Actual Astronomy - Observer’s Calendar for December

The Observer’s Calendar for December 2023! Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan.  Patreon Calendar Draw reminder!   - Dec 4 - Mercury at greatest elongation in evening sky 21° - Dec 5 - Last quarter Moon - Dec 6 - Curtis X visible - Day of Darkness - Dec 9 - Venus 4° North of Moon - Dec 10 - Try to spot Uranus at M=5.7 this week in Aries - Dec 12 - New Moon - Dec 13/14 - Geminid Meteor Shower peaks - ZHR = 120! - Dec 14 Mercury 4° north of the Moon — not here…at least in my software. - Dec 17 - Saturn 2° N of Moon in Aquarius - Dec 19 Double Shadow Transit on Jupiter? - Dec 20 - Lunar Straight wall & First Quarter Moon - Dec 21 - Winter Solstice and Jupiter 3° South of the Moon - Dec 22 Ursid Meteor Shower Peaks - ZHR = 10 Asteroid Metis 9 at 8.4 magnitude opposition. Discovered by Andrew Graham on 25 April 1848, at Markree Observatory in Ireland. Metis (minor planet designation: 9 Metis) is one of the larger main-belt asteroids. It is composed of silicates and metallic nickel-iron, and may be the core remnant of a large asteroid that was destroyed by an ancient collision. Metis is estimated to contain just under half a percent of the total mass of the asteroid belt. - Dec 26 Full Moon - Dec 28 Asteroid 5 Astraea at Opposition! 5 Astraea is an asteroid in the asteroid belt. Its surface is highly reflective and its composition is probably a mixture of nickel-iron with silicates of magnesium and iron. It is an S-type asteroid in the Tholen classification system. Astraea was the fifth asteroid discovered, on 8 December 1845, by Karl Ludwig Hencke and named for Astraea, a Greek goddess of justice named after the stars. It was his first of two asteroid discoveries. The second was 6 Hebe. A German amateur astronomer and post office headmaster, Hencke was looking for 4 Vesta when he stumbled on Astraea. The King of Prussia awarded him an annual pension of 1,200 marks for the discovery. - Dec 30 Double Shadow Transit on Jupiter YES!   Concluding Listener Message: Just a reminder for our Patreon Calendar Draw, all you need to do is be a Patreon Supporter to be placed in our draw. Thanks to everyone for listening and you can always send us your show ideas, observations and questions to:  [email protected]   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].