Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Friday, December 23rd.  The sun will rise at 8:17.  It’ll be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:06.   The moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 8:04 tomorrow morning.

We have two bright planets and the brightest nighttime star out to be our Christmas stars this year.  The planet Venus appears in the southwest in the evening and in seen higher and higher each evening, leading the sun in its slow climb as we move through winter into spring.  Jupiter holds forth high in the south, the brightest star-like object once Venus sets.  The brightest of all the night-time stars is Sirius, whose name means “Dazzling One”  rising higher in the southeast, whiter than any planet with a tinge of blue, especially when seen in binoculars or a telescope.. It is accompanied by the rest of the bright stars of winter, including those of the great constellation Orion the hunter, whose three stars of his belt point down and to the left at Sirius.

* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.