Sky Watch December: November in Texas was warm one week and cold the next! The leaves are terrific this fall!! 

Winter Solstice is December 21st. It's the shortest day of the year: under 10 hours of sunlight! The long nights are perfect for stargazing!

Evening Skies: Just after sunset, the five visible planets are spread across the sky along the plane of the Ecliptic! Mercury and Venus are very low in the southwest, Saturn follows, Jupiter is to the south, and Mars is rising in the east. The waxing Moon will slide back past them all from now until it eclipses Mars the night of the 7th, just as it turns full! That will happen around ten and should be fun to watch if it's clear!

Full Moon is the night of the 7th-8th.

Morning Skies: The spring stars, led by The Big Dipper, Arcturus, and Spica, are up in the east, rising earlier every day. Mars is setting in the west.

Quarry/Outdoors: Migrating Ducks are arriving every week now. As the leaves continue to fall, the smaller birds become easier to spot.  They are around us all the time, foraging and singing, and are just as beautiful as their larger cousins. Keep an eye out for them!  Photo of a Warbler and a Wreath on a frosty morning!

It's a great time of year to get outdoors, take a deep breath, and remember all the wonders around us, large and small, as the seasons turn!!

PKL