The Winter Season Arrives

Despite the cold and snow of recent weeks, technically it was still Autumn (Fall). Well, that all changes at 1.08am EST on December 22nd, when the season officially turns to winter.

Welcome to the Winter Solstice.

At this time, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky for those of us in the northern hemisphere. The sun is 47° lower than when it was the Summer Solstice back in June. Want to know something interesting? That’s just about twice the amount  of the Earth’s axial tilt. After tomorrow, the sun will begin its northerly travels again, and the days will slowly get longer.

So take heart. Summer’s coming, if you are one of those people who don’t like the cold.  It will just take a while. But, in another interesting twist, the winter season is actually the shortest of all four seasons.

The Universe (The Milky Way)

The next episode of the amazing series The Universe continues tonight. The new episode is called “The Milky Way.” Here’s a preview…

We used to think that Earth was at the center of the universe, but now we know we’re not even at the center of our own galaxy. Countless wonders exist between where earth is situated and the massive black hole at the galactic center of our solar system. Within the Milky Way can be found the debris of old, dying stars fueling the birth of new stars and at the galactic center hypervelocity stars get catapulted clear beyond the Milky Way’s outer rim at unimaginable speeds. Come along for a guided tour of 100,000 light-year-wide family of stars and stellar phenomena we call The Milky Way.

Much has progressed in our understanding of our home galaxy, but in reality we haven’t even touched the surface. There are as yet unimaginable wonders waiting to be discovered in the “ribbon of light” that shines in the night sky. As usual, check local listings.

Mars - Close and Bright

This week - tomorrow actually - Mars will be at its closest approach to the Earth for this apparition. In fact, Mars won’t be this close to the earth for another nine years (2016). This year Mars is 55 million miles from the earth (88 million kilometers). and shines bright inthe northeastern sky after dark.

Graphic - Mars after sunset, December 18th

Mars is rising before 6.00pm now, and is easily seen as a bright reddish “star” rising in the northeast sky, outshining all of the stars in the night sky (Sirius being the brightest star).

Mars is in the constellation of Gemini, where it will stay until the end of the year, when it travels into the neighboring constellation Taurus on December 30th.

Even though this week Mars is at it’s closest to our planet, the next “event” is on Christmas Eve, when the Red Planet will be at opposition (opposite the sun from Earth’s position). And the night before, the Full Moon will be keeping Mars company all night long, making a striking pair.

At opposition, Mars rises at sunset and is at it’s highest near midnight, nearly 75° above the horizon. It then slowly travels westward, sinking to the western horizon at sunrise.

Mars will be conspicuous for the next month or so, but fades quickly as the winter season draws to a close. So if there are some clear nights, make sure to go out and take a look at the “God of War.”