WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:09.320 Welcome once again to the Doctor Sky experience, proudly heard 2 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:14.359 here on Talk Radio seventy seven WABC. As we like 3 00:00:14.439 --> 00:00:17.280 to say, and many others agree, the crown jewel of radio, 4 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:22.559 the iconics D seven Talk Radio WABC, beaming out of 5 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:26.160 New York City, around the nation, around the world. And 6 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:29.640 I'll take the liberty to even say, out into the cosmos, 7 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:34.439 as we welcome you to the holiday season here December one, 8 00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:37.840 twenty three with our Doctor Sky, the first of many 9 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:43.079 December twenty twenty three Sky updates. But first, before we 10 00:00:43.159 --> 00:00:45.600 dig into the sky, I'd like to wish you and 11 00:00:45.640 --> 00:00:49.880 yours the best of a merry Christmas, happy Holidays, Happy Hanukah, 12 00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:52.679 and sincerely from all of us to all of you, 13 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:56.679 the best for health and happiness in twenty twenty four, 14 00:00:57.079 --> 00:01:00.280 a year that I'm sure will be so outstanding. Don't 15 00:01:00.280 --> 00:01:03.399 forget the major event of all twenty twenty four in 16 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:07.640 the astronomical world has to be the great total solar eclipse, 17 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:11.359 the Great American total solar eclipse that's coming to us 18 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:15.719 in a sky near you on April of this new year, 19 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:19.000 twenty twenty four. We of course, begin at the Moon. 20 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.280 The Moon, of course, helps to cause these eclipses of 21 00:01:22.280 --> 00:01:24.719 the Sun. And as we open up December, we find 22 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:26.599 out that the moon is moving on to its last 23 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:29.920 quarter phase. That happens on the fifth of December. That 24 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:35.040 moon rises normally round midnight and is in high area 25 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:39.599 of the sky right around the sun ran stun. The 26 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:42.920 moon then continues to be a waning crescent, moving on 27 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.120 to its new phase. And that's good because we'll be 28 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:48.680 talking about an important meteor shower in just a few moments, 29 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:52.480 known as legitm nuts. Starting on the evening of the thirteenth, 30 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:56.680 kenied sky observers looking logan to the west southwest, we'll 31 00:01:56.680 --> 00:02:00.599 get a glimpse of this new blue nation start of 32 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:04.120 lunation number twelve forty nine. As the moon continues to 33 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:07.439 wax on the sky, the moon returns to Perigi, wh 34 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:11.240 it's closest to position to us. That happens on the sixteenth, 35 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:14.520 as the moon was farthest from us on December the fourth, 36 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:18.280 at a position we call Apagaye. But then something interesting. 37 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:20.960 The moon moves on to its first quarter phase. So 38 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:23.039 if you missed and didn't want to get up late 39 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:25.319 or early into the morning hours to see the last 40 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:28.479 quarter moon, the first quarter moon will be pigh in 41 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:32.319 your sky starting just after sunset. Don't miss it with 42 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:36.080 telescopes and binoculars. Why it gives the best shadow relief 43 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:39.000 of all time. As you see that light and dark 44 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:42.159 line along that central part of the moon, we call 45 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:45.879 it the terminator. Then the moon continues to turn into 46 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:49.479 a waxing gibbous moon. It looks like an egg shape 47 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:52.360 in the sky or elliptical That that not fool you 48 00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:54.400 because it then moves on to the last of the 49 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:58.439 full moons of twenty twenty three. Naturally, the December full 50 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:01.680 moon on the twenty seventh is sometimes referred to as 51 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:05.280 the full cold moon. Oh, I don't need to describe 52 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:08.159 that in greater detail. For the northern hemisphere, with the 53 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:11.719 advent of the beginning of winter as we call it 54 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:15.159 the winter solstice on the twenty second of December, where 55 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:19.000 the sun hangs lowest along the ecliptic path through Zodiac path, 56 00:03:19.560 --> 00:03:22.120 and some interesting things to come. As we talk about 57 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:26.240 the skies of December twenty twenty three, we then move 58 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:28.639 on to the planets. In the evening sky. We find 59 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:31.000 out that we have an opportunity to see the planet 60 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:35.879 Mercury the innermost planet. It's at its greatest elongation, that is, 61 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:38.560 on the eastern side of the Sun. That means it's 62 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:41.919 visible in the west just after sunset, some twenty one 63 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:45.520 degrees away from the Sun. Best around December fourth, and 64 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:48.840 a few days thereafter, looks like a bright star hugging 65 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:51.800 close to the horizon. We then find out as we 66 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:54.439 move to the left along the zodiac path, we find 67 00:03:54.439 --> 00:03:57.800 out the planet Saturn high into the west southwest at sunset. 68 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:01.120 And if you haven't seen the planet Saturn a telescope, 69 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:04.240 now's the time, maybe a neighbor, or maybe you're even 70 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:07.240 lucky enough to have a small telescope. If you've seen it, 71 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:10.199 you know what we're talking about. But for those that haven't, 72 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:13.360 the rings of Saturn are now tips some eight degrees 73 00:04:13.400 --> 00:04:16.160 along the ring plane, and in a few years, meaning 74 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:19.240 in twenty twenty five, we will see the rings disappear, 75 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:22.800 not literally but just from our angle as we cross 76 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:26.720 the Earth, that is the ring plane of Saturn. The 77 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:30.120 showstopper of planets has to be Jupiter, high in the 78 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:33.839 eastern sky right around sunset, an easy object to see, 79 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:37.480 but more importantly, the same experiment that we talk about 80 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:40.680 that Galileo did back on January the seventh of sixteen 81 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:43.000 ten is something that you can do with the pair 82 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:47.560 of monoculars, hold them steady, dress warmly, and in telescopes, 83 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:51.360 the planet Jupiter is quite fascinating, a never ending dance 84 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:56.079 of those four Galilean satellites Io Europa Gany made in Callisto, 85 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:59.279 as some of them are hidden behind Jupiter, the ball 86 00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:02.240 of the planet, some eighty eight thousand miles in diameter, 87 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:06.720 and some still moving across the face of Jupiter casting shadows. 88 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:10.240 And upon a higher inspection with a telescope you may 89 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:13.199 get to see not only that and the phenomenon of 90 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:17.240 shadows moving across or transiting Jupiter, but you may also 91 00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:20.079 get to see the elusive red spot, which in the 92 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:23.800 news it's been shrinking. It's not as prominent as it was. 93 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:27.759 Take it from your leader here, doctor Sky, back about 94 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:30.439 thirty years ago. It literally was brick red and easy 95 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:33.560 to see. It's now more of a salmon pink, but 96 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:37.560 it's still an amazing disturbance high above the atmospheric clouds 97 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:42.279 of Jupiter. How small is it gotten, Well, in astronomical terms, 98 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:44.199 it's pretty big. It's about the size of the Earth, 99 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:48.959 this anti cyclonic storm that turns itself once in every 100 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:52.199 six days as it spins around literally like a giant 101 00:05:52.279 --> 00:05:56.800 cyclone or a hurricane. Did you know that the planet 102 00:05:56.800 --> 00:05:59.959 Mercury is the smallest of the planets of the solusues 103 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:03.720 but ganny me, the moon of Jupiter is actually larger 104 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:07.120 than the planet Mercury. Go figure. You can see these 105 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:10.360 gotta lay in moons. Show your friends and neighbors, and 106 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:12.920 especially at the holiday sason if you're actually getting a 107 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:16.879 gift or buying yourself a gift or a telescope, don't forget. 108 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:19.319 We'd be more than happy to answer any questions that 109 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:23.319 you have at our email. Doctor Sky's Show at gmail 110 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:27.879 dot com. That's d rsky Show at gmail dot com. 111 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:31.480 The morning sky, the planet Venus continues to shine extremely bright. 112 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:34.639 The object itself was farthest away from the Sun back 113 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:37.879 in October and into the month of November, but now 114 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:41.480 the planet Venus and the moon are relatively close. On 115 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:44.839 the morning of the ninth, just before sunrise, you can't 116 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:47.800 miss it. But the real showstopper of the month of 117 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:51.040 December has to be the gemin at meteor show. Now 118 00:06:51.079 --> 00:06:53.879 I've been observing meteor showers for almost fifty years. And 119 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:57.160 let me say this not an expert, but this particular 120 00:06:57.199 --> 00:06:59.680 shower is probably still one of the best of the year. 121 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:03.959 Why the highest number of meteors projected a relatively new 122 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:07.199 meteor shower Considering some of these that we see, like 123 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:10.680 leonids and the ones that occur like in April, like 124 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:14.319 the Lyriids, are literally hundreds of thousands of years old, 125 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:17.199 if not older. But the Geminids are thought to come 126 00:07:17.279 --> 00:07:20.360 not necessarily from a comet. Like most meteors come from 127 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:23.959 the tail to breathe comets, this particular shower may be 128 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:28.240 coming from a rock comet slash asteroid, meaning a rock 129 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:31.199 that's like it was an extinct comet and now it's 130 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:34.360 like a rubble pile. Blasted material from the solar radiation 131 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:38.839 causes the higher incidence of these meteors. In simple Earth terms, 132 00:07:39.399 --> 00:07:41.480 the best nights to view it would be looking into 133 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:44.759 the northeast sky after sunset on the night of the 134 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:49.800 thirteenth of December and into the fourteenth Now as Gemini rises, 135 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:52.000 you may get to see what we call some earth 136 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:56.360 grazing meteors. What are these? These are slow moving fireballs 137 00:07:56.360 --> 00:07:59.839 that actually can put on a pretty good show. But anyway, 138 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:03.040 don't hold me to count for this, because meteor showers 139 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:06.199 are very fickle. They're just like comets. And as one 140 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:09.959 famous astronomer who discovered comets all the time said, comets 141 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:13.319 are like cats. They both have tails and they do 142 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:16.279 exactly what they want to do. But with the Geminids, 143 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:18.639 I think it'll be a good year because the moon 144 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:22.120 is not out to interfere. The moon is new or 145 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:24.560 the darker the moon in the twelfth So simply look 146 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:28.319 at the northeast sky after sunset best, as Gemini rises 147 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:31.279 high up into the sky after midnight until the early 148 00:08:31.319 --> 00:08:35.039 morning hours it say, two am to dawn. Staring at 149 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:37.480 the general area of Gemini may not be the best 150 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:39.399 way to look for the meteors because they come in 151 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:42.639 all different directions. But no, the origin point is just 152 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:45.279 to the right of the two twin stars of Gemini. 153 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:48.360 This the star known as castor the start of the 154 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:50.960 left of it is known as pollocks. These are some 155 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:52.840 of the more interesting things that are happening in our 156 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:56.080 skies in December. As we moved to a solstice, we 157 00:08:56.120 --> 00:08:58.919 moved to a meteor shower and a beautiful full moon 158 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:01.639 and the year. If you'd like to stay in touch 159 00:09:01.639 --> 00:09:03.519 with us, don't forget to listen to us here on 160 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:08.240 talk radio seventy seven WABC every Sunday with John Katzimatini's 161 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:11.039 owner and operator with his great show around the nation 162 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:16.399 called The Cats Roundtable, and then every other Wednesday at 163 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:20.519 one am Eastern Standard Time on Frank Morano's The Other 164 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:23.200 Side of Midnight, in which Frank is kind enough to 165 00:09:23.320 --> 00:09:28.559 change the show's name, albeit just briefly. As Cosmic Conversations 166 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:32.000 with me, Doctor Sky doctr Sky reminds you to always 167 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:34.360 keep your eyes to the skies. We wish you health 168 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:36.919 and happiness for the holiday season and particularly in the 169 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:39.639 new year. Twenty twenty four will be the year of 170 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:42.720 the great American total solar eclipse, and we remind you 171 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:46.840 to get your solar glasses now. Go to our website 172 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:52.720 t S seventeen Solar Eclipse dot com. That's t SC 173 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:56.600 Seventeensolar eclips dot com. And if you order the solar 174 00:09:56.600 --> 00:10:02.120 glasses now by using the DRSK one code, you'll save 175 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:06.360 ten percent off your order. And believe me, you'll need these. 176 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:09.840 Doctor Sky is always there for you at doctor Skyshow 177 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:12.879 at gmail dot com. What do we say? Always remember 178 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:15.399 to keep your eyes to the skies. I try each 179 00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:18.120 time we do a show to earn your confidence as 180 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:21.759 you're a navigator on the highway to the heavens, health 181 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:23.639 and happiness and clear skies.