Here it comes. We’ve got both Christmas and a Full Moon approaching.

The full moon coincides with the big holiday on Christmas Eve. It rises in the east at sunset. Late in the evening, the moon appears as high in the sky as it gets. This is not only a holiday moon, this is a full moon that nearly coincides with the first day of winter. Winter arrives at 11:48 p.m., next Monday.

A full moon in December, near the winter solstice, is always the highest in the sky. The full moon at midnight in December is the antithesis of the noon day sun on the first day of summer. They appear in the same place, in the same part of the zodiac.

On Christmas Eve the full moon is inbetween the zodiacal constellations Gemini and Taurus.

Look for the moon casting long shadows. The last time there was a yuletide full moon was in 1977. The next one is in 2034.

Where are the Planets?

Our evening sky is devoid of visible planets. There is not one in our night sky until they start showing up well after midnight. All the visible planets: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Venus are visible in the early morning sky.

The two faint planets Neptune and Uranus are in the evening sky, but they are only visible to those who know where to look and have binoculars. Neptune is in Aquarius. Uranus is in Pisces.