Bootleg Astronomers

*** Due to the number of people doing imaging at the Bootleg Star Parties, Bootleg Management is indicating that Green Lasers will not be permitted starting one hour after sunset ***

4	First Quarter Moon at 6:58 UT.
5	Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 4h UT (distance 404,446 km; angular size 29.5').
10	Moon near the Pleiades (evening sky) at 19h UT. • The Pleiades (Wikipedia)
11	Venus 1.8° S of Saturn (30° from Sun, evening sky) at 10h UT. Mags. −4.0 and 0.6.
11	Moon near Aldebaran (evening sky) at 12h UT. • Aldebaran (Wikipedia)
12	Full Moon at 5:12 UT. • Full Moon Names (Wikipedia)
13	Moon at northernmost declination in year at 21h UT. Declination +23.23°.
14	Geminid Meteor Shower peaks at 12h UT. Produces bright, medium-speed meteors at its peak (up to 80 meteors/hour). Most reliable meteor shower. Easy to observe (radiant on sky map). Best after midnight. • Meteor Shower Calendar (IMO) • Geminids (NASA) • Geminids of the North (APOD)
14	Moon near Castor (morning sky) at 14h UT.
14	Moon near Pollux (morning sky) at 18h UT.
15	Moon near Beehive cluster M44 (morning sky) at 18h UT.
17	Moon near Regulus (morning sky) at 8h UT. • Regulus (Wikipedia)
18	Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 20:16 UT (370,265 km; angular size 32.3').
19	Last Quarter Moon at 4:58 UT.
21	Moon near Spica (morning sky) at 4h UT.
22	December solstice at 4:21 UT. The time when the Sun reaches the point farthest south of the celestial equator marking the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. • December Solstice (Wikipedia)
23	Moon near Mars (morning sky) at 5h UT. Mag. 1.6. • Mars (Wikipedia)
24	Moon near Antares (morning sky) at 12h UT. • Antares (Wikipedia)
26	Annular Solar Eclipse from 3:34 to 7:01 UT. Greatest eclipse at 5:18 UT. The narrow path of annularity extends from Saudi Arabia to southern India, northern Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Singapore, Borneo and to Guam. Partial eclipse extends across Asia and northern Australia. • Annular Solar Eclipse of 2019 December 26 (GIF) (NASA) • Solar Eclipses: 2011 - 2030 (Mr Eclipse) • NASA Solar Eclipse Page (NASA)
26	New Moon at 5:13 UT. Start of lunation 1200. • Lunation Number (Wikipedia)
27	Moon near Saturn (15° from Sun, evening sky) at 13h UT. Mag. 0.6. • Saturn (Wikipedia)
29	Moon near Venus (34° from Sun, evening sky) at 3h UT. Mag. −4.0. • Venus (Wikipedia)

>>> All times Universal Time (UT). USA Central Standard Time = UT-6 hours. (DST = UT-5 hrs,)

Zodiacal Light is caused by sunlight reflected off meteoric dust in the plane of the solar system. Choose a clear, moonless night, about 1-2 hours after sunset, and look for a large triangular-shaped glow extending up from the horizon (along the ecliptic). The best months to view the Zodiacal Light is when the ecliptic is almost vertical at the horizon: March and April (evening) and October-November (morning); times reversed for the southern hemisphere.
• Zodiacal Light (Wikipedia)
• Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)
• Photographing the Zodiacal Light (Weatherscapes)