Happy December, Eagles! Retired faculty member and administrator Mr. Lutken offers guidance on what to expect in Mother Nature this month.  

November weather in Texas was typical: warm one week, cold the next. The leaves are beautiful this fall!! 

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

Evening Skies: Planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus are in the southwest, spread across the Ecliptic just after sunset. They'll put on a great show as the Moon moves past them from the 6th until the 11th! The winter stars, Orion, the Pleiades, Sirius and company, rise around 9 and are up most of the night.

Full Moon is on the 18th.

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

Quarry/Outdoors: Migrating ducks and geese 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. Watch and listen for them!  Photo of a wren 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