The first quarter moon appears tonight near the bright red planet Mars. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Aquarius. They are high in the sky well after sunset and slowly move to the west, setting close to and before midnight.
Mars is not as bright as it was only a few months ago. Its distance continues to increase and it is getting smaller. Astronomers estimate the planet is over 100 million miles away and the distance will grow. Just for comparison, the sun is 93 million miles away.
Back in early summer, Mars was so much closer, a third the distance away, shining like a bright jewel. If you remember that time, Mars now has a very different dull look.
The moon moves along the zodiac through the coming week, passing through the winter constellations of Pisces and Taurus. Full Moon is the following weekend.
| Day | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 14 | 7:00 | 4:11 |
| Sat., Dec. 15 | 7:01 | 4:12 |
| Sun., Dec. 16 | 7:02 | 4:12 |
| Mon., Dec. 17 | 7:02 | 4:12 |
| Tues., Dec. 18 | 7:03 | 4:12 |
| Wed., Dec. 19 | 7:04 | 4:13 |
| Thurs., Dec. 20 | 7:04 | 4:13 |
| Fri., Jan. -- | 7:05 | 4:14 |
| Day | Max (Fº) | Min (Fº) | Inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 7 | 41 | 32 | 0.03 |
| Dec. 8 | 39 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Dec. 9 | 30 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Dec. 10 | 35 | 29 | 0.00 |
| Dec. 11 | 40 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Dec. 12 | 40 | 24 | *T |
| Dec. 13 | 37 | 28 | 0.00 |
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