The Night Sky This Month (December 2011)
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Key Stars
For observers at mid-northern latitudes, the Pleiades star cluster is
due south around 10 P.M. local time. Above it is Perseus, flanked by
Auriga and Cassiopeia. Orion can be found above the southeastern
horizon, and between it and the celestial pole glitters Capella. High
in the east are Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars of Gemini, and
below them Leo the Lion is rising. In the southwest is the Square of
Pegasus and Vega shines low above the northwestern horizon.
The Planets
Mercury
Mercury moves to December's morning sky, but will be hard to spot for
the first half of the month. By the end of the month, however, it will
rise almost ninety minutes before the Sun and will be easily
identified sitting 10 degrees to the lower left of the 1st-magnitude
star Antares (Alpha Scorpii).
Venus
Until late May 2012, Venus will appear as a brilliant yellow star in
the evening sky, right after sunset. This month the planet is located
15 degrees above the southwestern horizon half an hour after sundown,
and it remains on view until after 6 P.M. local time.
Mars
Mars pokes above the eastern horizon around midnight local time and
is well up in the south before dawn. The planet is on its way to
opposition next March, when it will be at its closest approach to
Earth and will reach a width of 14". Right now, the disk is less than
9"-wide, too small to show features in most instruments.
Jupiter
Jupiter reached opposition to the Sun in late October, when it was
closest to Earth and at its largest and brightest. Although Jupiter
is now slowly receding from our home planet, it remains visible well
after midnight and looks stunning through a telescope. The gas giant
shines at magnitude -2.7 and lies in a star-barren region near the
border between Aries and Pisces.
Saturn
Throughout December, Saturn is low in the southeast as dawn begins,
but gets a little higher every morning. The ringed planet resides
among the background stars of Virgo the Maiden and remains within 5
degrees of the blue-white star Spica all month. Through a telescope,
Saturn sports an angular size of 16", while the rings span 37".
Uranus
Uranus lies in the same binocular field of view as Lambda Piscium,
the star that forms the southeast corner of the "Circlet" in Pisces,
and is itself an easy binocular target. The planet glows at magnitude
+5.8 and looks just like a star of that brightness. A telescope easily
reveals its 3.4"-diameter disk, which has a distinct blue-green color.
Neptune
Seek out Neptune in western Aquarius, 1.5 degrees northwest of the
4th-magnitude star Iota Aquarii. The distant world lies 2.8 billion
miles from Earth and glows dimly at magnitude +7.9. A 4-inch diameter
telescope is probably the minimum required to see the planet and
resolve its disk, only 2.4" across.
Pluto
The dwarf planet is too deep in the evening twilight and cannot be
observed until mid-February 2012, when it will reappear in the
morning sky.
Bright Asteroids
Vesta
8th-magnitude Vesta is an easy find in small telescopes. Look for it
just after dusk, when Aquarius the Water-Bearer - the constellation
through which the asteroid tracks - is highest above the southern
horizon.
Amphitrite
This space rock wends its way through the rather faint constellation
Aries the Ram, which is nearly overhead for observers at mid-northern
latitudes around 8 P.M. local time. The asteroid glows at magnitude
+9.6 - outside the range of binoculars from a suburban backyard, but
well within the reach of a 3-inch scope.
Bright Comets
C/2009 P1 Garradd
Comet Garradd can be found among the background stars of the
constellation Hercules, a few degrees east of Delta Herculis, and
according to recent reports, it should glow at 7th magnitude. This
"dirty ice ball" appears as a bright, round fuzz ball roughly 10'
across, with little hint of a tail. The key to finding C/2009 P1
Garradd is to start half an hour after sunset from a site that has an
unobstructed view of the western horizon.
C/2010 G2 Hill
This comet was discovered on April 10, 2010, in the course of the
Catalina Sky Survey, and astronomers expect it to glow around 10th
magnitude throughout December. Search for it around 10 P.M. local
time, when it lies high in the south within the borders of the
constellation Taurus.
Meteor Showers
The Geminids are active from December 7 to 17th and peak very quickly
on the night of December 13 - 14. Most activity occurs after midnight
on the 14th, when as many as one hundred slow, graceful Geminids
might be seen per hour under ideal conditions. This year, however,
the Moon rises at mid-evening and shines all the way until daybreak,
so bright moonlight will wash out most meteors.
The Ursid shower is active from December 17 to December 26, and peaks
on the morning of December 23. The Moon is New on the 24th - which
means no moonlight, dark skies and perfect observing conditions! The
radiant lies near the bright star Kochab (Beta Ursae Minoris), which
appears below the Pole Star in the evening and above it before dawn.
The radiant is circumpolar from most of the Northern Hemisphere, so
viewing can last all night.
Sky Events
December 1 - Venus is at greatest eastern elongation, 27.3 degrees
east of the Sun in the evening sky.
December 2 - First Quarter Moon at 4:52 A.M. EST.
December 4 - Mercury is in inferior conjunction with the Sun.
December 5 - The Moon is at apogee, the point in its orbit when it is
farthest from Earth.
December 8 - The Moon is 3.1 degrees south of the Pleiades at 8:26
P.M. EST.
December 10 - Full Moon at 9:37 A.M. EST. A total lunar eclipse is
visible from western North America and across the Pacific Ocean to
Australia and Asia.
December 14 - The Geminid meteor shower is at peak activity.
December 17 - Last Quarter Moon at 7:48 P.M. EST.
December 21 - The Moon is at perigee, the point in its orbit when it
is nearest to Earth.
December 22 - The winter solstice occurs at 12:30 A.M. EST. Mercury
is at greatest western elongation, 21.8 degrees west of the Sun in
the morning sky.
December 23 - The Ursid meteor shower is at peak activity.
December 24 - Mercury is 6.6 degrees north of Antares (Alpha Scorpii)
at 5:36 A.M. EST. New Moon at 1:06 P.M. EST.
December 27 - The Moon is 6.7 degrees north of Venus at 5:52 A.M.
EST.
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Learn more! Visit NightSkyInfo.com (http://www.nightskyinfo.com).
You are receiving this message because you visited us at
http://www.nightskyinfo.com and registered to receive our monthly
newsletter. If you feel you have received this issue in error, please
follow the instructions at the end of the page to unsubscribe.
Key Stars
For observers at mid-northern latitudes, the Pleiades star cluster is
due south around 10 P.M. local time. Above it is Perseus, flanked by
Auriga and Cassiopeia. Orion can be found above the southeastern
horizon, and between it and the celestial pole glitters Capella. High
in the east are Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars of Gemini, and
below them Leo the Lion is rising. In the southwest is the Square of
Pegasus and Vega shines low above the northwestern horizon.
The Planets
Mercury
Mercury moves to December's morning sky, but will be hard to spot for
the first half of the month. By the end of the month, however, it will
rise almost ninety minutes before the Sun and will be easily
identified sitting 10 degrees to the lower left of the 1st-magnitude
star Antares (Alpha Scorpii).
Venus
Until late May 2012, Venus will appear as a brilliant yellow star in
the evening sky, right after sunset. This month the planet is located
15 degrees above the southwestern horizon half an hour after sundown,
and it remains on view until after 6 P.M. local time.
Mars
Mars pokes above the eastern horizon around midnight local time and
is well up in the south before dawn. The planet is on its way to
opposition next March, when it will be at its closest approach to
Earth and will reach a width of 14". Right now, the disk is less than
9"-wide, too small to show features in most instruments.
Jupiter
Jupiter reached opposition to the Sun in late October, when it was
closest to Earth and at its largest and brightest. Although Jupiter
is now slowly receding from our home planet, it remains visible well
after midnight and looks stunning through a telescope. The gas giant
shines at magnitude -2.7 and lies in a star-barren region near the
border between Aries and Pisces.
Saturn
Throughout December, Saturn is low in the southeast as dawn begins,
but gets a little higher every morning. The ringed planet resides
among the background stars of Virgo the Maiden and remains within 5
degrees of the blue-white star Spica all month. Through a telescope,
Saturn sports an angular size of 16", while the rings span 37".
Uranus
Uranus lies in the same binocular field of view as Lambda Piscium,
the star that forms the southeast corner of the "Circlet" in Pisces,
and is itself an easy binocular target. The planet glows at magnitude
+5.8 and looks just like a star of that brightness. A telescope easily
reveals its 3.4"-diameter disk, which has a distinct blue-green color.
Neptune
Seek out Neptune in western Aquarius, 1.5 degrees northwest of the
4th-magnitude star Iota Aquarii. The distant world lies 2.8 billion
miles from Earth and glows dimly at magnitude +7.9. A 4-inch diameter
telescope is probably the minimum required to see the planet and
resolve its disk, only 2.4" across.
Pluto
The dwarf planet is too deep in the evening twilight and cannot be
observed until mid-February 2012, when it will reappear in the
morning sky.
Bright Asteroids
Vesta
8th-magnitude Vesta is an easy find in small telescopes. Look for it
just after dusk, when Aquarius the Water-Bearer - the constellation
through which the asteroid tracks - is highest above the southern
horizon.
Amphitrite
This space rock wends its way through the rather faint constellation
Aries the Ram, which is nearly overhead for observers at mid-northern
latitudes around 8 P.M. local time. The asteroid glows at magnitude
+9.6 - outside the range of binoculars from a suburban backyard, but
well within the reach of a 3-inch scope.
Bright Comets
C/2009 P1 Garradd
Comet Garradd can be found among the background stars of the
constellation Hercules, a few degrees east of Delta Herculis, and
according to recent reports, it should glow at 7th magnitude. This
"dirty ice ball" appears as a bright, round fuzz ball roughly 10'
across, with little hint of a tail. The key to finding C/2009 P1
Garradd is to start half an hour after sunset from a site that has an
unobstructed view of the western horizon.
C/2010 G2 Hill
This comet was discovered on April 10, 2010, in the course of the
Catalina Sky Survey, and astronomers expect it to glow around 10th
magnitude throughout December. Search for it around 10 P.M. local
time, when it lies high in the south within the borders of the
constellation Taurus.
Meteor Showers
The Geminids are active from December 7 to 17th and peak very quickly
on the night of December 13 - 14. Most activity occurs after midnight
on the 14th, when as many as one hundred slow, graceful Geminids
might be seen per hour under ideal conditions. This year, however,
the Moon rises at mid-evening and shines all the way until daybreak,
so bright moonlight will wash out most meteors.
The Ursid shower is active from December 17 to December 26, and peaks
on the morning of December 23. The Moon is New on the 24th - which
means no moonlight, dark skies and perfect observing conditions! The
radiant lies near the bright star Kochab (Beta Ursae Minoris), which
appears below the Pole Star in the evening and above it before dawn.
The radiant is circumpolar from most of the Northern Hemisphere, so
viewing can last all night.
Sky Events
December 1 - Venus is at greatest eastern elongation, 27.3 degrees
east of the Sun in the evening sky.
December 2 - First Quarter Moon at 4:52 A.M. EST.
December 4 - Mercury is in inferior conjunction with the Sun.
December 5 - The Moon is at apogee, the point in its orbit when it is
farthest from Earth.
December 8 - The Moon is 3.1 degrees south of the Pleiades at 8:26
P.M. EST.
December 10 - Full Moon at 9:37 A.M. EST. A total lunar eclipse is
visible from western North America and across the Pacific Ocean to
Australia and Asia.
December 14 - The Geminid meteor shower is at peak activity.
December 17 - Last Quarter Moon at 7:48 P.M. EST.
December 21 - The Moon is at perigee, the point in its orbit when it
is nearest to Earth.
December 22 - The winter solstice occurs at 12:30 A.M. EST. Mercury
is at greatest western elongation, 21.8 degrees west of the Sun in
the morning sky.
December 23 - The Ursid meteor shower is at peak activity.
December 24 - Mercury is 6.6 degrees north of Antares (Alpha Scorpii)
at 5:36 A.M. EST. New Moon at 1:06 P.M. EST.
December 27 - The Moon is 6.7 degrees north of Venus at 5:52 A.M.
EST.
Learn more! Visit NightSkyInfo.com (http://www.nightskyinfo.com).
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To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please use the link below:
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