Dec 1 - December Planets and More

December 1 December Planets and More by:

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Claire Shickora was at Blythe Island Regional Park, Brunswick, Georgia, on Thanksgiving evening - November 28 - when she caught this beautiful image of the moon, Venus, Jupiter … and more. She wrote: "Passersby were awed as I pointed out exactly what I was photographing." Thank you, Claire! More planet photos here. For still more, check out EarthSky Community Photos, and our pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Or submit your own.

December guide to the bright planets Three bright planets - Jupiter, Venus, Saturn - can still be found in the west after sunset. Day by day, Venus will climb upward while Jupiter and Saturn sink toward the sunset glare. Venus and Saturn will meet up for a conjunction on December 10. In the morning sky, as the month begins, keep watching for Mercury and Mars. They rise in the east before the sun. Read more. A better way to convert dog years to human years The researchers collected DNA samples from 104 Labrador retrievers over a 16-year period. They compared changes in their DNA samples against DNA previously collected from humans. The result? A better sense of what a "dog year" really means. Read more. When is my earliest sunset? For the southernmost U.S and similar latitudes, the earliest sunsets of the year are happening now. Your earliest sunset depends on your latitude, but always comes before the winter solstice. Read more.

EarthSky tees are 40% OFF all weekend long! Choose from various tee designs at The EarthSky Store. 40% discount reflected at checkout. Click here to shop now.

Keep an eye out for Mercury and Mars Your best bet for spotting Mercury, the innermost planet, is to get up before dawn’s first light, or the beginning of astronomical twilight. Extending the Spica-Mars line to the horizon shows you (more or less) where Mercury will rise into your sky, as the predawn darkness gives way to dawn. Read more.

In case you missed 'em … Photos: This week's moon, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn What a week it's been for planets! Jupiter and Venus - the 2 brightest planets - were in conjunction last Sunday. Then the moon swept through the evening sky, passing Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. The sky scene on November 28 - Thanksgiving evening for us in the U.S. - was particularly striking. This one is the Southern Hemisphere view, from Peter Lowenstein in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Venus and Jupiter are near the moon, Saturn in the photo's top right. Our special thanks to all in the EarthSky Community who contributed photos. More photos here. Submit your photo to EarthSky here! Did a friend forward EarthSkyNews to you? Click here to get your own subscription!

by:

update your profile | unsubscribe