| Last Month | Next Month |
Celestial
Events Calendar
Wednesday, December 1, 2004:
Chi Orionid meteor shower active Nov. 26
Dec. 15, ZHR ~ 3 meteors/hour, waning gibbous Moon does not favor observation
Saturday, December 4, 2004:
6:54 PM CST Last Quarter Moon
Sunday, December 5, 2004:
6 AM CST The planet Mercury is at its ascending node, that
is, it is at the point in its orbit where it is crossing the plane of the
Earths orbit (ecliptic) and heading southwest
5 PM CST Venus is 1.2o N.N.E. of Mars (about 2
moon widths), it is best viewed in the morning sky as it rises ~ 2 hours before
sunrise
Monday, December 6, 2004:
Phoenicid meteor shower active Nov. 28
Dec. 9, ZHR ~ 3 to 100+
Puppid-Velid meteor shower - active Dec. 1 to Dec. 15, ZHR ~ 10
meteors/hour
Tuesday, December 7, 2004:
4:56 PM Houston Time earliest sunset, this does not occur
on the winter solstice, Dec. 21, because our clocks are based on the average
speed of the Sun across the sky not the actual speed
5 AM CST the Moon is less than a moon width from Jupiter,
which rises in the eastern sky 4 hours before the Sun
Wednesday, December 8, 2004:
Monocerotid meteor shower active Nov. 27 to
Dec. 17, ZHR ~ 3
9 AM CST Comet 62P Tsuchinshan 1 is at perihelion,
it closest approach to the Sun, visible in the constellation Leo, just outside
the orbit of Mars
11 AM CST The Moon is at its descending node, it is
crossing the plane of the Earths orbit and heading southeast
Friday, December 10, 2004:
2 AM CST Mercury is at inferior conjunction with the Sun,
that is, Mercury is between the Sun and the Earth, it moves from the evening to
the morning sky
7 PM CST The Moon, Venus and Mars are all within 8 moon
diameters of each other
7:28 PM New Moon, the beginning of lunation
cycle 1014
9 PM CST Mercury is at perihelion, its closest approach to
the Sun, at a distance of 28.6 million miles from the Sun
Saturday, December 11, 2004:
Sigma Hydrid meteor shower active Dec. 3 to
15, ZHR = 2
Sunday, December 12, 2004:
4 PM CST The Moon is at perigee, the point in its orbit
where it is closest to the Earth ~ 224,000 miles
Monday, December 13, 2004:
Geminid meteor shower active Dec. 7 to Dec. 17, ZHR ~ 120
9 AM CST Pluto is at conjunction with the Sun, the Sun is
between the Earth and Pluto; it passes from the evening into the morning sky
Friday, December 17, 2004:
6 PM CST The Sun leaves the astronomical constellation of
Ophiuchus, the Serpent Carrier, and enters the astronomical constellation of
Sagittarius, the Archer
68th Meeting of the North Houston Astronomy Club,
Kingwood College
Saturday, December 18, 2004:
10:39 AM CST First Quarter Moon
Sunday, December 19, 2004:
Coma Berenicid meteor shower active Dec. 12 to
23, ZHR 5
Monday, December 20, 2004:
1 AM CST Mercury ceases its apparent westward retrograde
motion relative to the stars and begins its normal eastward prograde motion
in the constellation of Ophiuchus
Tuesday, December 21, 2004:
12:51 AM CST The Moon is at its ascending node
6:40 AM CST Winter Solstice, the Sun is as
far south of the equator as it gets, shortest day & longest night
6:40 AM CST The Sun leaves the astrological sign of
Sagittarius the Archer and enters the astrological sign of Capricornus, the
Goat
Wednesday, December 22, 2004:
Ursid meteor shower active Dec. 17 to Dec. 26, ZHR 50+
Thursday, December 23, 2004:
2 PM CST Comet C/2003 K4 LINEAR may be at a magnitude of 6
at this closest approach to Earth and may be visible to the naked eye at a dark
sky observing site
Friday, December 24, 2004:
The equation of time is zero, that is, the midpoint between
sunset and sunrise is exactly at midnight
Saturday, December 25, 2004:
Sunday, December 26, 2004;
9:06 AM CST Full Moon, The Moon Before Yule
Monday, December 27, 2004:
The Moon is at apogee, the point in its orbit where it is
furthest from the Earth
~ 255,000 miles
Wednesday, December 29, 2004:
Mercury is at its greatest elongation west (22.4o),
that is, it is at the point in its orbit where it appears furthest from the Sun
in the morning sky
Friday, December 31, 2004:
Mercury and Venus are about 2 moon diameters apart in the
morning sky