Dec 21 - Happy Solstice!

December 21 Happy Solstice! by:

Solstice sun at southernmost point You might think of the solstice as a day, but it's really a moment. The December solstice happens at 16:28 UTC today; translate to your time zone.  Ursid meteors peak at the solstice The peak is probably Friday morning, December 22. Whole Earth has longest days at this solstice Wait, what? Yes. In December, a day - a whole cycle of day and night - is about half a minute longer than the average 24 hours. That's true for the entire globe. Where's the moon? Waxing crescent Today's solstice is accompanied by a thin and lovely young moon. EarthSky will take a holiday hiatus on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Back Tuesday. Warmest holiday wishes to you all!

Welcome 2018 with an EarthSky lunar calendar Our lunar calendar shows the moon phase for each day of the coming year. Also ... check out the new colors and designs of our EarthSky Cares Tees. A percentage of proceeds collected will be donated to select organizations.

Halo and sundogs over Montana Kameron Barge caught this magnificent halo display over a ski resort in Whitefish, Montana. The key to its beauty is what skiers and sky optics aficionados call diamond dust.

Where's the moon? Waxing crescent Robert Pettengill of Austin, Texas caught the moon on Wednesday evening - the last evening of fall for us in the Northern Hemisphere - from Austin, Texas. The pale glow on the darkened portion of the crescent is called earthshine. Submit your photo to EarthSky here!

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