EarthSky News - Dec 17 - Primordial Galaxies, Phaethon Closest, Longest Lunar Month

December 17 Primordial Galaxies, Phaethon Closest, Longest Lunar Month by:

Primordial galaxies swimming in dark matter Astronomers thought the 1st galaxies would be small. Now they've spotted 2 giant galaxies from when the universe was only 5% of its current age. 3200 Phaethon closest to Earth last night This asteroid-comet hybrid is why the Geminid meteors put on a good show in 2017. Info and images of the rock-comet at its closest, here. This century's longest lunar month starts tomorrow Lunar months are roughly 29.5 days. The upcoming one will be 7 hours longer than the mean and this century's longest lunar month. Here's why. New moon is tomorrow Lunar months start at new moons, and new moon comes Monday. It'll cross the sky with the sun during the day. Star of the week: Mirfak Mirfak isn't as famous as Algol, its brother star in the constellation Perseus. But Mirfak is easy to find and can guide you to Algol.

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? An EarthSky lunar calendar is sure to delight. Or give the gift that gives back! Check out the new colors and designs of our EarthSky Cares Tees. A percentage of proceeds collected will be donated to select organizations.

Geminid meteor, rising moon and tarantula During Virtual Telescope Project's live feed of last week's Geminid shower, the all-sky camera at Tenegra Observatory in Arizona had an unexpected visitor.

3200 Phaethon - Geminid meteors' source - at its closest Mike Olason in Denver, Colorado captured the curious rock-comet 3200 Phaethon Saturday night, about 1 hour after Phaethon's close approach to Earth last night at 2300 UTC. At the time, Phaethon was about 6.41 million miles from Earth.  Submit your photo to EarthSky here!

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EarthSky News - Dec 16 - Top Stories This Week

December 16 Top Stories This Week by:

Astronomers chart galaxy orbits in Local Supercluster "We are not only visualizing the detailed structure of our Local Supercluster of galaxies, but we are also seeing how the structure developed over the history of the universe." Juno probes depths of Jupiter's Great Red Spot Juno spacecraft data show the Great Red Spot - nearly 1.5 Earths wide - with roots penetrating some 200 miles (300 km) into Jupiter's atmosphere. Awesome Geminid shower? Thank 3200 Phaethon This mysterious rock-comet is the parent body of the Geminid meteor shower and the likely reason the Geminids were so strong in 2017. The rock-comet itself is closest to Earth today. How to see 3200 Phaethon You can't see 3200 Phaethon with the eye alone. But backyard telescopes can pick it up. A grand year for the Geminids With 3200 Phaethon nearby, the 2017 Geminid meteor shower was thought to have a better-than-average chance of producing a rich display. And so it did! Photos here. Solstice coming up December 21 Solstice 2017 arrives on December 21. Everything you need to know. Tonight … See a star that changes its brightness Sheliak is a variable star in the constellation Lyra the Harp.

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? An EarthSky lunar calendar is sure to delight. Or give the gift that gives back! Check out the new colors and designs of our EarthSky Cares Tees. A percentage of proceeds collected will be donated to select organizations.

Tonight … See a star that changes its brightness You can notice Sheliak's brightness changes in a cycle lasting 6.5 days.

Gaia's view of the Large Magellanic Cloud The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the nearest galaxies to our Milky Way, as viewed by ESA's Gaia satellite after its first 14 months of operations. Submit your photo to EarthSky here!

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