Sky Watch, December

December 1, 2024

by Peter Lutken

November was mostly dry, and temperatures ranged from 30 to 80 degrees! The leaves are starting to be beautiful this fall! 

The Winter Solstice is on December 21. It's the shortest day of the year, with under 10 hours of sunlight! The long nights are perfect for stargazing.

Evening Skies: Just after sunset, Venus shines out in the west. Jupiter rises in the east and is up all night, leading Mars and the winter stars (Orion, Taurus, and Gemini) across the sky.

Full Moon: December 16.

Morning Skies: The Big Dipper, Arcturus, and Spica, stars of late winter and spring, are well up, rising earlier every day. 

Quarry/Outdoors:  As cold fronts arrive, the colors of the leaves will get better and better! They'll begin to blow away after the Solstice. Migrating ducks and hawks are arriving every week now, and full time residents, like the Great Blue Heron in the Quarry photo, are all around, hunting in the shallows.

It's a great time of year to get outdoors, take a walk, and take in all the wonders around us as the seasons turn!

PKL