Stars Over Sisters

Moving into December, the moon is waxing toward full. It passes through its first quarter phase on December 2, and climaxes with a lunar eclipse just before the full moon sets on the morning of Saturday, December 10. The total eclipse will begin that morning at 6:06 a.m. and end at 6:57 a.m., with the greatest eclipse occurring at 6:31 a.m. The moon will set at 7:34 a.m., five minutes after sunrise.

The moon will then wane to its third quarter on December 17, and will then restart its cycle with a new moon on December 24 at 10:08 a.m.

Winter solstice, the longest night of the year, occurs on the evening of December 21. This is when the sun is furthest from the northern hemisphere. After the solstice, the days will begin to get longer, gaining daylight for the next six months.

With the longer nights, we can enjoy viewing winter constellations such as Taurus, Gemini and Orion. Orion, known as the hunter, can be identified by the three bright stars of his belt. Hanging from his belt is the Orion Nebula, a star nursery, where multitudes of stars are born. This nebula can be seen with the naked eye on a clear night. The brightest star in Orion is Betelgeuse (often pronounced "beetle juice"), an orange red-giant, which marks his left shoulder.

Many myths tell the story of Orion. In one story, the famous hunter boasted that no animal could kill him. Hera, the queen goddess, sent a scorpion to sting him. Orion killed the scorpion, but not before it stung him. Both hunter and scorpion were then hung in the sky to honor them. However, neither the hunter nor the scorpion can be seen simultaneously; they are perpetually "chasing" each other from the sky - as one rises, the other sets.

Throughout December, many planets will pass through the night sky. Jupiter is visible in the constellation Pisces. It is the brightest object in the eastern evening sky, other than the moon, and can be seen from sunset until it sets in the west around 3 a.m. Both the distant planets Uranus and Neptune, visible only with a telescope, are present in the early evening sky in the constellations of Pisces and Aquarius. Three distinct planets are visible in the pre-dawn sky. Mars rises in Leo in the middle of the night. Saturn rises in Virgo in the pre-dawn, and Mercury rises in Scorpius just before sunrise.

To learn more about astronomy, join the Sisters Astronomy Club at their next meeting on Tuesday, January 17, beginning at 7 p.m. in Sisters Park & Recreation District's Coffield Center.