Today:
One of the outstandingly bright stars in the skies passes nearly overhead tonight. Capella is dazzling in the east-northeast, about half way from the horizon to the zenith at 6:30 PM. By 11:00 PM, the 4th brightest star we can see from the northern hemisphere is almost straight above.
Wednesday:
Christmas’s connection to astronomy dates back to our earliest European ancestors, knowing that the longest nights of the year would slowly give way to increasing amounts of light and warmth from the Sun. Numerous stone structures, including Stonehenge, tracked the Sun carefully, to help mark the date. Such alignments were incorporated into Mayan buildings in Central America as well.
Thursday:
The view to the southeast is quite impressive by 9:00 PM this evening. Low above the horizon, the Dog stars Procyon on the left and a bit higher, and Sirius much brighter on the right, are featured with Orion above them. Meanwhile, the planet Jupiter teams up with the orange-red star Aldebaran, quite high in the southeast.