SKYWATCHER'S REPORT, DECEMBER 31, 1991

   Hello. This is the Smithsonian SkyWatcher's Report for the week
beginning December 31, 1991, from the Albert Einstein Planetarium at
the National Air and Space Museum.

   1991 bows out with a thin crescent Moon holding court with Venus
and Mercury in the pre-dawn sky.  New Moon occurs on January 4, 1992
at 6:11 PM Eastern Standard Time.  Residents of extreme southern
California will be treated to an annular solar eclipse just at sunset
on this date.  A New Moon also means that this will be a good year to
look for the annual Quadrantid Meteor shower, which peaks on the
morning of the 4th.  This shower, whose radiant lies north of the
star Arcturus, is one of the year's more consistent displays.

    The earth passes perihelion on the 3rd at 10 AM EST, when we lie
about 91,000,000 miles from the surface of the Sun.  Incidentally,
have you noticed that the Sun is setting later now?  By the week's
end Old Sol will be setting about 15 minutes later than he did back
in mid-December.  However, we're still not quite out of the Winter
woods.  This is the week of the latest sunrises, which, due to
earth's eccentric orbit, take place about three weeks after earliest
sunsets.  The Sun rises at about 7:27 AM for most of the week, and
only begins to noticeably turn around by the 25th.

    The start of the New Year is marked by the midnight culmination
of Sirius, the Dog Star, which beams down on revellers from its perch
in the southern sky.  Sirius leads Canis Major, one of mighty Orion's
hunting dogs, as it follows its master across the sky.  I mark this
as a turning point in the night sky, since it is only at this one
time of year that the sky's brightest star may be seen from dusk to
dawn.

   If you find yourself out at midnight on New Year's Eve, cast a
quick glance to the eastern sky.  You'll be rewarded by the bright
cream-colored glow of Jupiter, staring out from under the belly of
Leo, the Lion.  Old Jove has started slipping westward against the
stars, and is slowly moving in the direction of Regulus, the Lion's
twinkling heart.  If Santa brought you a new telescope, now might be
a good time to try it out.  Most people never forget their first look
at the Giant Planet, swimming in the vastness of space with his four
attendant bright moons.  I still get chills looking at this sight,
not from the cold but from the realization that I am following the
footsteps of Galileo, and I wonder what must have gone through his
great mind on the frosty January night in 1610 when he first glimpsed
this sight.

   Jupiter reaches the meridian when Venus comes up low in the
southeastern sky.  She plays tag with the thin crescent Moon on the
morning of the 1st.  Her dazzling appearance makes her an easy target
for early risers, but even us non-morning types can enjoy her
splendor thanks to the late sunrise.

   Half an hour before sunup look below and left of Venus for the
yellowish glow of Mercury.  The thin crescent Moon lies just below
him on the 2nd, and a pair of well aimed binoculars should show him
easily.  He moves in the company of Mars and the star Antares, which
are both rather reddish in color.  See if you can spot all three
planets before the end of the week; you'll have a real challenge next
week when Mercury passes Mars on the 10th.

   Two amateur astronomers received an interesting present on
Christmas eve: Mauro Zanotta of Milan, Italy and Howard Brewington of
Cloudcroft, New Mexico independently discovered a comet in eastern
Pegasus.  Comet Zanotta-Brewington is the year's 33rd comet, and it
may become an easy binocular target by the end of the month.  It will
pass just north of the globular cluster M15 on the night of the 4th,
so if you can find the cluster you can find the comet easily in a
telescope.

   So, until next week, keep looking up, and thank you for calling
the Smithsonian.