Hello ...
Here's your Cosmic Pursuits newsletter for December 2025!
1. Jupiter takes center stage this month high in the eastern sky in the mid-evening hours, bright and fat in a telescope and primed for viewing now through March. Mercury pops its head above the eastern horizon before sunrise. And the Geminids peak in ideal conditions at mid month. Here's what to see in the Night Sky This Month...
2. A big sunspot group is turning into view and may result in coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that trigger strong auroral activity in the coming days. Track the position of the spot at this link from NASA. And Spaceweather.com gives constant updates on any impending solar storms.
3. The cold and snow is upon me with a vengeance, but I managed to have a quick look at the outgoing northern Milky Way late last month. To warm up, I reviewed some recent images of the North America Nebula in Cygnus including a striking image of the nebula and adjacent star cloud captured on film. There is no
school like the old school.
4. For a deeper dive, this piece by Phil Plait at 'Bad Astronomy' examines how astronomers discovered the remnants of a star cluster ripped apart by a giant
molecular cloud.
5. I think my light pollution is bad. But 'Cuiv, the Lazy Geek', who lives in Tokyo, has it much worse. He was told there was no way he could photograph the Milky Way from his location. So of course, he had to try
anyway (video).
And the astronomy quote of the month - a little motivation for all of us to get out and see the night sky:
"Astronomy, that micography of heaven, is the most magnificent of the sciences. ... Astronomy has its clear side and its luminous side; on its clear side it is tinctured with algebra, on its luminous side with poetry"
- Victor Hugo
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Wishing you clear skies!
Brian Ventrudo
Publisher
CosmicPursuits.com
