December Sky in Edinburgh. 2005

Notes:
Dec - darkest month. 14 hrs dark
Civil nautical and astronomical twilight
sunspots -> aurora borealis. Can ruin electronics on satelites. Last Thurs broad band in the sky from E to W. How can you tell not a lit up cloud? Stars shine as bright.

Mars. Viking 1977.
4 missions currently. Japan one damaged from solar flare. (Nazomi)
Mars Express. Beagle 2. Lands Xmas day. US Rover probes. Mars is red because rusty.

Venus. Visible in twilight. Bright because of reflective clouds. Very Prominent next Spring.

Saturn v bright at moment all night. Cassini probe to Titan to land Heugans. No one knows surface.

Jupiter early morning. '94 comet hit.

Meteorides. Mid 13/14 Dec will get 1 meteor a minute. From Gemini. Saturn close to it.
Fireball meteors can create moving shadows.
Comet Enki close at moment. SW. By Aquila.
Int Space Station 3 minutes to cross. Bright as Mars. By Mars. By square of Pegasus.
Dec 2. US launch secret satellites. 3 together.
Cappela almost overhead.
Gemini is above Orion.