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Outside magazine, December 1995


Stargazing
By David N. Schramm

Topping December's bill is a celestial double feature: the Geminid meteor shower, which should put on an impressive show on the evening of the 13th, followed by the Ursid shower, peaking on the 23d. Both are nicely distant from the full Moon, on the sixth. In the evenings, look for Mercury, during the last half of the month, and Venus, very bright in the southwest all month long. Mars will be in the constellation Sagittarius, Saturn in Aquarius, but Jupiter will not be visible because it lies in the direction of the sun. The winter solstice occurs on the 22d, the shortest day of the year and the official beginning of winter.