Solstice Great Conjunction

 

That's a terrible photo of last night's Great Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn. It was taken with my cell phone camera in "night mode" which is why the color is kind of weird. Sigh. One day I hope to be able to afford a nice camera capable of taking these kinds of shots. Still, I wanted a picture to remember the event by. People have called the conjunction a "Christmas Star" which seems kind of silly to me. It's obviously two planets that appear kind of close together and not a single bright star at all. For my money, sparkling Sirius rising in the East is prettier and much more deserving of the name. 

Whenever the sky is clear we enjoy looking up at all the stars when we're out walking at night. We made sure to go out early enough last night to see the conjunction and then took a second walk later, around 9pm. As often happens, we encountered a deer standing in someone's front yard. We always stop and look at each other for a few minutes, then continue on our respective ways. Seeing one on the solstice night seemed extra special!

Three days left until Christmas...

Orionids

This past weekend, the annual Orionid meteor shower reached it's peak. On Friday night I was out late walking with my husband and dog, and I saw the most amazing shooting star. It was larger than average, and moved slowly, like a bottle rocket flame floating to earth after the firework has popped.

The Orionids are an annual event that occur every late October. They are named after the constellation where they seem to originate, Orion. The late autumn skies are generally clear and cold, and if the moon is in a dark phase you can end up with perfect stargazing conditions. Here in the southern part of the USA, October nights tend to be chilly but not freezing cold. With a mug of some sort of warm beverage, and a light jacket, you can sit outside at night in comfort.

 Last night I hoped to see a few more meteors, so I went out around midnight and got in the hammock to watch. (Hammocks are perfect for stargazing. Lying in a hammock helps one avoid the strain in the neck you get from looking up while sitting or standing.) It was a gorgeous night, but I did not see a single shooting star. The peak in activity is usually nearer to dawn, and I only stayed out for 30 minutes, so I didn't have high expectations. It was a beautiful night, and the sky was clear and full of stars, so I counted it as time well spent even without seeing any meteors.

Click here for a picture of a beautifully colored Orionid:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Multi_colored_Orionid.jpg