Moon and Gemini on December 14


Tonight – December 14, 2016 – a full-looking moon shines in front of the constellation Gemini the Twins, the radiant of the Geminid meteor shower. The Geminid shower probably reached its peak last night, and the moon was fuller last night, too. But you might see some Geminid meteors tonight as well, despite the drenching moonlight.

Gemini’s brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, will likely withstand tonight’s moonlit glare. Look for the moon and Gemini stars to rise over your eastern horizon by early-to-mid evening. Click here to find an almanac that’ll tell you the rising time of the moon in your sky. And to find out the rising times for Castor and Pollux (and other bright stars), click here.

The moon turned full on December 14, at 0:05 UTC (12:05 a.m.). Converting UTC to U.S. time zones, that puts the instant of the full moon on December 13, at 7:05 p.m. EST, 6:05 p.m. CST, 5:05 p.m. MST and 4:05 p.m. PST. So, by the time you are reading this, the full moon may have already past. Even so, the moon will look plenty full tonight, as it shines from early evening December 14 until dawn December 15.

Without doubt, tonight’s bright moon will bleach out many of Gemini’s stars. But hopefully you’ll be able to see the stars Castor and Pollux rather close to tonight’s moon, despite the glaring moonlight.

Are you familiar with Orion the Hunter, the gem of all constellations? If so, you can star-hop from Orion to the constellation Gemini on a dark, moonless night. Simply draw an imaginary line from Mintaka, the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt, through the bright ruddy star Betelgeuse, as depicted in the sky chart below.

Star-hop to the constellation Gemini by drawing an imaginary line from Orion's Belt through the bright ruddy star Betelgeuse.

Star-hop to the constellation Gemini by drawing an imaginary line from Orion’s Belt through the bright ruddy star Betelgeuse.

At mid-northern latitudes, Orion and Gemnini rise at approximately the same time. At more southerly latitudes, like those in the Southern Hemisphere, Orion rises before Gemini. But no matter where you live worldwide, Orion is your ticket to locating the constellation Gemini the Twins.

Bottom line: Adding insult to injury, the December 14, 2016 moon is right in front of the constellation Gemini, the radiant point of the Geminid meteor shower. Have you seen any meteors in the light of this full moon? Console yourself by star-hopping to Castor and Pollux – Gemini’s brightest stars – on this moonlit night.



from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2hslUgl

Tonight – December 14, 2016 – a full-looking moon shines in front of the constellation Gemini the Twins, the radiant of the Geminid meteor shower. The Geminid shower probably reached its peak last night, and the moon was fuller last night, too. But you might see some Geminid meteors tonight as well, despite the drenching moonlight.

Gemini’s brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, will likely withstand tonight’s moonlit glare. Look for the moon and Gemini stars to rise over your eastern horizon by early-to-mid evening. Click here to find an almanac that’ll tell you the rising time of the moon in your sky. And to find out the rising times for Castor and Pollux (and other bright stars), click here.

The moon turned full on December 14, at 0:05 UTC (12:05 a.m.). Converting UTC to U.S. time zones, that puts the instant of the full moon on December 13, at 7:05 p.m. EST, 6:05 p.m. CST, 5:05 p.m. MST and 4:05 p.m. PST. So, by the time you are reading this, the full moon may have already past. Even so, the moon will look plenty full tonight, as it shines from early evening December 14 until dawn December 15.

Without doubt, tonight’s bright moon will bleach out many of Gemini’s stars. But hopefully you’ll be able to see the stars Castor and Pollux rather close to tonight’s moon, despite the glaring moonlight.

Are you familiar with Orion the Hunter, the gem of all constellations? If so, you can star-hop from Orion to the constellation Gemini on a dark, moonless night. Simply draw an imaginary line from Mintaka, the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt, through the bright ruddy star Betelgeuse, as depicted in the sky chart below.

Star-hop to the constellation Gemini by drawing an imaginary line from Orion's Belt through the bright ruddy star Betelgeuse.

Star-hop to the constellation Gemini by drawing an imaginary line from Orion’s Belt through the bright ruddy star Betelgeuse.

At mid-northern latitudes, Orion and Gemnini rise at approximately the same time. At more southerly latitudes, like those in the Southern Hemisphere, Orion rises before Gemini. But no matter where you live worldwide, Orion is your ticket to locating the constellation Gemini the Twins.

Bottom line: Adding insult to injury, the December 14, 2016 moon is right in front of the constellation Gemini, the radiant point of the Geminid meteor shower. Have you seen any meteors in the light of this full moon? Console yourself by star-hopping to Castor and Pollux – Gemini’s brightest stars – on this moonlit night.



from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2hslUgl

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