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By Mike Vergara, (951) 461-2889 It's December, and another year will shortly be in the record books. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Holiday Season. We may get a visible comet this month. Comet "C/2021 A1 (Leonard)" will make its closest approach to Earth around Dec. 12 and will be closest to the sun in early January. As comets get closer to the sun, they often grow "tails" of gas and dust, and these tails can be pretty spectacular. Astronomers say that Comet Leonard may (emphasis on may) get as bright as Polaris, the North Star. If it does get that bright, it will only be visible just before sunrise and just after sunset. Look for it near Venus after sunset around Dec. 18 to the 21st. That will probably be the best opportunity for viewing. If you're out looking for the comet, stay up and look for meteors. The Geminid Meteor shower will peak the night of Dec. 14. Unfortunately, the moon will be almost full and will be bright enough to wash out many of the otherwise-visible meteors. December's full moon, known as the "Full Cold Moon," will be on the 18th. This month's full moon name needs no explanation! Other names for the December full moon include the "Full Snow Moon," the "Moon of the Popping Trees" and the "Moon Before Yule" (this is from Europe). A few days after the full moon comes the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21. This is the day when the sun's annual journey through the sky reaches its most southerly point. At noon, the sun will only be 33 degrees above the horizon here in Murrieta. The Winter Solstice is also the shortest day of the year, as it has only 9 hours and 55 minutes of daylight. Visit http://skymaps.com/index.html to find where the planets and constellations are. From there, you can print your own map of the sky for the month. Clear skies! December Sky December Sky 26 | THE COLONY NEWS | DECEMBER 2021 | COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD Raymond Danaher Carole Morris Gerrie Murphy Margarita Rodarte Rudy Thayer In Memoriam