[ad_1]
Each Monday I pick out the northern hemisphere’s celestial highlights (mid-northern latitudes) for the week ahead, but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
What You Can See In The Night Sky This Week: December 19-25, 2022
The week sees the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of astronomical winter. A global event marking the moment when the Earth’s axis is at its maximum tilt away from the Sun for the northern hemisphere, the solstice occurs when the Sun hangs above the Tropic of Capricorn at midday in the southern hemisphere.
It’s a waymarker, but there’s not much to actually see. Luckily this week brings a couple of other stargazing targets just in time for the holiday season.
Wednesday, December 21, 2022: Solstice
Today at 21:48 UTC the Sun will hang above the Tropic of Capricorn at midday in the southern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere will see its longest day and shortest night and Antarctica will enjoy a midnight Sun. In the northern hemisphere, it means the shortest day of the year and the longest night while up in the Arctic Circle it’s polar night when the Sun never rises.
The solstice occurs because Earth rotates on an axis tilted by 23.5º relative to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. That tilt affects how much sunlight each hemisphere of Earth gets at different times of the year, both in terms of how long the days are and how low or high it hangs in the sky. It’s about a change in the orientation and angles between the Earth and the Sun—and it’s that tilt that gives us the seasons.
Thursday, December 22, 2022: Ursid meteor shower
As soon as it gets dark in North America tonight is the peak of the Ursids meteor shower. So keep your eyes peeled (no binoculars or telescope necessary) for its 10 “shooting stars” per hour (a dark sky will help).
The Ursids meteor shower is caused by dust and debris being left in the inner Solar System by Comet 8P/Tuttle. Although they can appear from anywhere the radiant point for the meteors is the constellation of Ursa Minor, “The Little Bear.” The waning crescent Moon will be barely 3%-lit so won’t have any negative effect on the night sky’s darkness.
Although the peak is in the early evening it’s likely you’ll see more “shooting stars” around midnight and beyond because it’s then that the sky will be at its darkest.
Friday, December 23, 2022: New Moon
Today at 10:17 UTC our natural satellite in space will be roughly between Earth and the Sun—so completely invisible to us, lost in our star’s glare.
Saturday, December 24, 2022: Crescent Moon, Venus and Mercury
Look to the southwestern sky just after sunset and you’ll see—most easily through binoculars—a lovely tableau of the bright planet Venus, tiny Mercury and a 3.5-lit crescent Moon at its most delicate.
Planet of the week: ‘Shepherd’s Star’
Every year someone discusses the origin of the “star of Bethlehem” so let’s not go through it again. However, this year the probable culprit—the occasionally extraordinarily bright planet Venus—will return this week to the post-sunset western sky. Go look at it for about an hour after sunset and you’ll understand why French astronomer Nicolas Camille Flammarion called it the “Shepherd’s Star.”
Object of the week: the Christmas Tree Cluster
It’s a great time of year to find the Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264) in the constellation Monoceros, which rises beneath Orion in the east. Put some binoculars on this cluster of stars—it’s between Betelgeuse in Orion and Procyon in Canis Minor.
Times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information consult online planetariums like Stellarium and The Sky Live. Check planet-rise/planet-set, sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset times for where you are.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
[ad_2]
Source link