زخات شهب واقترانات.. بالتواريخ تفاصيل الظواهر الفلكية المرتقبة حتى نهاية 2024

Dr. Ashraf Tadros, Professor of Astronomy at the National Institute for Astronomical Research, revealed the details of the astronomical phenomena expected during the month of December, with dates, as follows:

# December 1/New Moon (Jumada II)

When any celestial body is connected to the sun, we cannot see it at all because of the strength of the sun’s illumination. Therefore, we can never see the crescent moon before or after new moon, except only before sunrise or after sunset! Accordingly, the moon will not be visible in the sky throughout the night on that day, marking the beginning of the birth of the new moon, as the moon is coupled with the sun on that day and rises with it and sets with it, so it is never visible to us…and until the moon comes out of the state of conjunction with the sun, then the new moon is born. Note that seeing the new crescent with the naked eye depends mainly on the period of time the newborn moon remains in the sky during the evening twilight immediately after sunset.

Its vision also depends on the clarity of the sky and its absence of clouds and dust.

#3 December/Mars and the Beehive (Beehive)

Mars rises at approximately 9:00 pm in conjunction with the Beehive star cluster in Cancer. Since it is difficult to see the Beehive star cluster with the naked eye, we recommend using a small telescope, as we see them side by side in the sky throughout the night until they disappear in the morning twilight due to sunrise. .

#4 December/Moon and Venus (Venus)

The Moon appears in conjunction with the planet Venus (the brightest planet in the solar system) on that day immediately after sunset, where we see them side by side in the sky, and they remain visible until the scene begins to set at approximately 7:30 p.m., and we may see them in conjunction as well the evening of the next day 5 December ..

#December 7: Jupiter in opposition to the Sun

Jupiter (the giant planet of the solar system) is in opposition to the sun on that day, that is, when the sun sets in the west, Jupiter rises in the east, and remains visible in the sky throughout the night, and sets when the sun appears to rise the next morning, which is the best time. To see Jupiter with the naked eye during the year, large glasses or small telescopes can also be used to monitor and photograph the famous major moons of Jupiter..

#December 8/Moon and Saturn (Saturn)

On that day, the moon appears in the middle of the sky in conjunction with the planet Saturn (the pearl of the planets of the solar system) immediately after sunset, where we see them side by side until the beginning of sunset at approximately 10:30 p.m.

#December 8/First Quarter

On that day, the moon appears in the first quarter phase, where only half of the moon’s disk appears illuminated in the middle of the sky at approximately sunset, and its luminosity reaches 50%. Note that the illuminated part of the moon always points in the direction of the sun (the west direction), even if the sun is below The horizon…and then the moon moves in the sky over the hours towards the west until it begins to set at approximately midnight…

#December 12/ The moon is at perigee
On this day, the Moon will be in the perigee region in its orbit around the Earth, which is the area relatively close to the Earth, as the distance between them is about 365,400 km. Note that the perigee region varies from month to month, and the Moon is not considered super or giant unless its distance from the Earth during perigee is less than 360,000 km… In any case, the phenomenon of tides generally increases while the moon is at perigee.

#13 December/Moon and Pleiades (Pleiades)

On that day, the moon will appear to the east, immediately after sunset, in conjunction with the Pleiades star cluster (the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters), which is one of the brightest and most famous star clusters open in the northern sky. This conjunction can be seen with the unaided eye throughout the night until the beginning of sunset. 5:30 the next morning.

The Pleiades cluster is located 440 light-years from Earth, and consists of several hundred stars, but its brightest stars are only 7, which can be seen with the naked eye, and therefore it is called the Seven Sisters.

December 13-14 – Geminid meteors (Geminid meteors)

Geminids or Geminid meteors are the queen of meteor showers, and are preferred by many amateur astronomers and skywatchers, as they are considered the best meteor showers throughout the year, as the number of meteors in them reaches 120 meteors per hour in addition to their many colors.

The Geminid meteors result from dusty debris left behind by the asteroid Phaethon 3200, which was discovered in 1982. Geminid meteors fall annually from December 7 to 17, and this year they peak on the night of December 13 and dawn of December 14.

The best viewing of meteors is from a completely dark place away from city lights, where the meteors fall as if they were coming from the constellation Gemini (the Twins), which is the reason for their name, but they can appear anywhere else in the sky.

It is worth noting that meteor showers are generally visible with the naked eye and do not require binoculars or astronomical telescopes, provided that they are far from city lighting and that the sky is free of clouds, dust, and water vapor.

There are no risks to humans from meteor showers, as they enter the atmosphere and burn in it at an altitude of more than 70 kilometers from the Earth’s surface.

# December 15/full moon (Badr Jumada al-Akhir).

The moon’s disk becomes complete and becomes a full moon on that day, as the moon is in opposition to the sun. It rises immediately after sunset and remains in the sky throughout the night until it sets with sunrise the next morning. Its luminosity is 100%, and since the naked eye cannot You can distinguish the true fullness of the lunar disk, so the moon appears to us as if it were a full moon in the period from December 14 to 16.

This full moon is known to American tribes as the cold moon – the moon of long nights – and the Christmas moon, knowing that the time of the full moon is the best time to see the terrain, volcanic craters, and meteor craters on the surface of the moon using great glasses and small telescopes..

#December 17/The Moon and Pollux

The moon rises at approximately 6:00 pm on that day in conjunction with the star Pollux in Gemini (the Twins), where we see them side by side in the sky throughout the night until the scene disappears the next morning in the intensity of the morning twilight light due to sunrise.

#December 18/The Moon, Mars and the Beehive

The moon rises at approximately 8:20 pm on that day in conjunction with the planet Mars (the fourth planet far from the sun, which is the red planet or the war planet).

At the same time, we see it coupled with the Beehive star cluster in Cancer. However, due to the difficulty of seeing the Beehive star cluster with the naked eye, we recommend using a small telescope, knowing that this cluster is located approximately 580 light-years from Earth and is about 600 million years old. It appears as a three-dimensional cloud, as Galileo saw it for the first time using a telescope in 1609, when he was able to see only 40 stars. It is generally seen The binary conjunction (the Moon and Mars) with the healthy naked eye, where we see them side by side in the sky throughout the night until the scene disappears in the intensity of the morning twilight light due to sunrise.

#December 20/Moon and Regulus (Leoheart)

The moon rises on this day at approximately 9:15 pm in conjunction with the star Regulus, or Leo’s Heart, which is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and is considered one of the brightest stars in the night sky in general. Its mass is 3.5 times the mass of the sun and it is about 79 light years away from Earth.

This conjunction can be seen with the healthy naked eye in the sky throughout the night until the scene disappears in the intensity of the morning twilight light due to sunrise.

December 21 – Winter Solstice.

The winter solstice occurs on this date every year, as the Earth’s south pole tilts toward the sun, so its rays are completely perpendicular to the Tropic of Capricorn, that is, at a latitude of 23.44 degrees south. This day is considered the peak of winter astronomically in the northern hemisphere, and at the same time it is The peak of summer, astronomically, is in the southern hemisphere. When we say the peak of winter, this does not necessarily mean that it is the coldest day of the year! Because the cold and heat of the weather are related to weather matters within the atmosphere and have many factors that fall within the scope of the work of the General Meteorological Authority.

As for astronomy, it is only related to the movement of the Earth in orbit, so the peak of winter represents the maximum inclination of the axis of rotation of the Earth in its orbit around the sun, knowing that the Earth is relatively closer to the sun in winter than in summer! Accordingly, the peak of winter is astronomically the shortest day of the year, as the length of the day reaches only about 10 hours, while the length of the night reaches approximately 14 hours.

The sun also reaches its lowest height above the horizon at noon when it crosses the meridian, and the human shadow on the ground at this time is the longest possible.

December 21-22 – Pinniped meteor shower

The Ursids are considered light meteor showers, with the number of meteors reaching about 10 per hour. These meteors are produced by dusty debris scattered along the orbit of comet Tuttle, which was discovered in 1790.

Ursi meteors fall as if they were coming from the Ursa Minor constellation (near the Pole Star), which is the reason for their name. The annual timing of this shower is from December 17 to 25 of each year, and it reaches its peak on the night of December 21 and dawn of December 22.

Meteor showers are generally visible with the naked eye and do not require binoculars or astronomical telescopes, provided that they are far from city lighting and the sky is free of clouds, dust, and water vapor. There are no dangers to humans from meteor showers, as they enter the atmosphere and burn in it at an altitude of more than 70 kilometers from the surface. the earth .

#December 23/Second Quarter

On this day, the moon appears in the second quarter phase, where only half of its disk is illuminated. It rises late after midnight and its luminosity reaches 50%. Note that the illuminated part of the moon always points in the direction of the sun (the east direction), even if the sun is below the horizon, and then The moon becomes almost in the middle of the sky at sunrise, then continues to move toward the western sky until it begins to set at noon, that is, when the sun is approximately midday.

#December 23/Mercury and Antares (Antares)

The planet Mercury (the closest planet to the sun, the messenger of the gods) rises in conjunction with the star Antares (Antares). This scene is visible to the healthy naked eye at approximately 5:30 in the morning on that day until the scene disappears in the intensity of the morning twilight light due to the sunrise. . Note that Antares (Antares) is a red giant star whose mass is 10 times the mass of the Sun and is 600 light-years away from us.

#December 24/ The moon is at its apogee!
On this day, the Moon will be in the apogee zone in its orbit around the Earth, which is the region relatively far from the Earth, as the distance between them is about 404,500 km. Note that the apogee zone varies from month to month, and in any case the phenomenon of tides decreases slightly while the Moon is at apogee.

#December 25/Moon and Spica
The moon rises in conjunction with the star Spica (the brightest star in Virgo). This scene can be seen with the healthy naked eye at approximately 1:50 in the morning and remains visible until the scene disappears due to the intensity of the morning twilight light due to sunrise.

It is worth noting that the Spica star (the spike) is a variable star whose size is approximately 8 times the size of the sun, its mass is approximately 11 times the mass of the sun, its luminosity is 13.5 times the luminosity of the sun, and it is about 260 light-years away from Earth.

# December 25 / Mercury elongates

The planet Mercury reaches its maximum elongation of 22 degrees from the sun, and it is the best time to view and photograph the planet Mercury because it will be at its highest point above the eastern horizon in the sky just before sunrise, so the period of its stay in the sky is the longest as it rises in the 5th: Approximately 10 am and it appears for about an hour before the scene disappears in the intensity of the morning twilight light due to sunrise.

#December 28/Moon and Antares (Antares)

The moon rises at approximately 4:40 in the morning on that day in conjunction with the star Antares (Antares), the brightest star in Scorpio. It is a giant red star that is 10 times more massive than the sun, and is about 600 light-years away from Earth. This conjunction remains visible until The scene disappears in the intensity of the morning twilight light due to the rising sun.

#December 31/New Moon (fall of the month of Rajab)

The moon is in conjunction with the sun for the second time during this month, marking the birth of the new moon, as it rises with it and sets with it, so it is not visible at all on that day until the moon emerges from the state of conjunction with the sun. Then the new moon is born, knowing that seeing the new crescent with the naked eye depends mainly on the period of its stay. The newborn moon is in the sky during the evening twilight immediately after sunset. Its visibility also depends on the clarity of the sky and its absence of clouds and dust.

The days of the fall are considered the best nights during the months of the year for astronomers to observe faint celestial bodies such as galaxies, star clusters, and the stars of distant constellations, as the moonlight at this time does not hinder the required astronomical observations.