It's a new week, which means a new, features sight in the cosmos. This week's feature: our nearest star, the Sun, and specifically the time at which it makes its appearance in the sky. Yes, while the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice, is about three weeks away, the earliest sunsets of the year will occur this week for the Cleveland area, when the Sun dips below the horizon at 4:57pm.
On Saturday, December 3, the Sun will be making its earliest set of the year, never mind the fact that the solstice is nearly three weeks later on December 22. In the Cleveland area, the Sun will be setting at 4:57pm and will continue to set at that time for the next few days before gradually creeping later into the evening. Live somewhere else? Your times will differ based on latitude with earlier sets occurring the farther North you live.
So, with the Sun down so early (and resulting in 15+ hours of darkness), why not head out and view the stars? After all, the December sky has a lot to offer. After all, at what point of the year can you see a year's worth of stars in a given night? Don't believe me? Head out just after dark tonight and look up for the Summer Triangle. Then, just before sunrise, go out again and look for a bright blue star in the Northeast just above the horizon. That's Vega, the same Summer Triangle Star you saw the previous night.
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National Space News Examiner
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