THE CARIBBEAN SKY: FREE SHOW NIGHTLY! The Sky in December by Scott Welty The Planets in December MERCURY - This planet’s farthest separation from the sun occurs on the 16th. With a clear western horizon you might catch a glimpse of Mercury just after sundown. VENUS - She's being shy this month and staying close to the sun. Venus rises around 6:00AM in the lighted sky early in the month and later as the month wears on. EARTH - Open ‘till 10:00pm all month long for your holiday shopping convenience! MARS - Rising between 10:00 and 11:00 all month, sitting right between Cancer and Leo. JUPITER - Look for bright Jupiter in the southwest after dark. Setting around 10:30 early in the month and about 8:30 by the end of the month. SATURN - Rising between 1:00 and 2:00am all month and setting after sunrise. Sky Events This Month December 2nd - Full moon (“Blue moon”; see the 31st) December 6th - Mars and the moon rise together around 10:30pm December 16th - New moon December 21st - Winter solstice (see below); crescent moon and Jupiter ride together through the night sky December 31 - Full Moon again! That makes the one on the 2nd a BLUE moon. There’s normally only one full moon in a month but since the moon’s cycle doesn’t exactly coincide with our yearly cycle, you end up with 11 leftover days after having 12 full moons. That means that you're going to get two full moons in a month every two or three years and, yes, it is the early one that is called the blue moon. The Winter Solstice December 21st marks the winter solstice. This is the day of the year with the lon- gest night and the shortest daylight. The sun will rise and set the farthest to the south on this day and take its lowest possible path through the southern sky (for those of us in the northern hemisphere). It marks the first day of winter. In the Roman calendar from 46 BC that Julius Caesar (of salad fame) devised, the solstice occurred on December 25th. He had devised a 365 1/2 day year, which is pretty good, but not exact, so that since that time the solstice has shifted to December 21st. Interestingly, there is no mention of the exact date of the birth of Jesus (the Savior, not the Alou brother who played for the Giants) in the Bible. It seems that around the time of the conversion of the emperor Constantine (272 - 337 AD) the early Christians “borrowed” what had already been a long-standing party celebrating the return of the sun and designated the 25th as the official day to cel- ebrate the birth of Jesus. ea Looking east on December 15th at 2200 hours And what of the star of Bethlehem, you say? Other than the reports in the book of Matthew (written sometime in the 1st century AD and probably not by Matt himself) of the star that drew the three wise guys to Bethlehem, there are no other observa- tions by the Chinese (good keepers of astronomical events) or any other civilization of any special astronomical event around December 25th, Year 1. Of course, since there is no definitive date of the birth of Jesus himself, perhaps there was an astro- nomical event at some other time of the year. Most scholars put the birth of Jesus between 6 and 2 BC. There was a very nice conjunction of Venus and Saturn in June the year 2 BC that would have made the two planets appear to be one star. So, IF here really was something in the sky back then, and not just fancy writing way after he birth itself, perhaps this conjunction was it. Orion and Friends The onset of winter means the return of some of my favorite things to see in the ky. Orion returns and is the easiest constellation to spot in the sky. Bonus if you an focus your Steiners on Orion’s sword: in there is the beautiful Orion Nebula, or 42 to astronomers. It’s a gaseous region with some lively star formation going on nd a favorite of amateur astronomers and pros alike. Orion is accompanied by the emini twins — Castor and Pollox. Castor is 30 seconds older. Finally we have the rightest star in the whole night sky, Sirius (the dog star) keeping us company for he winter. Enjoy your winter viewing! To Contemplate While Having a Glass of Wine on Deck What was once a field is now a shopping center. Where a building stood is now a parking lot. An interstate runs through the park you played in as a kid. Nothing lasts... But the sky you see is exactly the same as the sky that the Mayans, the Caribs, the Egyptians, the Romans, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein saw. Perhaps it is the single constant that goes from era to era. aoao QY Zou ao Scott Welty is the author of The Why Book of Sailing, Burford Books, © 2007. £ = 3 = = ee < = zg o 2 5 £ é 5 a is Es Ee = = fe} 2 B eB 2 5 fe} g 2 PORT OF ENTRY WALLILABOU ANCHORAGE WALLILABOU BAY HOTEL MOORING FACILITIES WATER, ICE, SHOWERS CARIBEE BATIK - BOUTIQUE VHF Ch 16 & 68 (range limited by the hills) BAR AND RESTAURANT TOURS ARRANGED P.O. Box 851, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, West Indies. Tel: (784) 458-7270 Fax: (784) 457-9917 E-mail: wallanch@vincysurf.com CREW _ VACANCIES! email: crew@tradewindscruiseclub.com TradeWinds Cruise Club operate a fleet of catamarans across six destinations in the Caribbean. We are the fastest growing charter company, operating TERM CHARTERS, all inclusive, 7 days. We are looking for crew, mainly teams in the form of a Captain and a Chef/Hostess. We prefer couples that are married OR have been living together for at least a year. The nature of the job is such that the better the understanding and teamwork between Captain and Chef the more successful your charters will be. Requirements: Captain with a Skipper’s licence. Chef/Hostess with a basic understanding of cooking. Dive master/ instructor for either the Captain and/or Chef is a plus. We offer full training onsite in the Caribbean. CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED HAPPY HOUR 5-6 TRADEWINDS This is a FUN job with great earning potential. If you are willing to work hard and have a positive disposition to life this could be your DREAM job. Anyone with an interest is welcome to apply. If you would like more information about this job or send your CV to us, please use this email address: crew@tradewindscruiseclub.com or by mail to: Bequia Marina, P.O.Box 194BQ, Port Elizabeth, Bequia, St Vincent & the Grenadines Tel. St Vincent +784 457 3407 _— Tel. St Maarten +599 5510550 THE MONEYMAKERS BUILD ONE OF THE MOST FUEL EFFICIENT PASSENGER VESSELS IN THE WORLD Call Ron Cooper (727)-367-5004 www.coopermarine.com