Latest / Star Trails: From Backyard Astronomy to Cosmic Wonder / December Stargazing Highlights and a Holiday Break

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December Stargazing Highlights and a Holiday Break · Star Trails: From Backyard Astronomy to Cosmic Wonder

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  Hey there, Star Trails listeners, Drew here, and I've got a quick update for you.
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  The Star Trails podcast is going to be taking a little holiday break for the next month.
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  We'll be back in January with more Star Gazing Tips, Celestial Stories, and updates on all
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  the cosmic events coming your way.
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  During this hiatus, we're going to take some time to recharge, brainstorm new ideas, and
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  make sure we're bringing you the very best Star Gazing content when we return.
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  We'll pick up right where we left off, exploring the night sky together.
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  In the meantime, keep looking up.
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  December has plenty of celestial events to keep Star Gazers entertained.
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  Here's a quick guide to what you can expect to see.
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  Jupiter is at opposition on December 7th and will be at its closest approach to Earth, making
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  it appear brighter and larger in the night sky.
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  It will rise in the east after sunset and remain visible all night, positioned among the stars
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  of Taurus.
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  The Geminid meteor shower peaks around December 13th and 14th.
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  While the Geminids are typically a highlight of December, a nearly full moon will make
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  conditions less favorable this year.
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  Expect to see around 10 to 15 meteors per hour under good viewing conditions.
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  The December full moon, known as the Cold Moon, arrives on the 15th and will reach peak
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  illumination early in the morning around 4 a.m.
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  This bright full moon will dominate the sky, making it a good opportunity for lunar photography.
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  The winter solstice is December 21st.
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  This marks the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and is a perfect opportunity
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  for an extended night of stargazing.
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  The Erced meteor shower peaks around December 21st and 22nd.
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  Although less active than the Geminids, this smaller meteor shower could produce around
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  5 to 10 meteors per hour.
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  Just viewed late at night, the waning moon will provide darker skies later in the evening.
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  Mercury will reach its greatest western elongation on December 25th, making it easier to spot
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  in the morning sky before sunrise.
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  So if you're up early on Christmas morning, look to the east-southeast to catch this
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  elusive planet.
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  How about joining me in a kind of Star Trails book club?
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  My pick for December is Night Watch, a practical guide to viewing the universe by Terrence
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  Dickinson.
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  It's been one of the top astronomy books for more than 20 years and it's a go-to resource
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  for stargazers at every level.
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  I've never read it myself, so I'll be checking it out this month to enhance my own sky-watching.
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  Grab a copy and join me.
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  Also if you're a new listener, December is a great time to catch up on our back catalog.
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  Visit our website, StarTrails.show, where you can find all of our shows, including transcripts.
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  Some of my favorite episodes from the past year include Episode 41, where I took listeners
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  inside a local star party.
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  Episode 35 is about stargazing while on vacation, and if you want to hear something truly out
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  of this world, check out Episode 31, where we listened to some pulsars, the cosmic clocks
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  of the universe.
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  I'll include links to these episodes in the show notes.
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  As always, if you find some value in the show, please share it with a friend.
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  We really appreciate it.
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  Until next month, clear skies and happy stargazing.