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The Hayden Planetarium was completely rebuilt in time for the millenium, and is perhaps the most up-to-date and astrophysically accurate exhibit hall devoted to astronomy in the world. The Director of the Planetarium, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, taught AST 203 in Princeton from 1999 through 2003, and has graciously invited the students in AST 203, AST 204, and PHY 115 to visit.

Thanks to a special endowment from Eric W. Tilenius (class of 1990), and additional funds from Princeton's Science and Technology Council, entrance tickets to the museum and planetarium will be made available without charge to currently enrolled AST 203 students, in lecture on Thursday, March 5. Only take a ticket if you are sure you are going to use it; there are only a limited number available, and we still have to pay for unused tickets. Community auditors, and friends who are not enrolled in the class and who wish to attend, will be welcome if tickets are available, but they will have to pay for them. If for whatever reason you don't pick up a ticket on Thursday, we may have a few available Friday morning in Charlotte Zanidakis' office (133 Peyton).

You will be responsible for transportation to and from New York (see below).

We will plan to arrive at the museum between 1:30 and 2:30 PM. After viewing the exhibits, we are scheduled to see the planetarium show: "Cosmic Collisions" starting at 3:30 PM. At 4 PM (i.e., immediately after the sky show), we will hear a presentation from Dr. Tyson. He is a wonderful speaker (you may have seen him in various appearances on Nova shows on PBS, or on Charlie Rose, or The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Colbert Report, or on Time Magazine's 2007 list of the one hundred most influential people in the world...). You are then free to continue exploring the museum, to enjoy New York City night life, and to make your way back by train to Princeton.

Museum address: American Museum of Natural History Central Park West at 79th Street New York City (Manhattan) General Number: 212-769-5100

We strongly recommend you take New Jersey Transit. It's faster and cheaper than driving a car.

On New Jersey Transit you will be returning during the evening rush hour, so the normal round-trip "excursion" fare does not apply. Buy two "one way" tickets (total $26.50) between Princeton and New York Penn Station from the machines at the Dinky stop. This includes the "Dinky", the one-stop train that connects Princeton to Princeton Junction. Note that you're likely to be returning during rush hour (4-7 PM); the cheaper round-trip tickets are not valid during that time. On the return, from Penn Station, you want the Northeast Corridor train to Trenton.

Relevant inbound schedule.    Outbound they leave about every 30 minutes.

Very early option: 
Lv.  Princeton (Dinky):		10:17 AM
Lv.  Princeton Junction:	10:31 AM
Arrive NYC Penn Station:	11:48 PM (last stop)

Early Option:
Lv.  Princeton (Dinky):		11:47 PM
Lv.  Princeton Junction:	11:58 PM
Arrive NYC Penn Station:	12:58 PM (last stop)

On-time option:
Lv.  Princeton (Dinky):		12:47 PM
Lv.  Princeton Junction:	12:58 PM
Arrive NYC Penn Station:	 1:58 PM (last stop)

Late option (you're cutting things awfully close!):
Lv.  Princeton (Dinky):		1:18 PM
Lv.  Princeton Junction:	1:31 PM
Arrive NYC Penn Station:	2:48 PM (last stop)

Upon arrival in Penn Station, buy a round-trip MetroCard ($4.00) and take the Uptown C train to 81st street, a 15-20 minute ride. Exit front of the Platform. Enter Museum at its grand entrance on Central Park West.

If you exit the train from the rear of the platform, you will enter the Museum underground, which is okay, too, just not as grand.

Depending on when you arrive, you'll have an hour or more to enjoy the exhibits of the Rose Center of Earth and Space, before heading upstairs to the 3:30 Sky Show (you will want to be in line for that starting around 3:15, and you will responsible for finding your way up there yourselves).

If you absolutely insist on driving, remember that it will be much more expensive (tolls and parking) and will take more time. But if you insist: Take Route 1 north from Princeton for about 14 miles. Follow signs to NJ Turnpike. Enter Turnpike North. Take Turnpike all the way to the Lincoln Tunnel. Upon entering Manhattan take the West Side Drive north Exit 79th Street. Go right on 79th Street, left on Amsterdam Avenue, and right on 81st Street. The Rose Center parking lot is on the right after several blocks.

Many restaurants are within one block of the museum on Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue. You cannot lose with any of them.

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Check out the web sites of the Rose Center for Earth and Space, the cosmic collisions show we will see, and Neil Tyson's website.