Wait, what? It’s true. The sky’s brightest star, Sirius aka the Dog Star, will come to within 1.6 degrees of the south celestial pole in the year 66270.
Meet the bright star Aldebaran, part of a V-shaped pattern of stars called the Hyades. This easy-to-find star cluster represents the face of Taurus the Bull.
It isn’t as famous as its counterpart, the Southern Cross. But the Northern Cross looks like a cross, and it’s pretty easy to spot. You’ll find it upright in the west on late December evenings.
The Large Magellanic Cloud is a petite galaxy visible with the unaided eye – all year round – for those in the Southern Hemisphere. This small neighboring galaxy to the Milky Way is somewhere between spiral and irregular in shape.
Earliest sunsets for 30 degrees N. were centered on late November and early December. Earliest sunsets at mid-northern latitudes are happening now. S. Hemisphere? Watch for your earliest sunrises.
In late November and early December, look west in the evening for the Summer Triangle. It’s made of the 3 bright stars – Vega, Deneb and Altair – in 3 different constellations.
At this time of year, the famous constellation Orion the Hunter is back in the evening sky! Its most recognizable feature is a short, straight line of 3 medium-bright stars.