Sun rises at 6:39am
Sun sets at 5:43pm
Moon phase: first quarter, waxing
Moon sets at 10:15pm, Saturday
Moon rises at 11:13am, Sunday
Do you notice that the sun sets farther to the south at this time of year? In fact, last week we reached the point in the year where the sun is as far south as it gets. We call this the winter solstice, and sometimes people say it’s the first day of winter (in the Northern Hemisphere). If you stand in the same spot every day to watch the sunset or the sun rise, you will easily notice it travels: south of the true east-west line at this time of year and north of that line in the summer months. Try fixing a bit of masking tape to a window on which you’ve written the date to help you mark the sun’s passage. This is a great science lesson for students, too!
The winter solstice brings some very real occurrences to our sky that you can witness for yourself. In both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the December solstice brings the southernmost sunrise and the southernmost sunset of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the southernmost sunrise and sunset usher in the year’s shortest day and the longest night. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the exact opposite, for the year’s southernmost sunrise and sunset give the Southern Hemisphere its longest day and shortest night.
You might think of the solstice as a day, but it’s really a moment. This year the December solstice happened for us in St. Maarten at 12:28pm on December 21. That time – the moment of solstice – marks the sun’s southernmost point in our sky for this year.
Star gazers are surely enjoying these nights recently. Especially when GEBE turns out all the lights! The winter circle is a vivid fascination for those of us who look up to notice it. Dominating the circle is Orion, who in fact dominates the entire night sky for most of the winter months. We have studied Rigel and Betelgeuse, so let’s expand our knowledge. Let’s look for Bellatrix, the third brightest star in Orion. Although often overlooked, Bellatrix is such a wonderful star.
Star Lore says the Latin name “Bellatrix” means “Female Warrior,” and it represents Orion’s left shoulder. Although it appears only as the 22nd brightest star in our heaven, in reality it is a hot, blue giant some 240 light-years away.
Also look for Saiph, which is the right knee counterpart to Rigel, the left knee in Orion. The four stars, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Bellatrix and Saiph, form the familiar rectangle of Orion. Saiph is a blazing hot supergiant star 720 light-years away.
Want to find something else up there? Look west just after sunset and you should make out a large triangle. It consists of three bright stars in three different constellations. They are Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp, Deneb in the constellation Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in the constellation Aquila the Eagle. Altair is pretty much due west, while Vega is to the right (west-northwest), and Deneb is located above Vega. Enjoy!
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles. If you are out later on in the week, each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
