December Night Sky + Geminid Meteor Shower

The long nights of winter give us more opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the night sky. Here is your guide to the planets, the Moon, and the stars. Having trouble viewing this email? [View this email on the web.]( [The Night Sky in December]( The longer nights of winter give us more opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the night sky. Let The Old Farmer’s Almanac be your guide to the planets, the Moon, and the stars. Dear Sky Scanner, If you were in the Northeast U.S. on December 11–12, 2008, you well remember the Great New England Ice Storm. The storm lasted 2 days, but the power was out for more than a week here in New Hampshire. Now, when ice is predicted, we check our water supplies, our batteries, our candles. We lie awake listening for the chatter of sleet on the windows or the sound of branches breaking or the chandelier-fall of a treetop. That ice storm followed the last big one by 12 years. We’re about due for another. Although this winter should be more mild than average, so perhaps we’ll get a respite for at least one more year. One thing we are looking forward to this December is the Geminid meteors, which should be excellent on the 13th, after the Moon sets around 10:00 P.M. In fact, the December sky holds a lot of promise for viewing the heavens. Venus excels as a morning star, now at its greatest brilliancy. It will be high in the predawn twilight, below the Moon on the 3rd. Mercury also begins a good morning apparition, below the Moon on the 5th. On the 6th, Jupiter takes its turn dangling below the crescent Moon. Mars will appear above the Moon on the 14th, with both about halfway up the southern sky at nightfall. Jupiter and Mercury hang out together most of the month and are quite close on the 21st about 40 minutes before sunrise. If you aren’t familiar with the locations of the planets and stars, you can get a free, printable star chart to help you navigate the night sky, and learn more about our universe with your [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership!]( In the Sky Watch sections of The Old Farmer's Almanac, our astronomy editor, Bob Berman, helps you to have the best in night sky sightseeing each month, pointing you to bright planets and stars, celestial events, eclipses, meteor showers, and much more. HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! [Winter on the Moon]( Winter officially begins here on Earth with the solstice on December 21 at 5:23 P.M. What about winter on the Moon? If you’re hoping to celebrate the seasons on the Moon, you might be disappointed. Because Earth’s axis is tilted at about 23.5 degrees to the plane of its orbit (the ecliptic), the angle of the Sun’s rays at any point changes over the year, causing seasons. The Moon’s axis, however, is tilted at only about 1.5 degrees relative to the ecliptic. As a result, it has no significant seasons because the angle of sunlight varies little. The poles always receive sunlight almost horizontally; some areas at or near the poles are mostly or always sunlit, while others are always in shadow. [The Full Cold Moon]( Back here on Earth, we get the benefit of enjoying the Moon in all its glory, from new to full. December’s full Moon has three names: the Full Cold Moon, Full Long Nights Moon, and Moon of the Popping Trees. Whatever you call it, this month’s full Moon occurs on the 22nd, at 12:49 P.M. EST. Why does the full Moon have different names? Historically, the Algonquin tribes who lived from New England to Lake Superior kept track of the seasons by giving a distinctive name to each recurring full Moon. For instance, the December Full Moon is also known as the Full Long Nights Moon because the nights at this time of year are the longest. [Full Fun Moon]( No, that’s not another name for the full Moon. But the Moon does give us some fun myths and tales. Did you know that in a Bulgarian folktale, the Sun asks a hedgehog why he is nibbling on stones instead of attending the Sun’s wedding to the Moon? The hedgehog replies that he is in training for when no food will grow because of all the little Sun offspring that will be shining in the sky. When the Sun takes his point and cancels the wedding, the hedgehog has saved the world. And in Greek mythology, the Moon goddess Selene drives a silver chariot drawn by two white horses across the sky each night. She has fallen in love with a shepherd named Endymion, who now sleeps forever in a cave. Selene visits him every night. There are many more myths, facts, and tips about the Moon (such as the best days for planting crops, setting eggs, or fishing), but if you want more specifics, you’ll need to join The Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club! With our Moon Phase Calendar, you'll find dates and times for the full Moon, new Moon, and every phase in between. Beyond the phases of the Moon, you will also see daily Moon illumination percentages and the Moon's age. See what phase the Moon is in today! Plus, the Moon Phase Calendar from The Old Farmer's Almanac is customized to YOUR location! If you want to know more about the Moon throughout the year and much more useful information, wit, and wisdom, you can get it all and a bundle of BONUSES with an [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value C]([lub Charter Membership!]( HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! With an [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership](, you’ll get the handsome hardcover 2019 edition of the Almanac plus a bundle of bonuses where you’ll learn more about the night sky throughout the year and how it affects when to plant your crops and gardens. With an [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership](, you’ll learn more about: ● When and where to expect meteor showers throughout the year ● When you’ll be able to see different planets in the night sky ● Why we have seasons, and how the Moon affects our weather ● The secrets of the zodiac and what it means when Mercury is in retrograde You’ll also get fun astronomy info in our monthly Almanac EXTRA! digital magazine—a treasure trove of Almanac content not found in the printed edition, including audio and video multimedia content. EXTRA! is far more interactive and fun than plain printed pages! HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! [Get full access to everything under the Sun, including the Moon, weather, vegetable and flower gardening, folklore, nature, home remedies, and more]( —with your Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership! Introducing [The Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership](! This new and exciting club is designed especially for you—and it’s packed with articles, advice, best days, facts, and fun that you cannot get anywhere else! Your [Charter Membership]( gives you all the elements of a true almanac—a “calendar of the heavens” and a “time capsule of the year” for 2019, plus some bonuses when you join today. More about those bonuses in a minute. Since 1792—in fact, every day since!—The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been trusted and enjoyed by folks from all walks of life: people who grow their own food depend on the planting dates; home cooks, gardeners, and folks hungry for something quick and delicious love the recipes; just about everybody checks on the Moon phases and sunrise and set times … as well as the weather forecasts … to know what to expect on any given day, week, month, or season. With [The Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership](, you’ll have content that is both useful and humorous. You’ll discover quirky facts, timeless adages and advice, amusing quotes and profound proverbs, contests, Anecdotes and Pleasantries, Best Days to do things (from fishing to weaning from planting to setting eggs, for example), and so much more! Your [Charter Membership]( gives you everything that you’ve come to expect and depend on in an Almanac—valuable and accurate content and advice. In fact, fulfillment of readers’ expectations has made our Almanac the best-known and most sought-after Almanac for generations. Did you know? The Old Farmer’s Almanac is the oldest continuously published periodical in North America! We got started with this valuable content in 1792—when George Washington was president and the U.S. Post Office Department was first established . . . and we’ve been at it ever since then, for 227 years! HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! People always ask how and why our Almanac has lasted—and continues to be a best seller. The answer is simple: We stay true to the original mission of founder Robert B. Thomas, who declared in an early edition, “Our main endeavor is to be useful, with a pleasant degree of humor.” We believe that, especially in today’s trying times, finding humor and enjoyment in daily life is important and can be uplifting, and we hope you like our light-hearted fun and find the joy in chuckling at our witty and inspiring words. This will make you smile, too: Every edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac is fresh, new, and designed to make the year one of the best ever. How do we do that? With entertaining and informative articles. For example: Want to know about the most fun and fascinating trends for 2019? Here’s a hint: We’ll be exercising in the grocery stores, we’ll be drinking banana milk, shopping in stores with “quiet hours,” and decorating with “scratch-and-sniff” wallpaper. Are you a vegetable gardener or want to be one? Many gardeners consider the Almanac their most valuable tool, so this year, for all of you trying to grow food we’ve got foolproof advice that promises a harvest the first year and every one thereafter. Perhaps you grow flowers—or want to: In the 2019 Almanac, you’ll learn which flowers are edible, when to pick them, and how to use them (e.g., pick apple blossoms in late spring and sprinkle them onto a Waldorf salad, all summer use impatiens as a garnish). But that’s just the beginning! 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[An Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership will deliver exciting rewards for you—and for a special introductory rate, HALF-OFF right now, to all new Charter Members.]( When you join today, you’ll ensure that you get the latest details about Almanac events and forecasts—and you’ll enjoy all these benefits: - Your best garden ever—Almanac gardening advice, planting dates, time-saving tips, and detailed guidance from experts will get you growing like never before. - You’ll know in advance about every important astronomical event in 2019—when they’re happening, where in the sky, and the details and delights of each one. - You’ll have access to the world’s best source of Almanac content—from astronomy and weather to anniversaries and milestone dates; from important (and little known) holidays and religious events to traditional days in calendar folklore. - You’ll save time and money when you follow all the practical advice and tips that we deliver to you about everything from gardening to food preparation and cooking. - You’ll be a weather expert in your family and circle of friends—no one else you know will have the detailed knowledge about forecasting and weather that you’ll have . . . and for every region of the country! 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No other Almanac has so many fun and fascinating facts, timely and accurate events and predictions, and topical and useful articles all in one place for your easy access and use—and covering more regions of North America than any other almanac or resource! HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! [Why not join right now?]( Gardeners, weather and sky watchers, and nature lovers everywhere have been enjoying The Old Farmer’s Almanac for generations, and now it’s easier than ever for YOU to experience it all with an [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership](. When we created this new club for folks like you, we wanted to make it easy to use, easy to order, and packed with content and value—that’s why we named it the “Best Value Club”! The Almanac is the ultimate resource for gardening, astronomy, folklore, nature, and more, and now it can be all yours with your [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership](. HALF-PRICE Introductory Offer is Now in Effect! Special limited-time Charter Membership offer for you right now! When you respond today, you’ll be among a select group of Almanac friends to take advantage of this special Charter Membership offer. Activate your Charter Membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club today, and you’ll get access to unique almanac content that you can’t find anywhere else—plus four bonuses! Join other weather and astronomy watchers, gardeners, nature and food lovers, and trivia fans—for half-off when you respond today! 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