December 12 – 25, 2016
Mt. Washington — The thrill of being present for events in the natural world might not elicit cheers of triumph as when experiencing feats of physical prowess; all the same, waves of delight course through the observer, every cell refreshed with a sense of receiving grace and enlightenment. Tonight, December 12–13, from about 5:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m., be the stargazer who delights in seeing the almost full moon move in relation to the easy-to-spot triangular head of Taurus the Bull, culminating in the eclipse of Taurus’ brightest star, red giant Aldebaran.
At nightfall, above the horizon in the east, spot Luna with red-orange Aldebaran below and left. As the evening progresses, the two appear closer together. The climax of their proximity is predicted to occur high in the sky to the south at about 11:15 p.m. when the moon occults, or eclipses, Aldebaran. See the moon slip away from and reveal Taurus’ red eye by about 12:30 a.m. For morning stargazers, catch Aldebaran before it sets in the west at 6:06 a.m. on the 13th; moonset follows at 6:24 a.m. I find it particularly lovely to meet the nearly full and full moon set in the west at dawn.
The Full Long Night Moon rises in the east-northeast at 4:34 p.m. on the 13th, gains precise full phase at 7:07 p.m. and sets in the west-northwest at 7:31 in the morning of the 14th. This is a perigee full moon, i.e., closest to Earth in its monthly orbit, and so appears brighter and larger than other full moons.
The peak of the Geminid meteor shower coincides with full moon this year. Although moonlight will screen out a view of all but a fraction of the shooting stars, “a patient observer may be able to spot 20 or so per hour, even from urban locations,” according to the United States Naval Observatory writer. Ideally, allow your eyes to adjust to the dark for about 20 minutes while stargazing from about 10 p.m. tonight, the 12th, which is the day before peak, and from 10 p.m. until before dawn on the 13th and 14th.
It is noteworthy that, when we see Geminid meteors, we are watching bits of asteroid rock and dust burn up when entering our atmosphere. While most meteor showers originate from comets that orbit close to our planet and leave a stream of debris, the Geminids are associated with the asteroid named 3200 Phaethon that was discovered in 1983. The asteroid, that may be an extinct comet, completes an orbit around the sun every 1.4 years.
Celebrate the winter solstice on the 21st – the longest night and shortest day of the year –by communing with our star, the sun, from sunrise in the southeast at 7:19 a.m. to sunset in the southwest at 4:24 p.m. The Hubble space telescope photograph of the Pillars of Creation comes to us thanks to our nation’s support for astronomical research. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is one among many cooperating space agencies from around the world. We look at this image and are inspired to imagine our sun as one life-giving star, perhaps among many, in the universe. It’s the season to think and act with global and cosmic awareness.
Opportunities to participate:
Tune in to watch and learn about the Geminids in real time at Slooh: https://main.slooh.com/event/the-geminid-meteor-shower-2016/
Especially for students and educators, go to: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html
Resources:
https://www.usno.navy.mil/astronomy
https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/geminid-meteor-shower121214/
https://earthsky.org/space/chip-brings-exoplanets-into-clearer-view
