HIGHLIGHTS DECEMBER 2020 Venus and Moon close. RISE–SET CHART Moon, Jupiter and Saturn together. 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31 Jupiter and Saturn extremely close, rare meeting. 8 am S S U SE Mars Tr at T E M RA T S RI r E N N E S ENU IS E U e U S N N UP A U R P r P A U S IT TU PI T S c I T S E R T Y T U O T R ER T P R UN R R ER RN SET RI N r U E S N E SE R CONSTELLATIONS t C T E S O IS o M R r T E S E T ARS E T O r Tr M E M E O N T S M S I E I U A M O ISE R S Part of the legend of Jason and the Argonauts had this hero steal R N R SUN R R A S EP N S O T U t E U N N N S S N A M T M T R S e ERCURY RIS E E U IS UN RISE E R O O O M I R E S E SE S N RY RISE 7 am the golden fleece by slaying a dragon that never slept. Well, we R I T SU MERCU U N O O C O R RISE R P U T A R N A L R P n N U E S Y M M T M IT LU U O R T o N S S N RISE O S R T N SU E I I S E E S S E o PT T E know that their famous ship is immortalised in our southern T M U E O T E A R U S N S T R R A N I E A T S NS N M E O I T M U S O E IS E E R S N R S E SU E T E T E N M S S R R O I A C S S N winter skies, but the source of the fleece also resides in the N M N U I A I O RS S R T N R I M PL R A T O O U N Y R R S O N RISE U P IT R SU T I O I O T N S O O E P M T R E L N N M R O U A heavens, as the constellation of Aries the Ram. Aries is Latin E O T A O SU R M M S N O RI NS UR U SE S O RISE S M 6 am Y IT A O M R T A S E N A T O E O UR ISE T US T NU U T RC N R R M S R C SU A R E N T U M ER N IS BEGINS TWILIGHT BEGINS RA S M for ram. Located 24° due west (left) of the Pleiades star cluster SI E S TWILIGHT N E E SU R M N T S S T N R Y IN I E ILIGHT BEG IT S SE P TW R TUN I IS E N R E R it doesn’t have much of an asterism to boast about, showing E E I RIS S O N SUN E E N E S P TW RIS I IL O T IGH Y NS UN T BEG O UR R T BEGI INS C IGH E R L M I O E TW S TRA M mostly two stars. This region of the sky is so barren these 2.0 N A N MA TU SI RS T TW M S P O R T RA IL UN RISE LU N T EN NSIT IGHT BEG 5 am SUN RISE T O R U O R EGINS SE AN S INS NEP URA and 2.6 magnitude stars, separated by only 4°, stand out well. I IGHT B I S E R N T N SE M TWIL R IT IS EP U U RY S E T N S S I U E A CU E N S SE T R E T U R E T E S P U T R M L T N RI I UT RA MAR PIT E The brighter star is Hamal (Alpha Arietis) which is Arabic O N S S R N S E T E TR SIT RAN R S S A O SI E N N EGI N N T T E U IGHT B T SI TW CURY RIS P WIL T O IL MER O for lamb. It is a K2 spectral class star (a cool 4,200 K) so is T O E ITER MERCURY RISE U IGHT BEG R S R I M N O IS O U A ENUS RISE S E PI NU MA N T S M M ER RIS ENUS RISE ISE RS 4 am yellowy-orange in colour. The other is Sheratan (Beta Arietis), O T E ENUS R S RAN ET O SIT ENUS RISE M T a name whose origin remains a mystery. It is a hotter (8,300 K) INS T T E ENUS RISE ENUS RISE BEG S E E S IGHT AT WIL U S S T R S N R AT N A5 class, white star. The sight of both in the same binocular N U I N N U S E P R O E PT E IT N T TWILIGHT BEGINS O O U S WILIG U S E H P R E O T BEGINS NE IT I S T O O R E E E I R R T M S field really shows the colour contrast. E T S M R I M A PL 3 am N U N T R UP SI U O ITE T O RA SET R R P NU N IS LU P O S Directly beneath Aries is the constellation of Triangulum, L T E TO UT TRA O R O M E N T S IS T A SI O E R T S T rd th E A U N T R M S S N N IT TR N E U the Triangle. Although its three main stars (around 3 to 4 EP A S R N TU NS O M AN N I T A N U O E T O R N E S RI E S P S S T O T E magnitude) are arranged in a distinctive narrow isosceles M O U E M R T AR S N S RIS A E E N N O S 2 am M S E N EP IT T TU M O N E T PLU triangle, the name lacks imagination. Especially when one O T T RA O S E N ET M SI E S U U T P P R U S S IT LU A PIT AT I MA considers it came from the same ancients that brought us a N M ER N E U R T E ARS R R O U R R R S ISE IS R S S S N SE R S E O E I AT I T S T S S I E E U E T N O R N R E flying horse (Pegasus), magic flying rams (Aries), gods (many) R O I P T M S SE L I M A U N E RS RISE T O R O S T O 1 am R M T A and a sea monster (Cetus)—to name a few! Its slightly more N NS O U N E I S R O T A A O S T M N M U U O ARS RISE RN S T O U N T RA interesting original name was Deltotron, after the depiction of R M N RA N M A E O S NU PTU NSI IT S N O T SET E R ISE M the Greek letter delta (capitalised). MARS RISE MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT 12 am MIDNIGHT N UPIT MARS UP EPT ER RISE ITE U UN S N T R R ISE R T AN E T ATU E EP E R U R R S T APPEARANCE of the PLANETS S A A I U E S N S A N N S N T R S E S E R S U I I I S T T S R E I N M T E E N AR T R S S R I RIS N S E I M U O E A RA R N O N R O S U T S O O N R TR M A A U T N P 11 pm M MERCURY M O N O IT SI SI ER E T T SE S M PL SA O T N U T N U M EPT TO RN U RI O NE E SE TR D D D A P O S S N L E I U T T SI T T O M R E SE S N T S N EP AT E UP T U N O I E U R S TE N N I S S O R E E O R I TR T R IS M A 10 pm O E R N U N A U M E P M S R R N P I A IT S M A T T R U T N N U E S R R S R E U N R A E S O AT E T IS N AN O R E U S S U R A S S E S I T O RN IS N R I IT O E S I S R R I R T E I ENUS SET M S T E P U M LU P N N I E T TO ER S T O R O SE T AN T ENUS N O O ENUS SET E SIT MARS S O M M M A T D TW O P R ILIGHT N LU S D ENDS TO RIS E 9 pm ENDS M O E HT S LIG R E I IS TW O E P E S L I N U S T I T O M R O S E R ET S S O U TW N a ILIG t R HT E EN N P rn NDS AN N U O L E D S T M T S SET N UT ra LIGH U O O n TWI S O s M T O T t ET ER M R O R S CU A A T A URY R RS N M N Y O S RC S T S E U E E R I TWIL M N P IT M T AN T I S I S S N GH E M T ND I P T E P E T E T LU EPT NDS U TU R T TWILIGH 8 pm TO U RA N N R SE URY SET NE NU T PL E R ANS C O I SA T MER SET S S ENUS SE E UTO SE IT T E T S U O T R RN M ISE SA SATURN S N U E T M T ER PIT UR NEP C O E N T UR EN R R RI UN D Y US O IS SE E SUN SET SE SET E TR T M S AN SUN SET TWIL TWILIGHT END SIT SUN SET IGHT ENDS S U TWILIGHT END RA SA NU 7 pm TU S R TWILIGHT ENDS T RN ISE T SET MERCURY E T SUN SE Y E TW SET R R U ILIG A E R HT ENDS S N U A S S C S N I IT R U E I N M S R E T T ET R R N S S O SU A TWILIGHT ENDS E S I N N UN T E N S S S ET O IT R S URANUS O Y U T U R O P R U M N IT O E A N C ER N R T N O O S U UN SE U E S O E S E S P P D T M M I T S T M E E O U N T O R NE SET T SA TR 6 pm M T O E A P SU RY TU M NS LU RAN N SE U S R I T C O T ER N R T O T SET SIT UPITER E E M I R N Y S E M N E A R S ET N U EP S S UN S C E I S S S I O R A T I IT E T U M S R U N R I R E O T R N S SUN SE S M E R N E E T N T RC M N E UR O Y N T O SU N N O S SET SET E NEPTUNE I P E O O SUN SET T M U O O U R R S U N A T T A E P I E R N O S S M T M T U E SE U M R U N R URY E S E D N ERC P I S N S M S R E I E P R M T T S I L I 5 pm E S S O U O R R E TO Sat E T T I N E O U S T O R E R rn E A A T S N E O N r M N P N M U S U S R P S U LU U IT E N P A L S S M T O PI U E T T N T N N T S E O R E ET U R N R S U O S EPT E R S O N S S a T C I R E M TR NU S E T E t O U E P M A E R U T N T A T rn NE RY U A N O r n S U . N S O S N R IT r S e S E E O S a I t o E T M T P T SAT RIS RIS n t M O s PLUTO o R o E E R D MARS SET Set M M 4 pm D DECEMBER 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30 Approximate local standard time, for daylight saving add 1 hour.
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