2017 Week 51: (December 17-23)

We are now at the second last week of the year and the Winter Solstice is now upon us!  There are flurries in the forecast for Calgary but hopefully we can get some peepholes to see some of the sky.  The chart below outlines the events happening this week.

Date	Event
December 17	New Moon
December 21	Winter Solstice
December 21	Saturn in conjunction with Sun
December 22	Ursid Meteor Shower Peak

The only somewhat exciting event happening is the Ursid Meteor Shower.  It certainly will not be as exciting as the recent Gemind shower but may be worth a visit with your eyes.  The shower is usually confined to a tight time window either side of the peak.  Your best bet to see it will be the evening of the 21st or 22nd.  The radiant is at the base of the Little Dipper in Ursa Minor.  An image of this region is shown below.

Ursid Radiant

The maximum rate is pegged around 10 per hour but that will certainly be attenuated in the city.  I would count yourself lucky if you can tag one Ursid throughout the evening.  You will be more likely to see one if you clear the North sky of light pollution by travelling accordingly out of the city.

A new lunar cycle begins on Sunday leading up to a Boxing Day first quarter and a Supermoon on New Years' Day.

Saturn will be in conjunction with the Sun less than 5 hours after the Winter Solstice.  Soon Saturn will be in the morning sky for early risers to catch a glimpse.  It will continue tracking through Sagittarius until it crosses into Capricorn in 2020.

I anticipate writing a 2018 preview in the coming weeks so you know what to look forward to through the new year!