THE SKY THIS DECEMBER: METEOR STORM LAST MONTH GOOD FOR ISRAEL, BAD FOR CAPE

The good news is, astronomers correctly predicted that last month's meteor storm would peak over Europe. Reports from Israel estimate 71,000 meteors per hour (20 per second!) were seen. Many were caught on video tape and looked very much like the fireball which the region saw on the 16th of November. The bad news is that the meteor storm at Cape Girardeau was a big dud. About 200 people showed up at the observatory around 1:00 am on the 18th and many stayed until dawn. We saw about 24 good meteors. We may have missed the storm, but the camaraderie was great.

There are five planets that are easily visible to the unaided eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. These along with the Sun and the Moon are why we have seven days in a week. All five of these planets are easily visible in December. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in the evening and Mercury and Venus in the morning.

Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus have been dazzling us in the sky these past few months and are well known. Venus, the crescent Moon, and the star Spica form a nice group in the early morning hours of the third. Mars has slowly sank into the southwest but can still be identified by its bright red color and makes a nice conjunction with the crescent Moon on the 12th. Mercury is best placed for dawn observations early in the month but is still difficult to see. It is fainter than brilliant Venus and is very low and to the left. Mercury is hard to see because it does not spend much time very far away from the Sun. Since planets orbit faster as they get near the Sun, Mercury really does scurry back and forth as its namesake implies.

December 22nd is the winter solstice which means the Sun is lower at noon and is above the horizon the least amount of time for the year.

This means 14 or 15 hour nights for the working astronomer. It also means that one could witness a complete rotation of Jupiter in one night since the rotation rate for Jupiter is just over 12 hours.

If you think the full Moon looks bigger than usual this month, that's because it is. The Moon's orbit is slightly elliptical and the Moon will be closer to Earth on the 22nd than it has been all year and should produce the highest and lowest tides of the year. So plan that beach vacation now! Sky watchers have been blessed with one of the best falls in many years as the clear, dry, cool nights have been ideal. If you get that telescope for Christmas you have always been wanting, this is a good year, but go outside. I still remember being amazed when I received my first telescope and found so many double stars on Christmas night till I realized I was seeing a double reflection off the window pane in my room.

Dr. Michael L. Cobb is the chairman of the Physics Department at Southeast Missouri State University and can be reached at (573) 651-2172