December 2023 MAC Newsletter

December Sky Happenings
Last Quarter:December 5th
New Moon:December 12th
First Quarter:December 19th
Full Moon:December 26th, the Cold Moon

Mercury - Visible in the evening sky in Sagittarius until the 17th. Reappears on the morning of the 29th in Ophiuchus.
Venus - Visible in the morning sky in Virgo, then in Libra after the 11th
Mars - Not visible this month
Jupiter - Visible all night in Aries
Saturn - Visible in the evening sky in Aquarius
December 13th: Geminid meteor shower peaks (ZHR: 120)
December 21st: Winter solstice
December 22nd: Ursid meteor shower peaks (ZHR: 10)
December Sky Charts:
Mid December looking South at 8pm EST. Image created with SkySafari 6 for Mac OS X, �2010-2018 Simulation Curriculum Corp., skysafariastronomy.com.
Mid December looking North at 8pm EST. Image created with SkySafari 6 for Mac OS X, �2010-2018 Simulation Curriculum Corp., skysafariastronomy.com.

Glen Sharp captured this image of M45, the Pleiades:

M45 - Pleiades

Announcements:

The December club meeting is Monday December 4th at the Minnetrista Center starting at 7pm. This will be our annual holiday carry-in party. Bring a dish or dessert to share.

Here's the Zoom info for the December meeting:

Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88507482411?pwd=eGZkdjA1TEhhYkNCczUxaG45bG1aUT09

Meeting ID: 885 0748 2411

Passcode: 892635

The club is selling solar eclipse glasses, $2 ea. or 3 for $5. These make great stocking stuffers. As we get closer to the total solar eclipse on April 8th the price will go up.

The club has several used Televue eyepieces for sale. Contact Fred Hicks, Dan Malone or Chris O'Brien if you're interested in purchasing.

Have you watched an interesting astronomy related YouTube video, listened to a podcast, or read an online article? Send me the link, and I'll share it with the rest of the club.

Are you doing astrophotography? Send me your latest images, and I'll publish them for the club to see.

Do you have equipment to sale, or are looking for a specific item to buy? Let me know and I'll get the word out to the rest of the club.



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