The 'dust spec to the right of the moon (3 o'clock position) is Mars.
Posted on 12/23/2007 8:24:07 PM PST by girlangler
Full moon near Mars on December 23
Earth & Sky Radio Series with hosts Deborah Byrd, Joel Block, Lindsay Patterson and Jorge Salazar.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
For us in the U.S., the full moon is tonight.
And if you look outside you’ll see this full moon near a blazing reddish light in our sky. It’s the planet Mars. Flying through space at 18 miles per second, Earth is about to go between the sun and Mars. Earth will pass between Mars and the sun tomorrow. So the distance between us and Mars is now about at its least for this two-year period, and Mars won’t come anywhere near this close again until the year 2010.
That’s why Mars appears bright in our sky. It’s as bright as the brightest star, Sirius. And Mars is the brightest object near tonight’s moon. Be sure to look for Mars’ reddish color. By the way, tonight’s full moon is the full moon closest to the December solstice. Standing opposite the sun in our sky, tonight’s full moon closely mirrors the position of the June sun. In fact, this full moon is the northernmost full moon of the year.
For the northern hemisphere, the Full Long Night Moon – with Mars nearby – will climb high by midnight tonight. Just be sure to look for the very brilliant star-like object shining near the moon tonight.
By the way, the full moon comes at the same moment for everyone worldwide, but our clocks say different times. The December full moon falls at precisely 1:16 Monday morning Universal Time. In the Americas, the full moon falls during the evening hours tonight. For the world’s Eastern Hemisphere, it’ll be after midnight Monday when the moon turns full. No matter where you live, a full-looking moon shines from dusk till dawn tonight.
Our thanks today to Research Corporation, a foundation for the advancement of science.
Related:
Understanding moon phases
Mars closest to Earth on December 18
Earth between Mars and sun on December 24
Why is Mars sometimes bright and sometimes faint?
Yes it is beautiful.
I need to go to bed now, but I am enjoying watching this.
So thankful for these wonderful things God has given us, and so often we overlook.
For some reason, tonight I was in the right place, at the right time, and these beautiful gifts were there, before my eyes. I am so excited to have seen this.
I love being back in the country. I grew up with wide open skies in Oklahoma and Texas, and as a kid, marveled at the these things. Then, later in life, I ended up in towns and small cities, where there were so many lights I never even knew there was a light show above this.
Now I am back in the country, in the woods, high on a Tennessee ridge, and I have rediscovered the heavens, and the show they gave me as a child. I love it here.
The 'dust spec to the right of the moon (3 o'clock position) is Mars.
Bump to you.
A similar path.
Looking at it now from over here. That Ol moon is shining big & bright. And Mars is twinkling red just above it.
Looking at it now from over here. That Ol moon is shining big & bright. And Mars is twinkling red just above it.
Those fortunate to live in the deep country, reap their rewards in so many ways. Those lost in the hustle & bustle and crime & rot of our cities have no clue. Let them laugh. Only a very foolish person would laugh at someone who is happy with their place in this world.
I love nature, but rarely catch these awesome events, so I am excited about it.
And well you should be! It is your good fortune to be able to appreciate nature in its purest form without the artificial hype of marketing teams and other hustlers.
So excited, in fact, I dropped everything to google up what I had seen.
I am glad you did. I learned something new and immediately pointed it out to my son. Usually "stars" that near to a full moon are lost in the glare. This sharply red point so near to the moon was a definite eye catcher for those familiar with the night time brilliance of a country sky.
Living in the deep woods, with no artificial lights nearby, allows me to really see things above that so many of the unfortunate ones in cities and towns rarely see.
The deep woods country sky is beautiful, but there are places in the high deserts and mountains that have less moisture and pollution, and they have even more stars. My favorite view is from a darkened cockpit, high above the oceans, thousands of miles from lighted cities. The laser pointed stars seem to dip right down into the ocean. I hear that sailors have a similar view on clear nights far from land.
I have a video of a full moon from last year about this time, and clouds were moving past it fast. In the background, and on the audio, I had two big hoot owls in the woods near my house singing their mezmerizing song. It was cool to stand outside and hear, view this at once. Wish I had a telescope with audio.
I took shots of the eclipse last year. However, the video with sound seems superb. I just ordered a "Mystic Moods" CD for my wife that we used to have when we were first dating. It has the country sounds blended in with various love songs. In the background you hear a locomotive slowly coming closer, loudly passing and then slowly fading out leaving only the night sounds of the deep woods.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND SEASONS GREETINGS!
Thanks for posting. We went out last night and watched it. I took some photos, too. Really, really neat to see! Merry Christmas.
All I see is clouds.
Nightfishin rules. Especially topwater.
Ploop, ploop, ploop,...SPLASH.
There’s absolutely nothing in the world as exciting as hearing a bass crash through the water’s surface when nightfishing.
I love fishing with a buzzbait.
Sorry to hear about the losing streak. This is your sign, things are going to get better. Merry Christmas to you.
Glad we could share it. Merry Christmas.
Sorry you all have bad weather. You missed a beautiful show. Freepers that did see it enjoyed it for you all too.
Merry Christmas to you all.
Please explain to me why it was in the southwest, then. (Southern Indiana)
Thanks for posting that. Awesome.
I’ll be watching!!!!
Thanks.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Actually, the sky cleared about 2am, and we saw the full moon, about 60 degrees off the western horizon, and that must have been Mars near it. The clouds were racing across the deep blue sky, and the moonlight was reflecting off the snow. It was just gorgeous!
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