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Ephemeris: 12/25/2023 – This year’s Christmas Stars
Merry Christmas! This is Ephemeris for Christmas Day, Monday, December 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:07, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:18. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 8:25 tomorrow morning.
The real star of Bethlehem is probably not what is popularly depicted as a bright star in the sky, rather it was something subtle, only noticed by some astrologers. However, gracing our skies tonight we do have, in the morning and again in the evening, two bright star-like objects. I call them star-like objects because they’re planets. In the morning we have brilliant Venus off in the southeast at 7:30 in the morning, and early in the evening we have bright Jupiter in the south. Jupiter is bright enough that when Venus is not in the sky it is sometimes mistaken for it, although Venus would never be seen in the south* in the evening, it’s always too close to the Sun. Again have a Merry Christmas!
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.
* Except from the North Pole. From there all directions are south.
Addendum
12/25/2018 – Ephemeris – Our Christmas Star is in the morning sky
Ephemeris for Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25th. The Sun will rise at 8:18. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:07. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 8:49 this evening.
The Christmas star this year is Venus, seen this morning in the southeast if we are privileged enough to have clear skies this morning. Rising about 6:30 this morning we also have Jupiter, the second brightest planet after Venus. It might be high enough to spot by 7 this morning, in the southeast also, but near the horizon and to the left of Venus. The two extremely close conjunctions of these two planets in 3 and again in 2 BC are my favorite candidate for the appearances of the Star of Bethlehem that the Magi saw. One of the great things about the morning sky this time of year is that the stars out are those of April evenings and the seed catalogs I’m getting in the mail, make the promise that winter, only four days old will pass.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Christmas morning sky at 7 a.m. looking to the south-southeast. Created using Stellarium.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 