On Saturday night, January 26th, a full moon will rise in the east just after sunset. Look at the full moon when it’s still near the horizon. Does it appear especially large to you? Then, look at the moon later this same night, when it’s higher in the sky. Does it appear smaller? For most people, the moon looks much larger when on the horizon. This is the "Moon Illusion."
December 21st marks the year’s longest night and shortest day, with daylight lasting only 9 hours and 20 minutes on the Western Slope. This is our winter solstice, the first official day of winter.
This month marks an anniversary for Western Slope Skies. Our first broadcast was in November of 2011 and Jupiter was the topic. Once again this year, Jupiter will be the brightest object in the night sky. It rises in the east during evening twilight in late November.
