Saturday: Just before Christmas, you look for junk to clean out of your closets so you can re-gift it. I mean, so you can throw it out or recycle it. NASA and other agencies are monitoring thousands of space junk pieces. Some of this junk is dangerous. The International Space Station occasionally performs debris avoidance maneuvers to keep its panels and sensitive instruments safe. NASA has produced simulations to help you visualize the amount of space junk at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5258.
Sunday: At 7:00 a.m., Pacific Standard Time, the Sun reaches
its lowest point in the sky with respect to the background stars. This point is
called the Winter Solstice. During the day that the Sun reaches this point,
your noontime shadow is longer than any other day of the year. Also, the Sun
spends less time in the sky on the day of the Winter Solstice than any other
making this the shortest day of the year. Even though it is the shortest day of
the year, it is not the day with the latest sunrise or the earliest sunset. The
latest sunrise is during the first week of January and the earliest sunset is
during the second week in December. The Sun is at its southernmost point with
respect to the background stars on the day of the winter solstice. This means
the Sun spends the least amount of time above the horizon on that day. However,
the Sun's rise and set times depend on more than its apparent vertical motion
with respect to the background stars. It also depends on where the Sun is on
the analemma, that skinny figure-8 you see on globes and world maps. During the
second week in December, the Sun is not quite to the bottom of the analemma. But
it is on the first part of the analemma to go below the horizon. During the
first week of January, it is on the last part of the analemma to rise above the
horizon meaning that’s when we have the latest sunrises.
Monday: Mercury is less than half a fist held upright and at
arm’s length above the southeastern horizon at 7:00 a.m.
Tuesday: One of the biggest astronomy stories of the year
was the discovery of 128 new moons orbiting Saturn, bringing its total to 274,
the most in the Solar System. Learn more about the discovery here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aoNSJlzH6hU.
Learn more about Saturn by looking three and a half fists above the
south-southwestern horizon at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday: The bright star Altair is one fist above due west
at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday: Where is the one who has been born King of the
Jews? We saw Jupiter being eclipsed by the Moon in the east and have come to
worship him” (Matthew 2:2, Bruce Palmquist version, informed by Michael
Molnar). There are many theories as to the physical explanation of the Star of
Bethlehem, the celestial object that guided the wise men to the location of
Jesus. Some people think it was a recurring nova, a star that explodes. Some
think it was a close alignment of bright planets. Some think it was a miracle
that requires no physical explanation. In 1991, astronomer Michael Molnar
bought an ancient Roman Empire coin that depicted a ram looking back at a star.
Aries the ram was a symbol for Judea, the birthplace of Jesus. The Magi, or
“wise men”, who visited the baby Jesus practiced astrology and would have been
looking in that region of the sky for the king prophesied in the Old Testament.
Molnar, a modern-day wise person, used sky simulation software to model the
positions of planets and the Moon in the region of Aries. According to his
model, Jupiter was eclipsed, or blocked, by the Moon on the morning of April
17, 6 BC. A book written by the astrologer of Constantine the Great in 334 AD
supports Molnar’s theory. The book describes an eclipse of Jupiter in Aries and
notes a man of divine nature born during this time. See https://goo.gl/o89A4o for more information.
Libra, Jupiter, and the moon are visible at 7:00 tonight.
The moon is three fists above the southwestern horizon, Aries is six fists
above the south-southeastern horizon, and Jupiter is one fist above the
east-northeastern horizon.
Friday: Did you get a telescope or binoculars for Christmas?
The next item on your list should be a sky watching app for your phone. These
apps will help you to get familiar with the constellations and bright stars.
Then you can zoom into an area of interest and learn about objects that are
visible through your telescope. I like SkySafari, a free app or low-cost
iPhones app (depending on their promotions at the time). But there are many
other good ones to choose from for little or no money. Go to https://www.lifewire.com/best-stargazing-apps-5086553
for seven short reviews. One of your first targets should be the Pleiades open
star cluster. It is bright, easy to see with the naked eye and even more
interesting in binoculars. It is six fists above due southeast at 8:00 p.m.
The positional information in this column about stars and
planets is typically accurate for the entire week. For up-to-date information
about the night sky, go to https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm.
All times are Pacific Time unless noted.
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