Image Up Advertising & Design

The Colony News December 2023

Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1512170

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 20 of 43

| THE COLONY NEWS | DECEMBER 2023 | 19 | THE COLONY NEWS | DECEMBER 2023 | 19 In Memoriam Charles Broz Lois Henry Judy Lott By Mike Vergara, 951-473-5806 It's December, and the temperatures are finally back in the "comfortable" range. Meteor showers are always fun to watch, and December's "Geminids" shower marks the end of meteor shower season for 2023. Meteor showers are usually the result of ice and dust that are shed when a comet travels close to the sun. The Geminids are unique in that these meteors are from a rocky asteroid body instead. The shower's peak will be the night of Wednesday, Dec. 13-14. The moon is new on Tuesday, Dec. 12, so there will be a nice dark sky to see up to 120 meteors per hour. Speaking of the moon, December's full moon is late in the month on the 26th. This full moon's traditional name is the "Full Cold Moon." Since it is very close to the Winter Solstice, one of its alternative names, the "Long Nights Moon," is also very appropriate. The December solstice, occurring on Thursday, the 21st, marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere. This is the day with the shortest period of daylight of all the days in the year. It's also the day when the sun is at its most southern point in the sky. From here in the northern hemisphere, that means the sun's path in the sky is as low as it can get. After the 21st, the days get longer again until the next solstice in June. We still have big, bright Jupiter high in the evening sky. In early December, Saturn will still be visible in the western sky, but by mid-month it will be very low in the sky. If you're an early bird, the really bright object in the sky before sunrise is Venus. I hope everyone here in The Colony has a safe and Happy New Year! Visit http://skymaps.com/index.html to print your own map of the sky for the month. For information about satellites or the ISS, go to https://heavens-above.com. Clear skies! The december Sky The december Sky

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

view archives of Image Up Advertising & Design - The Colony News December 2023