December 2015 night sky event: Full Moon to rise on Christmas Day, an outdoor activity for the family
Aside from the peak of the Geminid meteor shower this December, there is another night sky event that families can add to their Christmas festivities. Families, who are gathering on Dec. 25, Friday, are recommended to head outside and have a look at the Christmas Full Moon.
There is nothing really exceptional about the Christmas Full Moon but the sky event can make the families celebrating Christmas Day spend more quality time with each other outdoors as they observe the moon. The Weather Network suggests the spectators should step outside into the clear, brisk and pre-dawn air on Christmas Day and face the western horizon to see the Christmas Full Moon.
To catch the exact moment of the Christmas Full Moon, it is recommended to watch at precisely 11:12 UTC or 6:12 a.m. EST. Fayobserver.com reports that moonrise will locally take place at 4:52 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 5:49 p.m. on Christmas Day.
A clear, night sky will let the observers have the best view of the Christmas Full Moon as well as the other celestial events like meteor showers. Cloudy skies and high humidity will make it difficult to observe the sky event.
After the Geminid meteor shower and Christmas Full Moon, the next night sky event that the spectators can look forward to is the Quadrantid meteor shower display in January 2016. The Geminid meteor shower is set to peak on Monday, Dec. 14, where up to 120 meteors per hour can be observed from this remarkable display.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is set to peak on the nights of Jan. 3 and 4 with Europe having a better meteor shower display than North America. International Meteor Organization (IMO) explains that the number of meteors visible from the Quadrantid meteor shower fluctuates from year to year.
In general, the Quadrantid meteor shower display averages out at approximately 120 meteors visible per hour under a very clear and dark sky. However, the Quadrantid meteor shower display will only take place on Jan. 3 and 4 unlike the other meteor showers that offer a nice viewing experience days before and after the peak schedule.
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