In December, January and February, we look away from the Milky Way's cloudy core toward the Orion spiral arm, with stars so bright they capture our attention.
What was the Christmas star? Some scientific explanations attempt to explain the Star of Bethlehem, including a planetary conjunction, comet or supernova.
The longest days accompany the winter solstice. In December, a day - a whole cycle of day and night - is about half a minute longer than the average 24 hours.