Published: December 02, 2006 10:46 pm         

Planets meet next week; meteor showers coming

By Fritz Osell and Bob Killam



Phases of the moon for December are:

December 5: Full moon (Moon before Yule).

December 12: Last quarter.

December 20: New moon.

December 27: First quarter.



At 6:26 a.m. Dec. 10, a rare knot of planets will be in the pre-dawn sky.

On succeeding mornings, Jupiter will shift upward rapidly, Mars upward only slightly and Mercury downward (becoming lost to view), so by the time the Old Moon comes by on Dec. 18-19, the three are 10 degrees apart.

Throughout the month, there are eight meteor showers that can be viewed. The best is the Geminids all night Dec. 14. The radiant is just north of the head star of the fencer-horseman twin Castor.

Winter solstice begins at 6:25 p.m. Friday. The sun, appearing to travel along the ecliptic, reaches the point where it is farthest south of the celestial equator. So, days are shortest and nights longest.

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Leonardo’s Star Quest Astronomy Club meets the second Tuesday of every month at Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse and the fourth Tuesday at the Northern Oklahoma College Enid observatory. Sessions start at 7 p.m.

Every Wednesday and Thursday, weather permitting, the NOC observatory will be open to the general public. Sessions start at 7 p.m. Large groups planning to visit the observatory should call 548-2399 to schedule an appointment. So come out and join us and use the telescopes to study the wonders of Enid’s night sky.



Osell is head of the Northern Oklahoma College astronomy program. Killam is resident astronomer and astronomical league coordinator for Leonardo’s Star Quest Astronomy Club and an NOC adjunct faculty member serving as director of NOC observatory.