i did. Tried to take a few pics with my iPhone7 but they didn’t turn out too good.

 

Glad you were able to check it out. Are you still enjoying the thread? Let me know if there are specific things you want me to post about. Thanks as always.

Glad you were able to check it out. Are you still enjoying the thread? Let me know if there are specific things you want me to post about. Thanks as always.

 

I check in on it every day. I’ve always enjoyed astronomy. Thanks for all the research and work you do in this thread.

Some of the pics aren't showing up. I will try to repost them.

In order of post. Post #532- Earth & Moon from Mars.

 

Post #533- First -ever pic of Earth from Moon(1966).

 

Post #534 Earth and Moon from Saturn. Earth shown with an arrow.

 

Post #535. Earthrise(Apollo 12).

 

Post #536.

Earth and Moon from Galileo spacecraft, about 4 million miles away.

 

Post #537. Full moon from the ISS.

 

Post #538

 

Dark side of the moon "photobomb."

 

Post #540 . The Earth and moon, photographed on the same Day- July 19, 2013 ... first from Saturn, about 870 million miles away , then from Mercury, about 62 million miles away.

 

 

Slight Geomagnetic storm in progress. Coronal hole stream generated.

 

Anyone spotted any Geminid meteors this week? The peak was Thursday at dawn. You might still catch a few "stars" if you head outside tonight(and have a clear sky, of course).

Friday, December 15

• As the Summer Triangle sinks lower in the west, Altair is the first of its stars to go. Start by spotting bright Vega in the northwest right after dark. The brightest star above Vega is Deneb. Altair, the Triangle's third star, is farther to Vega's left or lower left. How late into the evening, and into the advancing season, can you keep it in view?

 

Jupiter, Mars and Moon at dawn, Dec. 16, 2017

Jupiter shines bright in early dawn all month. Can you catch the super-thin, super low waning Moon on Saturday morning the 16th?

 

Mercury, Jupiter, Mars at dawn, Dec. 23, 2017

By December 23rd, Mercury is emerging low into dawn view where the Moon was a week before.

 

• As dawn begins to brighten on the morning of Saturday the 16th, look very low in the southeast to try to spot the thinning crescent Moon. It's far lower left of the diagonal line of Jupiter, Mars, and Spica .

 

Saturday, December 16

 

• Have you ever watched a Sirius-rise? Find a spot with an open view right down to the east-southeast horizon, and watch for Sirius to come up about two fists at arm's length below Orion's vertical Belt. Sirius rises sometime around 8 p.m. now, depending on your location.

 

When a star is very low, it tends to twinkle quite slowly and often in vivid colors. Sirius is bright enough to show these effects well, especially with binoculars.

 

Sunday, December 17

• At this time of year the Big Dipper lies down lowest just after dark, due north. It's entirely below the north horizon if you're as far south as Miami. By 11 or midnight the Dipper wheels around to stand straight up on its handle, in fine view in the northeast.

 

Monday, December 18

• The Pleiades star cluster, the size of your fingertip at arm's length, shines very high in the southeast after dinnertime. How many Pleiads can you count with your unaided eye? Take your time and keep looking. Most people can count 6. With sharp eyesight, a dark sky, and a steady gaze, you may be able to make out 8 or 9.

 

• New Moon (exactly new at 1:30 a.m. on the 18th EST).

 

Tuesday, December 19

• The five brightest stars of Cassiopeia are usually called a W. At dusk the W stands nearly on end very high in the northeast. It soon turns over to become a flattened M even higher in the north. Explore Cassiopeia's telescopic jewels (there are many!) with Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders article, chart, and photos in the December Sky & Telescope, page 55.

 

Wednesday, December 20

• This is the time of year when M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, passes your zenith soon after dark if you live in the mid-northern latitudes. The exact time depends on your longitude. Binoculars will show M31 just off the upraised knee of the Andromeda constellation's stick figure; see the big evening constellation chart in the center of Sky & Telescope.

 

• Algol, the prototype eclipsing binary star, shines at its minimum brightness, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.3, for about two hours centered on 11:11 p.m. EST (8:11 p.m. PST).

 

Thursday, December 21

• Today is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. The December solstice occurs at 11:28 a.m. EST, when the Sun reaches its southernmost declination for 2017 and begins its six-month return northward.

 

• The weak Ursid meteor shower should be at its peak tonight and/or tomorrow night. Its radiant (its perspective point of origin) is circumpolar, near Kochab at the bowl of the Little Dipper. So the shower is active to some degree from dusk to dawn. But, barring a rare outburst, you're likely to see only a few Ursids per hour of steady watching.

 

Friday, December 22

• This is the time of year when Orion shines in the east-southeast after dinnertime. He's well up now, but his three-star Belt is still nearly vertical. The Belt points up toward Aldebaran and, even higher, the Pleiades. In the other direction, it points down to where bright Sirius rises to twinkle furiously.

 

Saturday, December 23

• Sirius and Procyon in the balance. Sirius, the Dog Star, sparkles low in the east-southeast after dinnertime. Procyon, the Little Dog Star, shines in the east about two fist-widths at arm's length to Sirius's left. If you live around latitude 30° , the two canine stars will be at the same height above your horizon soon after they rise. If you're north of that latitude, Procyon will be higher. If you're south of there, Sirius will be the higher one.

Anyone spotted any Geminid meteors this week? The peak was Thursday at dawn. You might still catch a few "stars" if you head outside tonight(and have a clear sky, of course).

I saw one Tuesday night and about 10 Wednesday night.