At the beginning of the month we still have Jupiter and Saturn low in the south west after Sunset, by the end they will be very low at Sunset. There is a Great Conjunction of these two planets on the 21st when they will appear close together in the sky. 

Mars is high in the south east at Sunset and still bright, but it is rapidly moving away from the Earth and although it will be higher in the sky to the south at the end of the month it will be much less bright and will no longer be the brilliant red star like object of recent months. 

At 7:00am at the start of the month Venus will be very obvious low in the pre dawn sky, but it will get closer to the Sun every day and will be difficult to see at month’s end. 

We had Full Moon on November 30th and will have again on December 30th. At this time of year the Moon is high in the sky at Full Moon and it easily gives enough light to see where you are going. I can actually read by the Moon at this time of year and you can see colours, the green of grass, the brown of trees, the yellow of the last remaining leaves, very plainly. Have you thought of going on a night walk around an area you know when the Moon is Full? 

Last Quarter Moon is on 8th, New Moon 14th and First Quarter 21st. The Moon is close to Jupiter and Saturn on the 17th and near Venus on 12th; it will be a thin crescent both times. 

We have the winter solstice on 21st December. This is the day the Sun appears lowest in the sky at midday. It is the date of the shortest day, but because the Earth’s orbit is an ellipse not a circle it is not the date of latest Sunrise or earliest Sunset. The latest Sunrise is on the 30th at 8:04am so the mornings get darker still after the solstice. Earliest Sunset is 12th December at 3:52pm and by month’s end you may notice the evening is a little bit brighter, but only by ten minutes. 

In winter we are actually closer to the Sun than in summer, the difference in temperature is because of the angle that the northern hemisphere is presented to the Sun. Tradition says “as the days lengthen, the cold strengthens” and we can often get colder weather in January and February than we had in November and December. 

Winter is a difficult time for our wildlife. Many hibernate, like hedgehogs, frogs and toads. But others struggle through the harsh weather. If we have hard frosts and frozen water or heavy snow cover this makes it difficult for many of the small mammals and birds to be able to find enough food to survive and they can often become quite bold. I have seen fieldfares close up where snow has driven them into our gardens during snow and foxes come right up to the patio door and look in hopefully. They can be heard during winter, their shrill mating call sounding like someone screaming. I have been nose to boot with a badger, their eyesight at night is awful and they rely on scent and sound; it was very surprised when the object it had walked into said “Hello”. Owls also keep the astronomer company, hooting loudly from the woods, their call carrying great distances in the cold, frosty air. 

Tony Roberts
Edenbridge and District Astronomers