Catch a falling star, or two! The Sky This Week, 2012 December 11 - 18

Full Moon and Jupiter, 2012 November 28
as seen from the Netherlands Carillon, Arlington, VA.
http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/tours-events/sky-this-week/images_skyweek/Geoff-Chester-Moonrise_121128_02_1354150197.jpg
The Moon returns to the evening sky this week, emerging in the
southwestern sky as twilight falls on the 14th before wending her
waythrough the dim stars of the autumnal constellations. New Moon
occurs on the 13th at 3:42 am Eastern Standard Time, so her slender
crescent should be fairly easy to spot after sunset on the 14th. Luna
will be a few degrees west of ruddy Mars at this time, and you may
wish to have a pair of binoculars handy to spot the red planet in the
twilight glow.
Those of you who don't like the early onset of night take heart; the
earliest sunsets of the year are nowbehind us. This week Old Sol
gradually begins to set a bit later. You probably won't notice at
first, but by Christmas you'll have five more minutes of daylight than
we doright now. However, this is balanced somewhat by the time of
sunrise, which continues to move later in the morning. Our latest
sunrise won't occur until January 4th. Sandwiched in between is the
Winter Solstice on the 21st, which marks the shortest day of the year.
The seeming discontinuity of sunrise, sunset, and solstice times
derives from several factors but mostly falls on our need to
observe"standard" time, which generally doesn't mirror what the Sun is
actually doing in the sky. A very thorough explanation of the "Dark
Days of Winter" can be found here on our website.
The timing of the New Moon offers us a perfect circumstance to take in
the annual Geminid meteor shower. This display of celestial fireworks
is one of the most consistent performers of all the annual showers,
but it doesn't get as much attention as the August Perseids even
though it almost always outperforms them. The reason for this is
fairly simple. Meteor watching is a very sedentaryactivity; my typical
setup is a lawn chair in the back yard and a can of mosquito
repellant. For the Geminids the bug spray won't be necessary, but lots
of warm clothesand/or blankets are a must! Yes, lying on your back
looking up in the wee hours is a fine activity in August, but you'll
quickly learn just how cold you can get doing the same thing in
December! However, the effort is well worth it, as the Geminids
consistently perform quiteadmirably. The shower's radiant is near the
star Castor in Gemini, which rises well before midnight. This is one
of the few showers that you don't need to get up at"oh-dark-thirty" to
view; the best viewing time should be between 10:00 pm on the 13th and
around 2:00 am on the 14th. A single observer in a dark location can
expect to see up to 50 meteors per hour, while urban skywatchers may
see 25 to 30 per hour. The Geminids are much slower than the Perseids,
and brighter ones will travel across a good swath of sky before they
burn out, often leaving a faint smoke train from their passage. You
can also catch a few on the nights before and after the peak, but the
night of the 13th – 14th is the "bulls-eye". So bundle up, make a
thermos of hot coffee orcocoa, and set up your lawn chair with your
feet pointing east in as dark a place as you can find, and enjoy the
show. As the night passes by, take some time to admire the bright
stars of the GreatWinter Circle. They might not warm you up, but they
will certainly brighten your night.
As mentioned earlier, Mars still hangs tough in the southwestern sky
at dusk. The Moon will be nearby on the evening of the 14th, and the
red planet will continue to linger in this part of the sky through the
end of the year.
Jupiter now dominates the evening sky from sunset to sunrise. You
willnotice him in the east almost as soon as the Sun goes down, and by
the late evening he is nearly overhead, beaming down with a bright
golden glow. He is prominently featured on the westernperimeter of the
Great Winter Circle, just under five degrees awayfrom the reddish-hued
star Aldebaran. Owners of telescopes ofsix inches or more in aperture
should look for the Great Red Spot crossing the planet's disc on the
evenings of the 14th and 16th. On the latter evening you may also
spotthe shadow of the Galilean moon Io transiting the disc on the Red
Spot's northern boundary. There is always something going on at this
wonderful planetary system!
Early risers can still catch a glimpse of fleet Mercury just above the
eastern horizon about an hour before sunrise during the first few days
of the week. Dazzling Venus will be just over six degrees away, higher
up and to the right. Mercury should be visible to the unaided eye if
you have a very flat horizon, but apair of binoculars will be very
helpful if you have to peer through any horizon haze. By the week's
endthe fleet planet will be much harder to spot, so try for him now.
Venus should be easy to find throughout the week, and yellow Saturn
shines some 16 degrees above Venus with the star Zubenelgenubi placed
about mid-way between.
S$

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