December Nights Shooting Stars.

Organised by : South Downs Planetarium

December nights are long and dark, with the stunningly beautiful winter constellation of Orion, the Hunter dominating the cold, clear, evening skies, and the nearby patterns of Taurus, the Bull, Auriga, the Charioteer and Gemini, the Twins also on view. The three bright planets Venus, Saturn and Jupiter are also well placed in a line across the south-western sky during the early evening. So come into the warmth of the Planetarium for a guided tour of some of the celestial wonders which are on view during December.

December is also a month when there is a very good shower of meteors or shooting stars on display. They appear to radiate out from the constellation of Gemini, the Twins so the shower is called the Geminids. It is actually the most active of all the annual meteor showers, although this year there will be bright gibbous Moon in the western sky so some of the fainter members of the shower will be drowned out in the moonlight. Nevertheless, there should be a good display on the nights of December 13th and 14th, particularly after midnight when the Moon has set. Wrap up warmly, go outside and see how many you can count.