By: Pete Daleo

Greetings!

As the year winds down we see exciting changes in our night sky. Along with the chilly evening air, the most numerous collection of bright stars adorn the heavens.

One of the most recognizable group of stars is the mighty Orion, the hunter of ancient mythology. It is fully above the eastern horizon by 7:00 pm local time. Below the three stars that form Orion’s Belt is another group of three stars forming the sheath of thehunter’s sword. Scan this region with a pair of binoculars and you will find a small, fuzzy patch of light which is the Great Orion Nebula. As with many celestial objects, a darker sky will improve visibility. This nebula is a vast region of hydrogen gas that is producing new stars.   

Hopefully, all you skywatchers were able to see the Geminid meteor shower which peaked early this week. With no moon in the sky, the display was at a favorable time with no interference from bright moonlight to wash out the fainter meteors.    

The highlight of the month will be the close alignment of the planets Jupiter and Saturn occurring on Monday night, December 21st. Look towards the southwestern sky about an hour after sunset. The pair will be the closest they’ve been in about the last 400 years, and it’s been about 800 years since this event has been visible at night. If you have the chance to view this event with a telescope you’ll be in for a real treat! Try to get an unobstructed view of your southwestern sky.    

Happy viewing. And keep looking up!

– Pete Daleo
Orionis909@gmail.com