December 25 - Christmas Day

May the Beauty and Wonder

of the season

bring you Peace and Joy!

Merry Christmas

December 23 - Bright Sight

Bright Sight - Owls are far-sighted, and their far vision even in very low light is exceptionally good. They can turn their head 135 degrees in either direction; they can thus look behind their own shoulders. This ability makes them excellent hunters in the twilight, and even at night by the soft glow of moonlight.

Owl Hears - An additional ability is their excellent hearing. They can hear prey moving under a blanket of snow from as far away as 30 yards.

Silent Stalkers - Owls are the world's quietest flyers. The fringed tips of their trailing feathers, along with the soft down feathers covering the rest of their bodies, allow them to stalk their prey at night in almost complete silence.

December 21 - Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice - Northern Hemisphere (Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere) Today at 12:04 UT the Sun passes directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, at which point Winter officially begins. This is the shortest day, and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Chanukah Begins - At sundown today Chanukah (Hanukkah) begins. Hanukkah (Hebrew: חנוכה‎) is an 8-day Jewish celebration which is also known as the "Festival of Lights".

December 12 - Moon Shine

Moon Shine - This Full Moon will be the biggest and brightest of the year, since it coincides with the annual perigee (the Moon's closest orbital point to the earth for the year) on December 12.

December 8 - Rime Crystal

Rime Crystal - ice crystals that form as white ice when the water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects. It is often seen on trees atop mountains and ridges in winter, when low-hanging clouds cause freezing fog.

December 3 - Andromeda Galaxy

Andromeda Galaxy - (aka Messier 31, or M31) A spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light years away from Earth, in the constellation Andromeda. It comprises some one trillion stars, each one potentially similar to our Sun.

SUPERSTARS

Mirach - Apparent magnitude 2.06

Hamal - Apparent magnitude 2.0

Enif - Apparent magnitude 2.4