Astrophiz139-Holiday SkyGuide

Astrophiz139: Holiday SkyGuide Here is our regular monthly treat for all naked-eye celestial observers, telescopers, and astrophotographers from Dr Ian Musgrave, amateur astronomer, molecular pharmacologist and toxicologist. We can look forward to some views of the crescent moon ‘dancing’ past planets and viewing some very nice bright planets over the December and January holiday period. In western evening skies, magnificent Venus, Saturn, Jupiter are resplendent, and Ian gives us tips on spotting Mercury. He also expertly guides us to observations of a ‘Xmas Comet’ and an occultation of Mars. In Ian’s Tangent, he continues his theme to discuss the problems with our definitions of celestial objects and the challenge of whether an object in our skies could be a planet, moon, sun, comet, asteroid or minor planet. Our current definitions may be selling us short.