Winter officially arrived this morning at 6:12 a.m. and from here on the days will grow longer. There are two more weeks of sunrises that are the latest of the season, but this will change. Sunsets have already begun to get later, about a minute every other day. Sunrises will be earlier in the morning beginning Jan. 11.

Christmas Show

With the snowstorms and blizzards of winter still ahead, there is room for one warm fact.

On Christmas night, the moon, two days from being full, will appear right next to the bright planet Jupiter. The two appear above the eastern horizon at sunset. The scene will be impressive as two brilliant celestial objects appear close together. Both are in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. The bright orange star nearby is Aldebaran.

Throughout the night, the two will move together, rising high in the sky by midnight and then moving toward the west. The two appear low in the western sky before sunrise the next morning.

The full moon is next Thursday; it is called the Holly Moon. The moon will be in apogee, meaning it is farthest from the earth and appears slightly smaller than usual.