December 2007 Sky Forecast

 December Sky Forecast
12  1 lunar cover
Regulus Regulus, Leo a, bright stars and other white 1.3 Fengyun Chinese name because it is in ancient China Star Regulus in the constellation it is divided name. Regulus close to the ecliptic, so it is very important in Western astrology, a star. ancient people to the area around them and the other three bright yellow star Aldebaran, Antares and Fomalhaut and said Four Star emperor. which Regulus, Aldebaran, Antares as close from the ecliptic, and therefore the lunar occultation of the regulars.
months of this year took place in the world cover a total of more than ten times Regulus Sky . and for the majority of our region, not the cover is less than a day or lunar occultation occurs in the horizon, the vast majority can not be observed. And in December 1st of the lunar occultations of Regulus Sky, only can be observed in some areas in southwest China.
12   15  great
annual Geminid meteor shower, Geminid meteor shower as the Lunar New Year is generally a large conceivable scheduled end of the year, this year the from December 7 until 17. As one of the northern hemisphere meteor shower of three, its traffic is very stable, with the maximum up to 120 per hour. Since Gemini meteor shower radiant in Gemini in the zodiac, which itself there are several great time, and last longer, so in most regions worldwide have the opportunity to observe it.
observer of our country,UGGs, the Gemini meteor shower this year, very good observing conditions. prediction is of great in Beijing at 0:45 on December 15, this time on the fifth day of the Emei has long been falling,bailey UGG boots, while the radiant is also close to the head, the high altitude. Geminid meteor shower, the average speed of 35 km / s, are medium-speed meteors for photographic observations.
since people started to pay attention Geminid meteor rain, has been looking for the parent comet. After more than a century of looking, we finally found a manufacturer of satellite data through the meteor shower, number of permanent teeth planet 3200 Phaethon. Some people may ask, is the formation of comet meteor shower is not it? Indeed, scientists have long suspected that the asteroid is actually a dying comet. analysis showed that, Phaethon much like a stony asteroid satellites, but its orbit is very compressed, but also with a comet like this. After the sun around, it does not have tails, but it throws a lot of pieces of gravel, which is the cause of Gemini meteor shower .
12  25 Mars at Opposition
Mars in ancient China known as , red date, the average distance of only 0.6 astronomical units or so, but because of its small size, only the Earth is almost 1 / 7, so that even in the years 2003 and once in the big red, it's apparent diameter also smaller than Jupiter and Saturn.
Mars at Opposition, and other times when compared to, regardless of the brightness, depending on the diameter or the phase are very different. in the first half of Mars is only a first-class star, and by the end of the year has increased its brightness such as .12 to -1.6 during the month, Mars will be in Gemini, the basic will rise from the east at sunset, in the telescope, as the surface is just a small red objects, if you want to observe more of the surface details, it is necessary use a longer focal length eyepiece of the telescope and appropriate.
familiar with the laws of planetary motion friends, from the time on Mars at Opposition will be able to determine whether the big red. As the Earth and Mars orbits are elliptical, It is the end of the Earth 12 times after perihelion, so even if the Mars perihelion can not be a big red,Discount UGG boots, when Earth and Mars have aphelion perihelion occurs when the red day is exactly the true sense of the big red, of course, so the probability is very small. Mars orbital cycle around the sun about 687 days, has been calculated on its red cycle is 780 days (26 months). That is about every two years and two months before it rushed at once, at a time when two planets within a distance of 6,000 km is very rare to be seen is a very rare astronomical Huoxingdachong. August 27, 2003 when the big red, only 5600 kilometers from Earth, Mars is about a few an opportunity for thousands of years of observations.
12  attention 8p/Tuttle comet
precisely, 8p/Tuttle is a return to the comet next year, January 26, 2008 it will be after perihelion, but it is in the December good observing conditions in late, forecasting up to visible light and even the degree of.
8p/Tuttle is a return time of about 13.6 years period comets, meteor shower is Ursa Minor parent comet, the brightest comet when the vast majority of are very close to the sun, it will not be very good observing conditions. And this 8p/Tuttle return the relative position of the comet and the Earth as special, in our view, when it passed perihelion distance and the angle of the sun is still 80. more . From the end of December to early January next year, it will Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Andromeda runs between forecast up to 6 such as the magnitude is about a very worthy goal for amateur astronomers observed.
Source: 2007 Section 11,