December 2023
On & Off Earth
Change remains the one constant we can reliably depend upon but the rate of change is what throws the daily wrinkles our way. For a slow rate of change look no farther than December, the tenth month. At least, it was the tenth month on the original Roman calendar. When January and February were added, by the Romans to ‘fix’ the leap year issue (it didn’t) the names were not adjusted. The readjustment in the late 1500’s to our current Gregorian calendar did not consider name changes, nor do I see anyone looking to make those changes today.
A fairly obvious change, this column is back after a season long break. When last we spoke, the days were long, the leaves were green, the ground dry. The leaves have swapped green for their vibrant Fall colors but have now lost the battle with gravity’s relentless tug and now the night are long. It still remains dry, even with the soaking rain the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
For much more rapid change, step outside. Today will look and feel different than yesterday, or even than earlier today. Slightly more gradual change but worthy of note; 2023 has broken the old record for warmest year, surpassing 2022, which surpassed 2021 in a, mostly, annual trend going back over the last 30 years.
Of all the changes we can address, that steady warming of our home planet, not so noticeable in our December but now roiling southern hemisphere weather, is in need of a more proactive response and changes from all 8 billion of us. What isn’t changing is our shocked reaction to ongoing droughts and fires, often doused by deluges and accompanying floods. All soon followed by news stories of storm heroics and then, the laying of blame. That’s actually easy; it’s our fault, all of us.
Another easy change to observe, just off Earth, is the moon’s daily movement across our sky. Still gibbous and bright as December begins, but rising 50 minutes later each night, our satellite shrinks to a crescent and sits just above Libra’s brightest star Spica in the pre-dawn southeastern sky on the 8th. Venus is the ridiculously bright ‘Morning Star’ below and left of the pair. One day later the even thinner crescent has moved across 12 degrees of sky and is just to the right of Venus.
The Moon/Venus pairing will not be as close as the near miss back in November (the moon actually occulted, blocked, Venus for some Eurasian viewers) but will still be worth an early rise and peek. That view, back in November, is actually what provoked the change in me, after a needed break, to begin this column again!
December hosts one of the better meteor showers of the year, the Geminids. If clear and not too cold, the moonless sky on the night of the 13th into the wee hours of the 14th will be perfect for setting up a lounge chair, bundling up and gazing eastward. Your eyes will catch the streaks. This year, upwards of 100 meteors per hour are forecast.
The second half of December sees the moon grow until it reaches the Full ‘Long Night’ Moon on the 26th. It will pass Saturn as a crescent on the 17th and rounding to gibbous, pair with Jupiter on the longest night, the 21st; The Winter Solstice, the ancient cornerstone of the Winter holiday season. Bundle up and get out on your planet, only 6 months to summer!
Randy Holladay
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