Ps. 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (jbonser@usa.net I hope you enjoyed watching the Super Moon rising above the trees on November 14th. I feel like I ought to apologize for not mentioning it to you last month, but hopefully you heard something on T.V. or radio or read about it in a newspaper, because it turned out to be a decent night to see it. There were some clouds, of course, but I think that actually made it look even more interesting. Super Moons occur when the Moon happens to be full when it is also at the closest point to Earth in its orbit. The November Full Moon occurred when the Moon was 356509 km (~221,524 miles). I usually don’t get very excited about the Super Moons because from one full moon to the next it is pretty hard to remember just how big the Moon was. In pictures, you can see the difference, but in person it is difficult to mentally compare size. While you might not remember how big the ‘ordinary’ full Moon appears, you might realize how much brighter a super moon is compared to an ‘ordinary’ full Moon. I received a lot of comments about how beautiful the Super Moon was but I suspect that it was because many folks just took the time to go out and look at it because of the attention it got in the news. I think just about every moonrise is beautiful (except when I am trying to get just a few more pictures of something before the Moon makes the sky too bright to image anymore). To prove my point, (that all Moonrises are beautiful – and the Super Moon visually is not that different from an ‘ordinary’ Moon), try to remember to view the December Full Moon as it rises on December 14th. If the weather is favorable, I bet you will be just as struck by our beautiful Luna rising above the treetops around 6 P.M. as you were when you saw the November Super Moon. Perigee actually occurs a couple of days before Full Moon this month at about 6 P.M. on the 12th. It will be 358462 km (~222,738 miles), a difference of 1,953 km or about 1,214 miles farther away than it was on November 14th. It will still look quite impressive close to the horizon. Sorry about all those numbers but my point is that our Moon is an amazing world in its own right and whether it is an ‘ordinary’ Moonrise or a Super Moonrise your soul will be generously rewarded if you will slow down for a few minutes and just take the time to drink in the sight of Earth’s beautiful companion as it rises soft red or golden yellow through the trees. Venus is the super bright planet that is shining in the southwest after sunset. Venus will hang out about 18 degrees above the southwest horizon all month. A very slender crescent Moon visits Venus on December 2nd. It forms a beautiful right triangle with Mercury almost directly below and Venus to the left. The Moon will return to flirt with Venus again one month later on January 2nd. By this time Mercury has disappeared from the scene but now the Moon forms a line with Venus below and to the right, and Mars, above and slightly to the left (east). If you have a pair of binoculars or a telescope, there is another planet to find in this planetary Congo line: Neptune. Neptune is not normally visible without some kind of optical aid since it shines at about magnitude 8. But it is easy in binoculars if you know where to look and on Jan 2nd the place to look is between Mars and the crescent Moon. Neptune will be about one third the distance from Mars to the Moon (closer to Mars). A very pretty grouping and good opportunity find a planet we don’t get to see very often. I hope you have a very special Christmas with family and friends this year. As you walk to your car after Christmas dinner take a moment, if it’s clear, to stop and look up at the sky. Psalm 19 begins with: “The heavens declare the glory of God;”. Take a moment to thank God for the beauty of the stars, the beauty of family (even the black sheep) and the beauty of the salvation He has provided for all of us black sheep through His Son, Jesus. We don’t deserve it, but He has blessed us all. All we need to do is stop and look around, and especially, look up! Clear Skies, and Merry Christmas!