Dec 21 - Top Stories This Week

December 21 Top Stories This Week by:

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Photographer John Ashley said, “The sun's path during summer solstice arches high across the sky (upper), but at winter solstice its path barely clears the brick walls of the Potter's Shrine, a sculptural landmark on the grounds of the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana.” Read more about this photo.

Happy solstice! December solstice 2019 arrives on December 22 at 04:19 UTC. That’s tonight for the Americas. High summer for the Southern Hemisphere. For the Northern Hemisphere, the return of more sunlight! Read more.  A second black hole at our galaxy's center? There's a supermassive black hole - 4 million times our sun's mass - in the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers who've measured star movements near this central black hole are now saying there might be a 2nd companion black hole near it. Read more. 2nd-known interstellar visitor rounds the sun Astronomers last week released new Hubble Space Telescope images of 2I/Borisov - the 2nd-known interstellar object, now characterized as a comet - shortly before and shortly after its December 8 perihelion. Read more. More top stories Scientists identify a new kind of explosion on the sun Newly updated! December planet guide Will sea otters return to San Francisco Bay? Why are whales big, but not bigger? Scientists map a pulsar for the 1st time 2019 Arctic Report Card: Visual highlights

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Ursid meteors peak around now The Ursid meteor shower runs from about December 17 to 26 each year and always peaks around the December solstice. After the solstice and the shower’s peak, keep watching. You still might catch some! Read more.

At the moment of solstice Day and night sides of Earth at the instant of the December 2019 solstice: December 22, 2019, at 04:19 UTC. That’s tonight for the Americas, as you can see on the map above. Image via EarthView. Read more. Submit your photo to EarthSky here! Did a friend forward EarthSkyNews to you? Click here to get your own subscription!

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