Dr. Ashraf Tadros, Professor of Astronomy at the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research, revealed full details of the recent astronomical phenomena for the month of December, most notably the onset of winter, the occurrence of 9 planetary conjunctions, two meteor showers, and the appearance of the (Christmas) moon.
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Tadros said, in a statement to the Middle East News Agency, that the first of these phenomena began on Tuesday with the conjunction of the moon with Jupiter (the giant of the solar system) at nightfall until the beginning of their sunset near midnight, and the moon will be to the right of Jupiter today, then to the left of Jupiter tomorrow, Friday.
He added that the moon on December 6 will be associated with the Pleiades star cluster – one of the brightest and most famous open star clusters in the northern sky, which is located 440 light years from Earth.
He explained that this crowd consists of several hundred stars, but only 7 bright stars can be seen with the naked eye, and that is why it is called the Seven Sisters or (the Pleiades). The night on that day, as they remain adjacent to each other in the sky throughout the night, until the appearance of morning twilight at dawn the next day, December 7th.
He pointed to the conjunction of the moon with Mars (the red planet) when entering the night of December 7, and they could be seen side by side in the sky throughout the night until morning twilight at dawn the next day, December 8.
He said that on December 8, the moon (Badr Jumada Al-Awwal) will be complete, with a brightness of 99.9%, and it will rise immediately after sunset, remain in the sky all night, and then set at sunrise the next morning.
He added that this full moon is known to the American tribes as the (cold moon) denoting the entry of winter, and it is also known as the (long nights moon) because the night hours are longer than the daytime hours in winter, and it is also known as the (Christmas) moon.
He stressed that the time of the full moon is the best time of the month to see the terrain, volcanic craters and meteorite craters on the surface of the moon using binoculars and small telescopes.
And the astronomy professor pointed out that on December 8, the red planet (Mars) will also be in its closest position relative to Earth on that day, when it is in the position of encounter with the sun, which illuminates the entire face of Mars, so it will be brighter than at any other time in the year, explaining This is the best time to view and photograph the planet Mars, noting that the full moon will be seen close to Mars throughout the night on that day as well.
He noted the conjunction of the moon with the star Pollux in the constellation Gemini (the twins) at their sunrise at approximately eight in the evening on December 10, when we see them side by side in the sky all night until morning twilight appears at dawn the next day, December 11.
He explained that Pollux is an orange giant star that is about 3 times larger than the sun and is about 34 light-years away from Earth, and one of the outer planets resembling the solar system was discovered orbiting Pollux in 2006.
He pointed out that on December 13, the Gemini meteor shower (the twins) will illuminate the sky, and it is the queen of meteor showers, and it is preferred by many, as it is considered the best meteor shower throughout the year, as the number of meteors in it reaches about 120 meteors per hour, in addition to its multiplicity of colors.
He explained that the twins’ meteor shower results from dust debris left by the asteroid Phaethon 3200, which was discovered in 1982, and that the twins’ meteors fall annually from December 7 to December 17, and reach their peak this year on the night of December 13 and dawn of December 14.
He stressed that the best viewing of the meteors is from a completely dark place away from the city lights, where the meteors fall as if they were coming from the constellation Gemini (the twins), which is the reason for its name, but they can appear anywhere else in the sky, knowing that the presence of the (declining gibbous) moon in The sky will obscure many faint meteors this year.
He added that meteor showers are generally seen with the naked eye and do not need binoculars or astronomical telescopes, provided they are far from city lighting and the sky is free of clouds, dust and water vapor. Earth.
He pointed out that on December 21, the planet Mercury will reach its maximum elongation of 20.1 degrees from the sun on that day, which is the best time to watch and photograph Mercury because it will be at its highest point above the western horizon in the sky immediately after sunset.
Dr. Ashraf Tadros said that on December 21, the winter solar solstice will occur, as the south pole of the earth tilts towards the sun, and its rays are completely perpendicular to the orbit of Capricorn at latitude 23.44 degrees south, and this day is considered the peak of the astronomical winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere At the same time, it is the height of the summer astronomically (the summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere.
He added, “When we say the peak of the winter season, this does not mean that it will be the coldest day of the year, because the coldness and hotness of the air are related to weather matters within the atmosphere and it has many factors that fall within the scope of work of the General Meteorological Authority. As for astronomically, it is related to the movement of the Earth in its orbit around the sun.” .
He continued, “Therefore, the peak of winter represents the maximum inclination of the Earth’s axis of rotation in orbit, knowing that the Earth is relatively closer to the sun in winter than in summer, and accordingly the peak of the winter astronomically is the shortest day of the year, as the length of the day reaches approximately 10 hours, While the length of the night is approximately 14 hours.
He explained that the sun on that day will reach its lowest height above the horizon at noon when it crosses the meridian, and the human shadow on the earth at this time will be as long as possible.
He pointed out that on December 21, the Ursa Minor meteor shower will also illuminate the sky, and the Ursids meteors are considered light meteor showers, as the number of meteors is about 10 meteors per hour, and it is produced by dust debris scattered along the orbit of the comet Tuttle that was Its discovery in 1790.
He explained that the bear meteors fall as if they were coming from the Ursa Minor group (near the North Star), which is the reason for its name. The annual timing of this shower is from December 17 to December 25 of each year, and it reaches its climax on the night of the 21st until the dawn of December 22nd.
He drew attention to the conjunction of the moon with the giant star Antares (the heart of the scorpion), which is a red giant star whose mass is estimated at 10 times the mass of the sun and is 600 light-years away from Earth on December 22, and it is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio, and this conjunction is visible before sunrise at 5: 45 in the morning that day until they disappear from the intensity of the morning twilight as a result of the sunrise.
He noted the appearance of the new moon (Mohaq Jumada al-Akhir) on December 23, and the moon will rise with the sun and set with it, so that its luminous face will be facing the sun and its dark face or its shadow will be facing the earth, so the moon will not be visible in the sky all night on that day, and this night is considered the best. Night nights during the month are generally preferred by astronomers, when faint celestial bodies such as galaxies, star clusters, and distant constellation stars are observed.