December StarDial Jehana Mon Dec 4 17:56:52 2000 The December 2000 StarDial*p*Dec 01 - Comet C/2000 S2 (Shoemaker-LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (1.299 AU)*br*Dec 01 - Comet Hartley 3 Closest Approach To Earth (1.601 AU)*br*Dec 01 - 40th Anniversary (1960), Sputnik 6 Launch (Carried Two Dogs: Pchelka & Mushka)*p*Dec 02 - Comet Clark Perihelion (1.559 AU)*p*Dec 03 - First Quarter at 10:55 p.m. EST*p*Dec 07 - Earliest sunset of the year (approx. 40° N latitude). This is a different date than the shortest day of the year, since the Earth orbits around the Sun in an ellipse and not a circle. (The latest sunrise of the year is in about four weeks.)*p*Dec 08 - 10th Anniversary (1990), Galileo, 1st Earth Flyby*br*Dec 08 - The Moon is 10 degrees to the left, and slightly below, the Moon, at evening twilight. By the following morning the Moon will be within 6 degrees of Saturn. *p*Dec 09 - The Moon and Saturn remain close to each other at evening twilight; Jupiter is also in this picture.*p*Dec 11 - Full Moon, 4:03 a.m. EST.*p*Dec 13 - Geminids Meteor Shower Peak. Visibility will be hindered by Moonlight.*br*Dec 13 - Comet C/1999 T1 (McNaught-Hartley) Perihelion (1.172 AU)*p*Dec 15 - Asteroid 5604 (1992 FE) Near-Earth Flyby (0.376 AU)*br*Dec 15 - 30th Anniversary (1970), Venera 7, Venus Landing*p*Dec 16 - Summer Solstice -- on Mars (northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, of course, it is the winter solstice there.)*p*Dec 17 - Asteroid 1998 FG2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.158 AU)*br*Dec 17 - Last Quarter Moon at 7:41 p.m. EST*p*Dec 19 - Asteroid 1998 XA5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.393 AU)*br*Dec 19 - The ancient Roman midwinter festival of Saturnalia began on this date*p*Dec 21 - Winter Solstice, 13:34 UT*p*Dec 21 - Asteroid 2000 GX127 Near-Venus Flyby (0.068 AU)*br*Dec 21 - Winter Solstice, Earth (Northern Hemisphere) 8:37 a.m. EST. Longest night of the *p*year.*p*Dec 22 - Ursids Meteor Shower Peak*br*Dec 22 - Comet Lovas 2 Closest Approach To Earth (2.083 AU)*p*Dec 23 - Asteroid 4183 Cuno Near-Earth Flyby (0.143 AU)*p*Dec 24 - Asteroid 2000 AF205 Near-Earth Flyby (0.226 AU)*p*Dec 25 - Partial Solar Eclipse (Visible From North America). For info on how much solar eclipse you may expect in your area, visit *br*http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/extra/PSE2000Dec25city1/PSE2000Dec25city1.html. Michigan, for instance, should be in nearly half-eclipse.*br*Dec 25 - New Moon occurs at 12:22.*br*Dec 25 - Christmas day.*p*Dec 26 - Asteroid 2000 OJ8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.406 AU)*p*Dec 29 - Moon is only 2 degrees to the lower left of Venus shortly after sunset.*p*Dec 31 - Last day of the second millennium, common era!!*p**p**br*http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/ - Space Calendar*br*http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/SkyWatchersDiary/Diary.html - Skywatchers' Diary *br*