Happy Holidays To all!
It’s that time of year, with great holiday and New Years
celebrations going on, don’t forget to look up at the sky, as there
are plenty of holiday treats to see!
The month of December stars off with one amazing object to see!
For those that just love and adore the amazing story of the “Star of
Bethlehem”, December sky watchers need to look low in the SW sky at sunset, for the amazing planet Venus!
Venus reaches its greatest brilliancy in the evening sky, on December 6th!
Venus, is the planet that can get closer to the Earth, than all the
other major planets, some 25 million miles away!
In December, Venus blazes, as the goddess of love and beauty in
the sky.
For those that would like to replay the story of the “Star Of Bethlehem”, Venus is just the ticket; as it stands high in the SW
at sunset and reminds us of that magical “star”, that many believe
guided the wise men, to Bethlehem…..
An added holiday treat also occurs on the night of December 6th;
as the waxing crescent Moon, creates a conjunction with Venus!
Speaking of the Moon, in December, it reaches New Moon, or as
I like to say, “The Dark Of The Moon”, on December 2nd, First
Quarter on December 9th….then the Moon becomes gibbous, or
egg shaped, until it reaches the majestic Full Cold Moon, on the
morning of December 7th, full at 2:28AM MST.
Last Quarter on Christmas Day, the 25th…….
This is the time that we have waited for with Comet ISON, if it
made it past perihelion on Nov. 28th, it may be the spectacular
Comet that we have hoped for, or may have faded into the history
books. If the comet survived, it may put on a good show in the
December evening sky!
The seasons change once again, on December 21st at 10AM MST, with the arrival of the Winter Solstice……
Happy New Year 2104……
Welcome to the skies of January 2014…
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is the big event for
January sky watchers. Jupiter reaches opposition on the night of
January 5th, rising in the NE sky at sunset. Jupiter is a good excuse
to get out those telescopes that you might have received during the holidays. It’s that good!
This planet is spectacular, even in a small telescope. You will get to see the main body of Jupiter up close and the four main Jovian
moons discovered by Galileo , on January 7th 1610.
Jupiter rides high in the sky, in the constellation of Gemini the Twins.
The moon is New on New Years Day, then moves to 1st Quarter
On the 7th, with the first Full Moon of 2014, the Full Wolf Moon
on the 15th. Last Quarter moon on the 24th and a second New Moon
on January 31st.
Venus is still low in the SW at sunset and Mars and Saturn are in
the E at dawn.
2014 offers up other great events too!
No one has seen a total eclipse of the Moon, since December 2011.
Get set for a total lunar eclipse, right here in Arizona, on the night
of April 14th/15th 2014. This will be a deep eclipse and a great one to view, photograph and share with friends. We will talk about specific times, in future columns.

A place that you will find Dr.Sky, is the great AZ Challenger Space Center. Check out our programs by going to: www.azchallenger.com  See you there!
Many Dr.Sky programs are held around the state. Why not join us
For our monthly programs in Sedona, at the great Sedona Rouge
Hotel/Spa. Learn more, by going to www.sedonarouge.com
Our monthly Dr.Sky “Cruise To The Cosmos”, on the Dolly Steamboat. Learn more at www.dollysteamboat.com
And our great programs at the Lost Dutchman State Park. To learn more, visit; http://azstateparks.com/Parks/LODU/
For additional Dr.Sky information, please visit us at www.drsky.com and www.drsky.tv
Our aviation site is, www.photorecon.net
Above all, Dr.Sky, wishes you and your family, the best of the holidays and a prosperous and healthy 2014!
See you on the radio!!!