Astronomy News for the Month of December 2024


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For amateur radio operators and scanner enthusiasts around the world, please join the Colorado Astronomy Net on the Rocky Mountain Radio League's K1DUN repeater on 449.450 MHz or other digital and analog repeaters, Allstar nodes, Echolinks, DMR and internet links connected to the SKYHUBLINK system. The net meets on Tuesday nights at 7 P.M. Mountain Time (US) (Wednesday at 0200 GMT). Connecting to the SkyHubLink system has expanded our coverage in the U.S., Canada and internationally. All Amateur radio operators worldwide are welcome. Anyone may listen to the net. The RMRL provides a "Live Audio Feed" using Broadcastify.

Obtain your Amateur Radio (Ham) License or your General Radio Operator's License (GROL)! Visit the South Metro VE Team website for more information. The South Metro VE Team provides test sessions by appointment only. Check the website for current information. All others interested in Amateur Radio, check out the Amateur Radio Relay League website to find out more information about becoming an Amateur Radio operator.

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 Excerpts from JPL mission updates are provided as a public service as part
of the JPL Solar System Ambassador/NASA Outreach program.

For special JPL programs and presentations in your area visit the JPL Solar System Ambassador website.
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Rocket Report for 11/26/2024 through 12/10/2024
Courtesy of "The Rocketman" Ed W6RDZ
Updated Weekly on Tuesday evenings
prior to the Colorado Astronomy Net

In this Newsletter...


Background screen credits: NGC5775
Imaged March 21/22, 2001
using the 16" Kitt Peak Visitors Center telescope
as part of the Kitt Peak Advanced Observing Program.


"Jupiter looks finest when at opposition, and this year promises to be particularly dazzling. The Hubble Space Telescope snapped this shot of the gas giant just before opposition in 2017." Astronomy Magazine, December 2024, p. 28. - NASA, ESA and A. Simon (NASA Goddard)


The Month At-A-Glance
A calendar displaying the daily astronomical events.


The Moon and Santa-->

The Moon

Phases

Apogee/Perigee

Moon/Planet Pairs

For reference: The Full Moon subtends an angle of ~0.5°.

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Experts Pick the Top Stargazing Events for 2024

The Planets & Dwarf Planets

Planetary Reports generated by "TheSkyX" software. These reports provide predicted data for the planets for the first of each month for the current year. The rise and set times for the Sun and the Moon for each day of the month as well as meteor shower radiants are also included in the reports. These reports have been optimized for the Denver, Colorado location, however, the times will be approximate for other locations on Earth.

(Times are Mountain Daylight Time (MDT/MST) unless otherwise noted. Times will vary slightly depending on your location.)

Planetary Highlights for December

"Jupiter reaches its best apparition in a decade for northern observers and offers a wealth of detail. Joining in late evening is brilliant Mars, now a month from opposition. Saturn is visible in the early evening, along with Venus soon after sunset. Uranus and Neptune remain visible with binoculars, and Mercury makes a fine morning appearance." Astronomy Magazine, December 2024, p. 28.

Mercury

Is in inferior conjunction on the 5th. Mercury is stationary on the 15th. Mercury is at greatest western elongation (22°) on the 24th. Mercury sets at 5:10 p.m. on the 1st. After conjunction, Mercury returns to the morning sky. Mercury rises about 5:49 a.m. by month's end. Mercury is visible about 30 minutes before sunrise just above the southeastern horizon after the second week of December. Mercury is in the constellation of Ophiuchus shining at magnitude -0.4 on the 31st.

Venus

Sets about 7:37 p.m. on the 1st and about 8:37 p.m. by month's end. Look for Venus to the southwest about 30 minutes after sunset. Venus moves from the constellation of Sagittarius into Aquarius shining at magnitude -4.3 on the 15th.

Earth

Winter solstice occurs at 4:21 A.M. EST on the 21st.

Mars

Rises at 8:31 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:02 p.m. by month's end. Mars is stationary on the 7th. Look for Mars to the southeast in the evening. Follow Mars across the sky almost all night long. Mars is in the constellation of Cancer shining at magnitude -0.8.

Jupiter

Is at opposition on the 7th, rising as the Sun sets. Jupiter rises at 4:56 p.m. on the 1st and about 2:39 p.m. by month's end. Jupiter is easy to spot to the east in the evening sky. Follow Jupiter across the sky for the rest of the evening and into the early morning hours. Jupiter is in the constellation of Taurus shining at magnitude -2.8.

Saturn

Sets at 11:48 p.m. on the 1st and about 9:54 p.m. by month's end. By the time the Sun sets, Saturn is high to the southwest. Saturn is in the constellation of Aquarius shining at magnitude 1.0.

Uranus

Sets at 5:54 a.m. on the 1st and about 3:47 a.m. by month's end. Look for Uranus to the south soon after sunset. Uranus is in the constellation of Taurus shining at magnitude 5.6.

Neptune

Sets at 1:04 a.m. on the 1st and about 10:59 p.m. by the month's end. Look for Neptune to the southwest following Saturn by less than 90 minutes all month. Neptune is in the constellation of Pisces shining at magnitude 7.7.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres

Sets at 7:42 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:41 p.m. by month's end. Ceres is visible in the evening sky to the southwest. Ceres moves from the constellation of Sagittarius into Capricornus shining at magnitude 9.3.

Pluto

Sets at 8:05 p.m. on the 1st and about 6:07 p.m. by month's end. Pluto is visible in the evening sky to the southwest. Pluto is in the constellation of Capricornus shining at magnitude 15.3.

As always, good luck at spotting Neptune, Ceres and Pluto, a large telescope and dark skies will be needed.

Constellation information provided by Go Astronomy.

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Astronomical Events

Meteor Showers

  • The Geminids - This shower is active during the period December 6 to December 19. Upon reaching maximum activity during December 13 to 14, hourly rates are typically near 80. The meteors are described as rapid and yellowish, with about 4% displaying persistent trains. They possess an average magnitude of 2.4.

  • The Ursids - Occurring primarily between December 17 and 24, this meteor shower reaches maximum on December 22... The maximum hourly rate is usually between 10 and 15... Meteors belonging to this stream are typically faint.

    Meteor Shower Radiant Report

    For more information about Meteor Showers, visit Gary Kronk's Meteor Showers Online web page.

    Meteor Scatter (or Meteor burst communications) - "is a radio propagation mode that exploits the ionized trails of meteors during atmospheric entry to establish brief communications paths between radio stations up to 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi) apart." Tune your shortwave or your HF amateur radio to 54.310 MHz SSB and see if you can hear any pings. Try other frequencies as well... 6m FT8 digital - 50.313 Mhz & 50.276 Mhz, JP-65 digital mode and the carrier frequencies of the lower VHF bands for TV channels 2, 3 & 4.

    Meteor Rx How-To by Terry Bullett (WØASP)

  • Comets

  • Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has dimmed to 8th magnitude this month. You'll need a clear western horizon and dark skies to spot the comet about 90 minutes after sunset. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS moves along the southwestern horizon passing through the constellation of Aquila.

  • For information, orbital elements and ephemerides on observable comets, visit Observable Comets.

    For more information about Comets, visit Gary Kronk's Cometography.com webpage.

  • Eclipses

    Solar Eclipses

  • No solar eclipse activity this month.

    Lunar Eclipses

  • No lunar eclipse activity this month.

  • Observational Opportunities

  • Look for Venus, Ceres and Pluto in the evening to the southwest.
  • Look for Comet Tsuchinshan in the evening to the southwest.
  • Look for Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter in the evening to the south and east.
  • Look for Mars in the late evening and early morning to the east.
  • Look for Mercury in the early morning to the east after mid-month.

  • Asteroids

    (From west to east)
    • Iris is in the constellation of Aquarius.
    • Eunomia is at opposition on the 14th in the constellation of Auriga.
    • Irene is in the constellation of Gemini.
    • Vesta is in the constellation of Virgo.

    • Information about the Minor Planets can be found at the Minor Planet Observer website.
    Ocultations

    IOTA Logo

  • Information on various occultations can be found by clicking the IOTA logo.

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    Member Meteor Sightings

    In this section I will post meteor, fireball, etc sightings that have been published on the American Meteor Society's web site. I want to make this an active section of the web pages and newsletter and would like to publish the links to member sightings. If you have any published sightings, please provide me with the links and I will post them here for all to enjoy.

    Event ID Date/Time Location Observer Link
    3871-2015 2015-11-13 01:55 MST CO Charles N 3871a
    3587-2015 2015-11-22 17:38 MST CO Kevin S 3587aw
    3829-2015 2015-12-05 18:06 MST CO Burness A 3829a
      986-2020 2020-02-21 22:20 MST CO Lukas S 986
    3716-2020 2020-07-24 23:22 MDT CO Lukas S 3716
    4774-2021 2021-08-13 21:57 MDT UT Lukas S 4774
    7044-2021 2021-10-28 20:37 MDT CO Burness A 249058
    6763-2022 2022-10-06 05:56 CDT OK Mike C 6763
    5300-2023 2023-09-11 22:04 MDT CO Lukas S 5300
    578-2024 2024-01-28 23:05 MST CO Lukas S 578

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