Mark Alan Lovewell

Ice Moon

The moon will dominate our weekend sky into next week. Tonight the gibbous moon appears in the zodiacal constellation Taurus and it appears way up high in the sky at least for a few night. Sunday, the moon advances into the northern and highest zodiacal constellation Gemini. It is night you might see your shadow, a moon shadow.

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Crescent Moon Passes by Saturn and Jupiter

The bright planet Saturn is slipping away from us. The planet commanded attention throughout the end of last summer and into autumn. It is now taking a backseat to the affairs of the winter sky. Saturn now slightly fainter resides low in the southwestern skies after sunset. A thin crescent moon appears above and near Saturn this Sunday night. Both are in the zodiacal constellation Aquarius, a constellation we associate more with autumn than winter.

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Two planets and the Moon

Next Monday morning, hours before sunrise there are three celestial objects forming a large triangle in the eastern sky. The waning crescent moon, appears in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius. Look to the left for the bright planet Venus. Look farther east to find the fainter planet Mercury.

The sight of all three together will be impressive. For those with keener vision take another look at the moon and right next to it you'll discover the brightest star in Scorpius and it is called Antares.

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Quadrantid Meteor Shower

There is a small and welcome display of meteors to begin the New Year. The Quadrantids meteor shower takes place in the wee hours of Thursday morning. The best time is around 3 a.m. and this shower is relatively short. The shower's radiant is under the Big Dipper rising in the Northeastern sky after midnight. While it is not a common shower, the next shower isn't for months, until April's Lyrid meteor shower. So, by default the Quadrantids has some degree of popularity among those who enjoy seeing shooting stars crossing the sky.

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Christmas Celestial Objects

If you are looking for something in the sky mindful of the Christmas Star you'll need to get up early in the morning. The brighest planet in the sky, Venus, is high in the southeastern sky well before sunrise. Venus is in the zodiacal constellation Libra and it is well placed this winter for viewing any morning. Enjoy the moment now, for Venus will start appearing lower and lower in the eastern sky each morning ahead.

Venus is getting farther from us and it is only slightly going to get fainter. By May, the planet will be so low in the east to be difficult to spot before sunup.

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Moon and Two Planets

On Sunday night the distant planet Saturn appears close to the setting waxing crescent moon. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Aquarius and you can't miss Saturn for it is the brightest celestial object nearest to the moon. You can see the moon the night before in the zodiacl constellation Capricornus, closer to the western horizon. These two constellations, Aquarius and Capricornus close out the season of autumn.

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Geminid Meteor Shower

The biggest meteor shower of the year will take place next Wednesday night. The Geminid meteor shower will be a wonderful way to close out the year with the best display. The moon will not interfere. As long as skies remain clear late into the evening, observers can expect to spot meteors, shooting stars crossing the sky fairly frequently. While most are familiar with the August Perseid Shower for its size and familiarity, the Geminid shower is better. The challenge with this shower is the temperature outside.

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Waning Gibbous Moon

The moon will continue to dominate our evening skies over the weekend. The waning gibbous moon moves through the constellations of winter. Tonight the moon is in the zodiacal constellation Gemini. This moon is one day short of being the highest moon in its month long orbit around the Earth. Though past full moon, this one still commands attention.

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Moon and Jupiter

Tomorrow night's gibbous moon appears near the bright planet Jupiter. The two will appear low in the eastern sky soon after sunset but soon gain height as the evening progresses. The two are beneath the zodiacal constellation Aries.

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Leonid Meteor Shower Tonight

One of the favorite and small meteor showers of the season takes place in the wee hours of Ssaturday morning. Step outside after midnight tomorrow morning for a fairly nice show. Bundle up, get a hot cup of chocolate and sit in one of your summer easy beach chairs. You may see upwards of 15 meteors in an hour of viewing, though that seems optimistic.

The shower is named for the constellation Leo, where the meteors appear to originate. The constellation doesn't rise until well after midnight but you can see a meteor in the dark any time.

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