Mon Dec 18, 2023 TELESCOPIC VIEWS OF THE MOON
The moon has returned to our evening skies- it's now well-placed in the south at sunset. This is a great time to look at the moon through binoculars or telescopes, because you can see lots of details near the moon's terminator, the line that separates daytime from nighttime on the moon. The shadows here are very long, just as they are near earth's terminator, after sunrise or before sunset. You can also find smooth, flat, dark areas on the moon - these are the maria, or seas - not really oceans of water, but dark basaltic rock, similar to the basalts we find on the earth's ocean floor. A lot of these maria are fairly round, with mountain chains encircling them. They are the result of giant asteroid impacts that happened long ago.
Tue Dec 19, 2023 BRIGHT STARS OF LATE AUTUMN
The moon, the stars and a couple of planets can be found in this evening’s sky. The stars Vega, Altair and Deneb, are over in the west after sunset. In the south, the waxing half moon shines. Nearby is a yellow-tinged star, actually the planet Saturn. But the brightest star this evening is the planet Jupiter in the east. Now face northeast and find Capella, in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer. To its right is the red-tinged star Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Taurus; while low in the east are the stars of Orion the Hunter – Betelgeuse, Rigel, and the three stars in a row that mark his belt – Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka.
Wed Dec 20, 2023 WINTER’S BEGINNING AT NEWGRANGE
There’s a place in Ireland called Newgrange, but there isn’t anything new about it – in fact, it’s literally as old as the hills, being a hill itself. Five thousand years ago, the Irish built a giant earth mound, over an acre across, and surrounding it they set up great stones. Ancient tomb, ancient temple, Newgrange probably served both these functions. And like Stonehenge in England, Newgrange is astronomically aligned. For a few days before and after the winter solstice - the beginning of winter - sunlight travels through a roof box or window over the main doorway. The shaft of sunlight travels all the way down a long, narrow corridor, until it lights up a small chamber at the center of the mound. It happened long ago, and it happens now.
Thu Dec 21, 2023 WINTER SOLSTICE/URSID METEORS
Winter begins in the earth’s northern hemisphere tonight, December 21st, at 10:27 PM, Eastern Standard Time. It's at this exact moment that the sun's rays fall most directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, twenty-three and a half degrees below the equator, where summer is beginning. For us in the northern hemisphere, today marks the shortest period of daylight, and also the longest night of the year. As our winter season begins, we will be treated to a meteor shower called the Ursids. Best views will be from midnight until dawn, but there will be some visible in the late evening too. Grab a reclining lounge chair, dress warmly, get away from bright streetlights and face east, and hope for clear, dark skies.
Fri Dec 22, 2023 GIOTTO AND THE STAR OF WONDER
In the year 1301, the artist Giotto saw a bright comet. Centuries later it would be called Halley’s comet, named for Edmond Halley, who calculated its regular return every 76 years. In 1305, Giotto painted a beautiful fresco called, “the Adoration of the Magi,” which can still be viewed in the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy. Above the Creche, Giotto painted Halley’s comet, portraying it as the Nativity star. Could the comet have been the star? Astronomy is a science which is predictive in nature, and we’ve calculated that this comet was visible in the sky in the year 12 BC, but this is far too early for the comet to be considered as a good candidate for the Nativity star. We will need to continue our search.
