By Neill Simmons
The highlight of December is the “Geminids” Meteor shower on Saturday, the 13th, and continues into the early hours of Sunday.
The Geminids are famous for producing fireballs that can be green, red or blue in color. A fireball is an exceptionally bright meteor that results from space rock burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere. They are also known as a “shooting star.” This event will be visible in the city but many more meteors can be seen away from the city lights. The local mountains or beaches are good places.
The December full moon will first appear on Thursday, the 4th. This full Moon is known as “The Cold Moon” and will be a super Moon. A Super moon happens when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as perigee.
On the 7th and 8th of this month, there will be a conjunction of Jupiter and the Moon. A conjunction is an astronomical event where two or more celestial objects appear close to each other in the sky from our vantage point on Earth. They are actually millions of miles apart from each other. Jupiter will appear as a bright, glowing star. The best time to see this is about five hours after sunset in the eastern sky. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, and over 1300 Earths can fit inside of it. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and is made mostly of hydrogen and helium gas. It has the shortest day of any planet, at just under 10 hours, while its year is nearly 12 Earth years long and it has over 90 moons!
The winter sky is a great time to see the constellation of Orion, the famous hunter from Greek mythology. Orion is currently visible in the eastern sky in the early evening and is rising higher as the night progresses. Find three bright stars in a nearly straight line to locate Orion’s Belt, which is the easiest way to spot the constellation. A clear, dark night is ideal for seeing the constellation and even fainter features like the Orion Nebula, which is located in the “sword” hanging from the belt.
After 9 pm, look straight up to see The Pleiades. This asterism is known in Greek mythology as the “Seven Sisters.” To honor their father, Atlas, who was tasked with the difficult job of holding up the Earth on his shoulders, the sisters were rewarded with a place in the heavens. An asterism is an observed pattern or group of stars in the sky sometimes within a constellation.
For example, the Pleiades is located within the constellation of Taurus, the Bull. The Big Dipper is a well-known asterism in the northern sky that is part of the constellation Ursa Major.
China discovered a new mineral from their fifth lunar exploration mission and named it Changesite. The mineral is named after Cheng’e, the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology. The discovery also makes China the third country to discover a new lunar mineral after the United States and former Soviet Union.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, December 20. Griffith Park Observatory will hold a free public Star Party from 2 to 9:45 pm. There will be lots of telescopes for viewing the sky and astronomers to answer your questions.
When not stargazing, Neill Simmons, is an Investment Executive with LPL Financial in Woodland Hills. If you have any astronomy or financial questions, he may be reached at (818) 936-2626 or emailed at neill.simmons@lpl.com.
