WEBVTT 00:00:07.380 --> 00:00:10.679 Howdy Star Gazers and Happy Winter Solstice. 00:00:10.980 --> 00:00:13.699 My name is Drew and I'll be your guide to the 00:00:13.699 --> 00:00:16.620 night sky for the week of December the 21st to 00:00:16.620 --> 00:00:20.920 the 27th. I know I said in our most recent episode 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:23.140 that we'd be taking a break for the month of 00:00:23.140 --> 00:00:25.519 December, but I just couldn't help but check 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:29.140 in one more time before the new year. And, since 00:00:29.140 --> 00:00:31.480 it's the holiday season, I wanted to mention 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:33.700 a little gift of sorts that I've been working 00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:36.340 on for the past few months. More on that in a 00:00:36.340 --> 00:00:39.960 moment. I hope everyone has been enjoying the 00:00:39.960 --> 00:00:43.539 dark, clear skies of December. I was doing some 00:00:43.539 --> 00:00:46.479 traveling recently, as I often do this time of 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:50.200 year, and I visited Nashville and Memphis, two 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:53.240 cities I've never explored, despite them being 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:56.890 just a few states over. We had gloomy, cloudy 00:00:56.890 --> 00:00:59.929 skies the entire time I was on the road, with 00:00:59.929 --> 00:01:02.909 the exception of one evening when the waning 00:01:02.909 --> 00:01:06.590 supermoon hung low over the Nashville skyline, 00:01:07.090 --> 00:01:10.849 looking icy and massive. Since arriving back 00:01:10.849 --> 00:01:14.010 home, we've had wonderfully clear skies, albeit 00:01:14.010 --> 00:01:16.930 very cold and windy weather for the southeast. 00:01:17.629 --> 00:01:21.150 It's nice to see the familiar form of Orion dominating 00:01:21.150 --> 00:01:24.519 the night sky once again. along with bright Jupiter 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:28.180 and the stillness of good seeing. As I mentioned 00:01:28.180 --> 00:01:30.200 in the introduction, if you're listening on the 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:33.700 release date, today is the winter solstice, the 00:01:33.700 --> 00:01:36.420 moment when the sun reaches its southernmost 00:01:36.420 --> 00:01:40.319 point in the sky. Astronomically speaking, this 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:43.480 is the instant when Earth's axial tilt leans 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:46.879 the northern hemisphere most directly away from 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:50.959 the sun. The result is the shortest day and longest 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:54.219 night of the year. From here on out, the days 00:01:54.219 --> 00:01:57.420 begin to lengthen again, slowly at first, but 00:01:57.420 --> 00:02:00.739 inevitably. For thousands of years, cultures 00:02:00.739 --> 00:02:03.319 around the world have marked this moment as a 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:08.060 symbolic rebirth of light. For stargazers, the 00:02:08.060 --> 00:02:11.520 solstice brings a gift of its own, long early 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:16.180 nights and crisp winter skies. Even casual observers 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:19.020 stepping outside after dinner can catch some 00:02:19.020 --> 00:02:22.680 of the most iconic sights in the sky. If you 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:25.039 look toward the southeast after sunset, you'll 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:28.639 be greeted by Orion, rising into prominence. 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:32.460 Orion's three belt stars form an easy visual 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:35.699 anchor, and hanging beneath them is the Orion 00:02:35.699 --> 00:02:39.620 Nebula, one of the finest deep -sky objects visible 00:02:39.620 --> 00:02:43.319 to the naked eye from dark locations and absolutely 00:02:43.319 --> 00:02:46.340 stunning through binoculars or small telescope. 00:02:46.990 --> 00:02:50.750 Just above Orion sits Taurus the Bull, home to 00:02:50.750 --> 00:02:53.729 the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the 00:02:53.729 --> 00:02:57.310 Seven Sisters. This tight, glittering cluster 00:02:57.310 --> 00:03:01.009 is an ideal holiday target, bright, compact, 00:03:01.490 --> 00:03:04.710 and unmistakable. Binoculars really bring it 00:03:04.710 --> 00:03:07.810 to life, revealing dozens of stars packed into 00:03:07.810 --> 00:03:11.969 a small patch of sky. Following Orion across 00:03:11.969 --> 00:03:15.750 the sky is Canis Major, marked by Sirius, the 00:03:15.750 --> 00:03:19.610 brightest star in the night sky. Sirius flashes 00:03:19.610 --> 00:03:23.090 low in the southern sky, often twinkling wildly 00:03:23.090 --> 00:03:26.430 as its light passes through thick layers of atmosphere, 00:03:27.030 --> 00:03:29.650 a beacon that's hard to miss once you know where 00:03:29.650 --> 00:03:33.270 to look. Turning northward, the Big Dipper rides 00:03:33.270 --> 00:03:36.310 low in the evening but climbs higher as the night 00:03:36.310 --> 00:03:39.650 goes on. serving as a reliable guidepost for 00:03:39.650 --> 00:03:43.550 finding Polaris, the North Star. Winter is a 00:03:43.550 --> 00:03:46.610 great time to revisit these familiar landmarks 00:03:46.610 --> 00:03:49.030 and notice how their positions shift over the 00:03:49.030 --> 00:03:53.150 course of the night. The moon this week cooperates 00:03:53.150 --> 00:03:56.250 nicely for stargazing, offering darker skies 00:03:56.250 --> 00:03:59.610 for much of the holiday period, perfect for spontaneous 00:03:59.610 --> 00:04:02.330 backyard observing sessions between gatherings, 00:04:02.550 --> 00:04:05.849 travel, or quiet evenings at home. So whether 00:04:05.849 --> 00:04:08.270 you're bundled up in the cold with a telescope, 00:04:08.650 --> 00:04:11.710 stepping outside with binoculars, or simply looking 00:04:11.710 --> 00:04:14.789 up while taking out the trash, this Solstice 00:04:14.789 --> 00:04:17.689 Week invites you to slow down and reconnect with 00:04:17.689 --> 00:04:21.269 the sky. The nights are long, the stars are bright, 00:04:21.589 --> 00:04:24.310 and the Sun, though at its weakest, has already 00:04:24.310 --> 00:04:28.670 begun its return. This Solstice Week also gives 00:04:28.670 --> 00:04:31.769 us a few planetary highlights. Quiet, steady 00:04:31.769 --> 00:04:34.980 lights that stand apart from the stars, and reward 00:04:34.980 --> 00:04:39.480 even casual holiday stargazing. The most commanding 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:42.740 of these is Jupiter. You can't miss it. Rising 00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:45.300 in the early evening and climbing higher as the 00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:48.379 night goes on, Jupiter shines brilliantly among 00:04:48.379 --> 00:04:51.639 the winter constellations, outshining everything 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:54.980 around it. Through binoculars, you can usually 00:04:54.980 --> 00:04:58.259 spot its four largest moons lined up like tiny 00:04:58.259 --> 00:05:01.560 beads of light. With a small telescope, Jupiter 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:04.779 resembles a miniature solar system all its own, 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:08.220 complete with dark cloud bands stretching across 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:11.920 its face. Lower in the sky during the early evening 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:16.000 is Saturn, glowing with a soft golden hue. It 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:18.500 doesn't demand attention the way Jupiter does, 00:05:18.540 --> 00:05:22.279 but it rewards patience. Even small telescopes 00:05:22.279 --> 00:05:25.399 reveal its rings, and there's something especially 00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:27.920 fitting about seeing Saturn during the holidays. 00:05:28.250 --> 00:05:31.970 a planet that feels slow, ancient, and deliberate, 00:05:32.629 --> 00:05:35.750 quietly keeping time as the year comes to a close. 00:05:36.490 --> 00:05:39.209 In the early morning hours, sharp -eyed observers 00:05:39.209 --> 00:05:42.670 may also catch Mercury low near the horizon before 00:05:42.670 --> 00:05:46.430 sunrise. It's a challenging target, but spotting 00:05:46.430 --> 00:05:49.129 it feels like a small victory in the glow of 00:05:49.129 --> 00:05:52.990 dawn. The moon plays a supportive role later 00:05:52.990 --> 00:05:55.810 this week, returning to the evening sky as a 00:05:55.810 --> 00:05:59.079 thin crescent. Its modest presence means darker 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:02.019 skies for much of the holiday period, perfect 00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:04.839 for stargazing without moonlight washing out 00:06:04.839 --> 00:06:08.740 the stars. And while meteor activity is quieter 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:11.620 now than earlier in December, patient observers 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:15.439 may still catch an occasional Ircid meteor streaking 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:19.160 out from the northern sky. Brief flashes of motion 00:06:19.160 --> 00:06:29.279 in an otherwise calm, frozen cosmos. I wanted 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:32.120 to make a quick side note for anyone who's enjoyed 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:34.959 some of the bigger ideas we explored on Star 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:38.660 Trails over the past month. Subjects like time 00:06:38.660 --> 00:06:42.360 dilation, interstellar travel, near -light speed 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:45.980 propulsion, and the very human challenge of communicating 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:49.620 with something truly alien. If those topics lit 00:06:49.620 --> 00:06:52.259 up your brain like they lit up mine, you may 00:06:52.259 --> 00:06:55.300 want to check out the novel Project Hail Mary 00:06:55.300 --> 00:06:59.910 by Andy Weir. Weir is best known for The Martian, 00:07:00.110 --> 00:07:03.110 which took orbital mechanics, chemistry, and 00:07:03.110 --> 00:07:05.769 sheer stubborn problem -solving and turned them 00:07:05.769 --> 00:07:09.689 into a survival story. Project Hail Mary pushes 00:07:09.689 --> 00:07:12.470 those ideas much farther out beyond the solar 00:07:12.470 --> 00:07:15.029 system while still grounding its science and 00:07:15.029 --> 00:07:18.399 real physics and real consequences. What makes 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:21.279 the book especially fun for science -minded readers 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:24.519 is how it treats big concepts not as abstract 00:07:24.519 --> 00:07:28.439 equations, but as lived experiences. Relativity 00:07:28.439 --> 00:07:30.740 isn't something that happens on a chalkboard, 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:34.439 and communication across species isn't solved 00:07:34.439 --> 00:07:37.120 with universal translators, but with patience, 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:40.720 logic, and creativity. So, if you've enjoyed 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:44.040 November's deep dives into cosmic timescales, 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:47.399 lonely distances between stars, and the strange 00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:50.819 limits imposed by physics, Project Hail Mary 00:07:50.819 --> 00:07:54.579 feels like a natural companion piece. It's science 00:07:54.579 --> 00:07:57.480 fiction that respects science, and it's a fun 00:07:57.480 --> 00:08:00.259 page -turner. And if you've never read The Martian, 00:08:00.379 --> 00:08:04.149 grab that one, too. It's also excellent. Some 00:08:04.149 --> 00:08:07.149 listeners may recall I was planning to read Terrence 00:08:07.149 --> 00:08:10.389 Dickinson's Night Watch some months back as part 00:08:10.389 --> 00:08:14.250 of a little Star Trails book club idea, and sadly 00:08:14.250 --> 00:08:17.189 I haven't read it yet. Just tonight I pulled 00:08:17.189 --> 00:08:19.949 it off the shelf and hope to begin scanning it 00:08:19.949 --> 00:08:27.350 soon. And finally, it is the holidays, so I wanted 00:08:27.350 --> 00:08:31.050 to extend a gift of sorts to listeners. And it's 00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:33.809 a little meta, but hopefully some of you will 00:08:33.809 --> 00:08:36.570 enjoy it. You've probably noticed that I've been 00:08:36.570 --> 00:08:40.330 using more music in recent episodes. A lot of 00:08:40.330 --> 00:08:43.309 this music is original, and some folks have asked 00:08:43.309 --> 00:08:46.590 about it. In the past few weeks, I've been preparing 00:08:46.590 --> 00:08:49.940 some of these tracks for release. This culminated 00:08:49.940 --> 00:08:53.500 in assembling three albums worth of spacey music. 00:08:54.340 --> 00:08:56.460 You may have heard some of these songs in recent 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:59.220 episodes. Some of it you'll hear in upcoming 00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:03.100 ones. And some of it is just for fun. So if you 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:06.559 like planetarium music, or music inspired by 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:10.519 artists like Tangerine Dream, Tycho, or Brian 00:09:10.519 --> 00:09:14.379 Eno, check out my new project, Liminal Horizon. 00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:17.220 There will be a link in the show notes, or you 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:21.799 can just visit liminalhorizon .bandcamp .com. 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:24.860 You can listen to these tracks absolutely for 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:27.659 free right there on the web page, or in their 00:09:27.659 --> 00:09:30.960 app. If you want to download the tracks, drop 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:34.620 me a note on our website, startrails .show, and 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:36.759 I'll send you a code you can use to download 00:09:36.759 --> 00:09:39.860 them for free. But really, just pulling up the 00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:42.720 Bandcamp page on a mobile device or computer 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:46.379 will get the job done. This is music designed 00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:49.980 for stargazing, driving out to a dark site, or 00:09:49.980 --> 00:09:53.059 for background ambiance while studying, writing, 00:09:53.399 --> 00:09:56.860 or coding. The three collections of songs are 00:09:56.860 --> 00:10:00.340 thematically different. A Line Between Worlds 00:10:00.340 --> 00:10:10.279 features tunes dedicated to wonder and awe. The 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:13.840 Continuum in Motion features slower, more contemplative 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:23.580 tracks. And my favorite, The Passage Through 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:26.899 Shadow, features darker songs with harder beats 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:37.120 and aggressive sounds. That's going to do it 00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:39.750 for this quick holiday episode. I'll see you 00:10:39.750 --> 00:11:06.970 in the new year. Links are in the show notes. 00:11:07.389 --> 00:11:09.870 Until we meet again beneath the stars, clear 00:11:09.870 --> 00:11:10.710 skies everyone.