Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - December 2021

— Continued from previous page
The maximum number of meteors from this variable shower will
pass into Earth’s atmosphere for a few hours before sunrise. The
totals could range from ten to 50 meteors per hour. Only the
brightest meteors will be seen due to the abundance of moonlight.
Look at a dark area of sky at least 90 degrees away from the Moon.
Monday, December 27th
Every couple of years Mars passes near Antares. Both objects
appear orange in color so can be easily confused. Antares is a red
supergiant marking the heart of the constellation Scorpius. It has
a color similar to Mars hence the name Antares, or “Ant-Ares”
meaning like Mars to some and anti-Mars to others. Either way
Antares is “not Mars.” Ares is the Greek name and Mars is the
Roman name for the god of war. This morning in the predawn sky
Mars makes a close approach to Antares. Mars is positioned left
or north of the brighter Antares.
Tuesday, December 28th
Four planets remain lined up along the ecliptic (path of the
Sun) in the west southwestern sky after sunset. Near the horizon
Venus and Mercury appear close together. The pair will separate
over the two days. Venus will drop towards the horizon while
Mercury will rise higher towards Saturn. Jupiter resides high
above the rest.
Friday, December 31st
The Moon is making way towards its New Moon phase. This
morning it makes a close approach to both Mars and Antares.
Sunday, January 2nd
The Moon is located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun
and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of
the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star
clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
Top right: Hubble Telescope card “Cosmic Reef.”
Locations of comet C/2021 Leonard
over a five-day period at approximately 1800 hours.
Tuesday, January 4th
Another event for the early riser is the Quadrantids meteor
shower. This shower is active December 28th to January 12th.
The Quadrantids is a variable shower that could produce from 60
to 200 meteors per hour. The Moon is just past new so will not
brighten the night sky. Look for the first shooting stars to radiate
out of the northeast just before 0400h.
The crescent Moon appears close to Saturn after the Sun sets
and Venus sinks below the horizon. Mercury is approaching its
highest point in the sky positioned below or west of Saturn.
Wednesday, January 5th
The Moon has left Saturn and is now located near Jupiter
in the constellation Aquarius. Saturn and Mercury are located
in Capricornus.
Friday, January 7th – Tuesday, January 11th
The next few evenings will offer the best opportunities to view
Mercury. On January 7th Mercury reaches its greatest separation
from the Sun. Mercury will reach its highest point in the sky on
January 8th. Between January 9th and 11th Mercury moves
closer to Saturn. Mercury is only half illuminated but is still
brighter than Saturn.
* All times are given as Atlantic Standard Time (AST)
unless otherwise noted. The times are based on a viewing
position in Grenada and may vary by only a few minutes
in different Caribbean locations.
Jim Ulik sails on S/V Merengue.
IMAGE 1 NASA & THE SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE IMAGE 3 JIM ULIK
DECEMBER 2021 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 27
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