Hill
Meteorological Observatory, located at the top of
a scenic mountain range south of Boston, is a
unique American institution. Founded in 1885 by
Abbott Lawrence Rotch as a private scientific
center for the study and measurement of the
atmosphere, it was the site of many pioneering
weather experiments and discoveries. The earliest
kite soundings of the atmosphere in North America
in the 1890s and the development of the radiosonde
in the 1930s occurred at this historic
site.
Today, the Observatory
is a National Historic Landmark and remains
committed to continuing its extensive,
uninterrupted climate record with traditional
methods and instruments. The recently established
Science Center expands this mission by enhancing
public understanding of atmospheric
science.
We are grateful for the
generous support of members, friends and
corporations who make it possible to continue our
benchmark climate observations and educational
outreach programs. Please email Charles Orloff if you would like
to make a donation to the
Observatory.
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Future
Events |
Monday February 16,
2009 President's Day Kite
Fly and special kite tours of the
Observatory. Hours: 10AM - 4
PM Kite Tours:
$5/adult, $3/youth Build and decorate your
own kite for just $5. We have a great
selection of ready to fly kites from $3 to custom
kites over $2000, and everything in
between.
Monday
April 20, 2009 Patriot's Day Kite Fly
and special kite tours of the
Observatory. Hours: 10AM - 4
PM Kite Tours:
$5/adult, $3/youth Build and decorate your
own kite for just $5.
April is National Kite
Month. BHOSC will be participating in most
events. For a full list of events, please
check the NKM website: http://www.nationalkitemonth.org/
Saturday May 9,
2009Annual Blue Hill
Observatory & Science Center Spring Open
House.Hours: 10AM - 4
PMAdmission is free.
There will be many activities throughout
the day, including crafts, kite building,
self-guided tours and more. Check the BHO
Events page for updates: http://www.bluehill.org/events.html
Monday May 25,
2009 Memorial Day Kite Fly and special
kite tours of the Observatory. Hours: 10AM -
4PM Kite
Tours: $5/adults, $3/youth Build and
decorate your own kite for just
$5.The gift shop,
educational programs and tours of the Observatory
areavailable by
appointment almost every day of the
year. General Tours and gift
shop hours resume Saturday February 14. Please
callahead (617-696-0562) if
there are questionable weather
conditions. | | |