The waning days of 2001 see the Moon pass through its full phase,
the last full Moon of the year to take place at 4:40 AM CST (2:40
PST, 5:40 EST) the morning of Sunday, December 30. At that time,
the Moon will be in a penumbral eclipse, that is, in the partial
shadow of the Earth. There is little point in watching, as
penumbral eclipses are barely if at all sensible to the eye. More
interesting, since the Sun just passed its most southerly point on
the ecliptic, the winter solstice in
Sagittarius, the Moon will be near its
most northerly point in Gemini.
Those in mid-northern latitudes will therefore witness the highest
full Moon of the year, and since there will be an eclipse (of
sorts), the Moon will be almost smack on the ecliptic itself. As
the near-full Moon traverses the sky the night of Saturday the
29th, it will appear just to the east of Jupiter (also in Gemini),
the following night to the west of the giant planet.
The new year is celebrated by Jupiter's passage through its
opposition with the Sun, which will take place New Year's Eve, the
night of Monday, December 31. Instead of partying, go outside and
admire the brilliant planet. That night, Jupiter will rise at
sunset, set at sunrise, and cross the meridian to the south at
midnight. From here on out, until Jupiter disappears into twilight
next July, it will already have risen by sunset. While looking at
Jupiter, you can also of course watch for Saturn, in Taurus to the east of Jupiter, as
well as Mars (in Pisces), which
still lies in the early-evening southwest, and which will also be
with us until next July.
Planet Earth is featured this week as well, as it too helps
celebrate the new year by passing through perihelion, where it is
closest to the Sun, on Wednesday January 2, its distance from the
Sun a mere 147,098,058 kilometers (91,402,496 miles), a bit under
2 percent less than average. Obviously, the distance between the
Earth and Sun has nothing to do with the seasons, as we in the
northern hemisphere are in the dead of winter (the seasons produced
entirely by the tilt of the Earth's axis).
At the end of twilight, the stars of autumn are at their highest
pitch, and as the evening progresses are exchanged for those of
winter. Look particularly for the "W" of Cassiopeia, which for those in mid-northern latitudes,
is nearly overhead. Those in the far south, however, know of it
only by reputation or travel. Just as people in mid-northern
latitudes cannot see the Southern
Cross, those south of around 35 degrees south latitude, which
includes southern South America, southern Australia, and New
Zealand, cannot see the ancient celestial Queen, who never rises
for them.
