[OT] Politically Incorrect - Sorry List Mum

[Colin Holgate]

On Dec 19, 2009, at 8:02 PM, Sivakatirswami wrote:

> Wishing everyone the best for the solstice (very special this year as there is a conjunction of the earth with the sun and the galactic center) and a joyful prosperous 2010.


While we're drifting off topic...

I'm on some astronomy lists, and this month has a few interesting alignments (some are past already). Here's a list:

December 6th – Moon near Mars
December 10th – Moon near Saturn
December 13th/14th – Maximum of Geminid Meteor Shower
December 18th – Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation; Crescent Moon nearby
December 20th/21st – Jupiter/Neptune Conjunction
December 21st – Moon near Jupiter and Neptune
December 21st – Winter Solstice (17.47 GMT)
December 31st – Partial Eclipse of the Moon (18.52-19.54 GMT)

The Jupiter/Neptine ones interest me the most, because I've seen firsthand seven planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth - by looking downwards, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus - through my telescope), so Neptune is the only official planet I haven't seen. Having Jupiter nearby should help to track it down, assuming the NYC snow clouds are gone by then.