The Sky This Week, 2012 January 3 – 10 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The Moon waxes in the evening sky this week, with the year’s first Full Moon falling on the 9th at 2:30 am Eastern Standard Time. January’s Full Moon is popularly known as the Moon After Yule, the Old Moon, or the Wolf Moon, depending on whose mythology you prefer.

The Sky This Week, 2012 January 3 – 10 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The Sky This Week, 2011 December 6 – 13 — Naval Oceanography Portal

December 7th marks the beginning of the series of phenomena associated with the winter solstice. This is the evening of the year’s earliest sunset, which in the Washington, DC area occurs at 4:46 pm EST. From this evening onward Old Sol will set a little bit later on successive nights. The change is very incremental at first, but by the time the solstice occurs on the 22nd sunset will be four minutes later. By the end of the year sunset will occur at 4:58 pm. The trade-off comes with the time of latest sunrise. That won’t occur until January 4th, 2012, when the Sun peeks over the horizon at 7:27 am. The shortest day of the year still falls halfway between these dates on the solstice itself, marking the astronomical beginning to the winter season.

The Sky This Week, 2011 December 6 – 13 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The Night After Christmas Sky Show – NASA Science

On Dec. 26th, the night after Christmas, Venus and the slender crescent Moon will gather for a jaw-dropping conjunction in the western sky.

A Venus-Moon conjunction photographed in Nov. 2011 by Thad V’Soske of Fruita, CO. The "Night After Christmas" conjunction will look about the same. Copyright: T. V’Soske/Cosmotions.com

The action begins shortly before sunset. Around 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm local time, just as the sky is assuming its evening hue, Venus will pop into view, glistening bright in the deepening twilight. No more than 6 degrees to the right lies the crescent Moon, exquisitely slender, grinning like the Cheshire cat with his head cocked at humorous attention. This is a wonderful time to look; there are very few sights in the heavens as splendid as Venus and the Moon gathered close and surrounded by twilight blue.

But don’t go inside yet, because the view is about to improve. As the sky fades to black, a ghostly image of the full Moon materializes within the horns of the lunar crescent. This is caused by Earthshine, a delicate veil of sunlight reflected from our own blue planet onto the dusty-dark lunar terrain. Also known as "the Da Vinci glow," after Leonardo da Vinci who first understood it 500 years ago, Earthshine pushes the beauty of the conjunction over the top.

The Night After Christmas Sky Show – NASA Science

I think I was close to 50 before I heard that the latest sunrise and earliest sunset are NOT on the winter solstice, nor the earliest sunrise and latest sunset on the summer solstice (at least, north of the equator). Blew my mind, especially to think I failed to notice in 50+ cycles. Here’s an explanation to pass a long night.

The Dark Days of Winter — Naval Oceanography Portal

The period between the first week in December and the first week in January could well be called the "dark days" for the mid-northern latitudes. At latitude 40 degrees north, earliest sunset occurs around 8 December each year, and latest sunrise occurs around 5 January. The day with the least amount of daylight is the winter solstice, the first day of winter, around 21 December. Why are not all these dates the same? The answer is not simple. There are two effects which, together, determine the local time of Sun phenomena, such as sunrise, sunset, and transit. One is called the Equation of Time; the other is the Sun’s declination. [keep reading…]

The Dark Days of Winter — Naval Oceanography Portal

But then, it was at least 40 years before I realized the swing between summer and winter solstices is 47 degrees.

The Sky This Week, 2011 December 6 – 13 — Naval Oceanography Portal

Full Moon occurs on the 10th at 9:36 am Eastern Standard Time. December’s Full Moon is variously known as the Cold Moon, Frost Moon, Long Night Moon, or Moon Before Yule. Residents of eastern Asia, Australia, and the western Pacific Ocean will see a total eclipse of the Moon at this time. Residents of Alaska and Hawaii will see the eclipse in its entirety, while folks in the western U.S. will see varying stages of it before local moonset, with Washington state getting the best view from the "lower 48".

The Sky This Week, 2011 December 6 – 13 — Naval Oceanography Portal

Total Eclipse of the Moon – NASA Science

Dec. 2, 2011: Waking up before sunrise can be tough to do, especially on a weekend. On Saturday, Dec. 10th, you might be glad you did. A total eclipse of the Moon will be visible in the early morning skies of western Northern America.

The action begins around 4:45 am Pacific Standard Time when the red shadow of Earth first falls across the lunar disk. By 6:05 am Pacific Time, the Moon will be fully engulfed in red light. This event—the last total lunar eclipse until 2014—is visible from the Pacific side of North America, across the entire Pacific Ocean to Asia and Eastern Europe.

For people in the western United States the eclipse is deepest just before local dawn. Face west to see the red Moon sinking into the horizon as the sun rises behind your back.  It’s a rare way to begin the day. …

"I expect this eclipse to be bright orange, or even copper-colored, with a possible hint of turquoise at the edge," [Atmospheric scientist Richard Keen of the University of Colorado] predicts.

Total Eclipse of the Moon – NASA Science

Follow the link above to see a map of the path and for more info. Use www.sunrisesunset.com to determine moonset and sunrise times in your area. [In Albuquerque: Sunrise: 7:03am, Moonset: 7:06am, Full Moon: 7:38am.]

Of course, it’s also a full moon early Saturday. Should look full-ish Fri, Sat, and Sun night. A-OOooo.

The Sky This Week, 2011 December 6 – 13 — Naval Oceanography Portal

December 7th marks the beginning of the series of phenomena associated with the winter solstice. This is the evening of the year’s earliest sunset, which in the Washington, DC area occurs at 4:46 pm EST. From this evening onward Old Sol will set a little bit later on successive nights. The change is very incremental at first, but by the time the solstice occurs on the 22nd sunset will be four minutes later. By the end of the year sunset will occur at 4:58 pm. The trade-off comes with the time of latest sunrise. That won’t occur until January 4th, 2012, when the Sun peeks over the horizon at 7:27 am. The shortest day of the year still falls halfway between these dates on the solstice itself, marking the astronomical beginning to the winter season.

The Sky This Week, 2011 December 6 – 13 — Naval Oceanography Portal