| | | December 20 Solstice Weekend | | | |
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 | | | Check this out ... the Breathing Earth. It's a year of seasonal transformations on our planet. John Nelson created this animation, using images from the NASA Visible Earth team. Read more about the animation via John Nelson. | | |
| December solstice: All you need to know | | The solstice moment - when the sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky - happens Sunday, December 22, at 04:19 UTC. That's Saturday night for North America. No matter where you live on Earth's globe - no matter what time the solstice happens for you - it's your signal to celebrate. Read more. | | | | | Solstice tale of 2 cities | | December solstice sunrise comes at the same time for St. Augustine, Florida, and New York City. But St. Augustine has an hour more of daylight than New York. Here's why. | | | Ursid meteors peak this weekend | | This annual shower always peaks around the December solstice. The peak is probably Sunday or Monday morning, but watch Saturday morning, too, and into next week. The hours before dawn are best. The Ursids are a low-key affair, offering perhaps as many as 5 to 10 meteors per hour in a dark sky. In rare instances, bursts of 100 or more meteors per hour have been seen. Read more. | | | | | |
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|  | | Newly updated! December planet guide | Are you a morning person? Then look east before sunup for the waning crescent moon, as it sweeps past the star Spica (brightest star in Virgo), Zubenelgenubi (brightest star in Libra) and Mars (4th planet from the sun). Read more about December planets. | | | | | |
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 | | Sun pillar over Connecticut | John Campbell in Stamford, Connecticut, caught this sun pillar on December 16. Sun pillars, or light pillars, are caused by ice crystals floating in the air. Read about sun pillars here. Thank you, John! | | |
