Full moon near Mars on December 23

Earth & Sky Radio Series ^ | December 23, 2007 | Deborah Byrd, Joel Block,

[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?

[Quix]

I C.

Thanks thanks.

Slight snow flurries the other day. Only stuck on the north side.

Winters have been warmer recently.

We could sure use more moisture. Drought in the high desert is keenly felt.

The same warm, provisioned, close CHRISTmas to you and your loved ones.

Thanks,

[Finalapproach29er]

Sorry to hear about the losing streak. This is your sign, things are going to get better. Merry Christmas to you.
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Thanks for your kind words.

Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!