Aries? Hereâs your constellation
How to see Aries the Ram in your night sky, plus info about this constellation in astronomy history and mythology.
Geminid meteors to peak this weekend
The shower is best around 2 a.m., but watch from late evening until dawn. The best morning is likely December 14. Mornings leading up to it might also offer some meteors as well, in the rich and reliable Geminid shower.
Cold Moon to prelude Geminid peak
At northerly latitudes, the Cold or Long Night Moon – this wonderful nocturnal sun – gives us a much appreciated reprieve in the season of diminished daylight.
Why is Mars sometimes bright and sometimes faint?
In 2018, Mars was brighter in our sky than it had been since 2003. In 2019, Mars was mostly faint and inconspicuous. But 2020, here we come!
See this weekâs Venus-Saturn pairing
On December 10 and 11, 2019, look in the sunset direction – close to the sunset point on the horizon, not long after the sun goes down – for the the conjunction of 2 bright planets, Venus and Saturn. Some will also spot Jupiter nearby.
Mars-Zubenelgenubi conjunction December 12
This next week, before dawn, watch as the red planet Mars sweeps by the Zubenelgenubi, the constellation Libra’s alpha star.
Earliest sunsets for 40 degrees N. around now
Earliest sunsets for 30 degrees N. were centered on late November and early December. Earliest sunsets at mid-northern latitudes are happening now. S. Hemisphere? Watch for your earliest sunrises.
Orionâs Belt and the Celestial Bridge
To the Aymara – indigenous people in the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America – the famous sky feature we know as Orion’s Belt is seen as a Celestial Bridge between the sky’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Aldebaran is the Bullâs fiery eye
Aldebaran – brightest star in Taurus the Bull – is easy to spot at one tip of a V-shaped pattern of stars. If this star replaced our sun, its surface would extend almost to the orbit of Mercury.
Orion the Hunter and the Milky Way
The constellation Orion is very easy to find. If you have a dark sky, you can also see the luminous band of the Milky Way running behind it.
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