========================================================================

 * * * SKY & TELESCOPE's SKYWATCHER'S BULLETIN - December 13, 2004 * * *

========================================================================
Welcome to S&T's Skywatcher's Bulletin. More information on the items
below is available on our Web site, SkyandTelescope.com, at the URLs
provided. (If the links don't work, just manually type the URLs into your
Web browser.) Clear skies!
========================================================================

DECEMBER'S FALLING STARS

The Geminid meteors, due to peak Tuesday morning (the 14th), may be the
best annual shower in a typical year, even surpassing the Perseids of
August. This year should make for a great show; there's no glare from
moonlight to worry about because the Moon is a two-day-old crescent
setting early in the evening. Numerous Geminids will also be seen the
following evening.

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/meteors/article_802_1.asp

___---------------------------------------------------------------------

COMET MACHHOLZ OBSERVED

Comet Machholz continues to brighten on schedule as it moves toward the
northern sky. It should become a fine binocular comet, beautifully placed
high in the evening sky for Northern Hemisphere observers for months to
come.

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/article_1402_1.asp

___---------------------------------------------------------------------

OBSERVING SATURN

With the Cassini spacecraft now in orbit around Saturn, and the ringed
planet well-placed for evening viewing, interest in this beautiful world
has never been higher. Here's what to look for when Saturn floats into
your telescope's eyepiece.

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_304_1.asp

And with some help from our interactive JavaScript utility, you can always
tell which of Saturn's brightest moons is which.

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_1136_1.asp

___---------------------------------------------------------------------

SKY AT A GLANCE

Starting around December 16th, look for Mercury low in the east-southeast
during dawn, just to the lower left of bright Venus. Binoculars help. To
read more about what's happening in the night sky this week, visit "This
Week's Sky at a Glance":

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/ataglance/

___---------------------------------------------------------------------

STAR-FINDING MADE EASY (Advertisement)

Discover new celestial friends and revisit old ones with these products
from Shop at Sky!

Sky Atlas 2000.0, 2nd Edition, Laminated Versions
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/campaigns.asp?id=56

Sky Atlas 2000.0 Companion
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/campaigns.asp?id=57

Not sure what to buy? Pick up a Sky gift certificate.

Sky Publishing Gift Certificates
> http://SkyandTelescope.com/campaigns.asp?id=175

___---------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2004 Sky Publishing Corp. S&T's Skywatcher's Bulletin is
provided as a free service to the astronomical community by the editors of
SKY & TELESCOPE magazine. This bulletin may not be redistributed or
republished in any form without written permission from Sky Publishing;
send e-mail to permissions{at}SkyandTelescope.com or call +1 617-864-7360.
More information about astronomical observing is available on our Web site
at http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/.

___---------------------------------------------------------------------

To change your address, unsubscribe from S&T's Skywatcher's Bulletin, or
subscribe to S&T's Weekly News Bulletin, which highlights the latest
discoveries from the world's astronomical observatories, go to this
address:
(Continued to next message)

___
 þ OLXWin 1.00b þ Status Quo:  Latin for "the mess we're in."

--- Maximus/2 3.01