The onset of winter, the Christmas moon and planetary conjunctions are the most important recent astronomical phenomena for the year 2022

Dr. Ashraf Tadros, Professor of Astronomy at the National Research Institute for Astronomy and Geophysics, revealed all the details of the recent astronomical phenomena for the month of December, especially the onset of winter, the occurrence of 9 planetary conjunctions , two meteor showers, and the appearance of the (Christmas) moon.
Tadros said today in a statement to the Middle East News Agency that the first of these phenomena begins tomorrow with the conjunction of the moon with Jupiter (the giant of the solar system) at nightfall and until the beginning of their sunset near midnight, and the moon will be to the right of Jupiter tomorrow, then to the left of Jupiter the day after tomorrow, Friday.
He added that the moon will be associated with the Pleiades star cluster on Dec. 6, one of the brightest and most famous open clusters in the northern sky, which is 440 light-years from Earth.
He explained that this crowd consists of several hundred stars, but only 7 bright stars can be seen with the naked eye, which is why it is called the Seven Sisters or (The Pleiades). On the night of that day, as they remain adjacent each other in the sky throughout the night, until morning twilight appears at dawn the next day, December 7th.
It indicated the conjunction of the moon with Mars (the red planet) as it entered the night on December 7, and they could be seen side by side in the sky all night until morning twilight appeared at dawn the next day, the December 8th.
He said that on December 8, the full moon (Badr Jumada I) will reach a brightness of 99.9 percent and rise just after sunset, stay in the sky all night, and then set at sunrise the next morning.
He added that this full moon is known to American tribes as the (cold moon) which denotes the entrance of winter, and is also known as the (moon of long nights) because night hours are longer than daylight hours in winter , and is also known as the (Christmas) moon.
He pointed out that the time of the full moon is the best time of the month to view the terrain, volcanic craters and meteorite craters on the moon’s surface using binoculars and small telescopes.
And the astronomy professor pointed out that on December 8, the red planet (Mars) will also be in its closest position to the Earth on that day, as it is in the position of opposition to the sun, which illuminates the entire face of Mars , so it will be brighter than any other time of year, explaining that this is the best time to see and photograph the planet Mars, noting that the full moon will also be seen near Mars all night that day.
He noted the conjunction of the moon with the star Pollux in the constellation Gemini (the twins) at their dawn about eight o’clock in the evening on December 10, when we see them side by side in the sky all night until morning twilight appears at dawn the next day, December 11.
He explained that Pollux is an orange giant star that is about 3 times the size of the Sun and about 34 light-years from Earth, and one of the outer planets resembling the solar system was discovered orbiting Pollux in 2006.
He pointed out that the Gemini (the twins) meteor shower will light up the sky on December 13, and it is the queen of meteor showers, and is preferred by many, as it is considered to be the best meteor shower in the whole year, as the number of meteors contained in it reaches about 120 meteors per hour, in addition to its multiplicity of colors. He explained that the Twins meteor shower comes from dust debris left behind by the asteroid Phaethon 3200, discovered in 1982, and that the Twins meteors fall every year from December 7 to December 17, and reach their peak this year in the night of December 13th and dawn of December 14th.
He pointed out that the best view of the meteors is from a completely dark place away from city lights, where the meteors fall as if they come from the constellation Gemini (the twins), hence the name, but can appear anywhere else in the sky , knowing that the presence of the (waning gibbous) moon in the sky will obscure many faint meteors this year.
He added that meteor showers are generally seen with the naked eye and do not require binoculars or astronomical telescopes, as long as they are away from city lights and the sky is free of clouds, dust and water vapor.
He pointed out that on December 21, the planet Mercury will reach its maximum elongation of 20.1 degrees from the sun on that day, which is the best time to observe and photograph Mercury because it will be at its highest point above the western horizon in the sky immediately after sunset.
Dr Ashraf Tadros said that the solar winter solstice will occur on December 21, as the south pole of the earth tilts towards the sun and its rays are completely perpendicular to the orbit of Capricorn at latitude 23.44 degrees south, and this day is considered the peak of astronomical winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere, while it is astronomically the peak of summer summer (summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere.
He added: ‘When we say peak winter season, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be the coldest day of the year, because the cold and warmness of the air is related to weather issues within the atmosphere and has many factors that fall within the scope of work of the General Meteorological Authority. Astronomically, it is related to the motion of the Earth in its orbit around the sun.” .
He continued, “Thus, peak winter represents the maximum tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation in orbit, knowing that the Earth is relatively closer to the sun in winter than in summer, and consequently, peak winter astronomically it is the shortest day of the year, as the length of the day reaches about 10 hours, while the length of the night is about 14 hours.
He explained that the sun on that day will reach its lowest height above the horizon at noon when it crosses the meridian, and the human shadow on the earth at this time will be as long as possible.
He pointed out that on December 21, the Ursa Minor meteor shower will also light up the sky, and the Ursid meteors are considered a light meteor shower, since the number of meteors in them is about 10 meteors per hour and is produced from dust debris scattered along the orbit of Comet Tuttle, which was discovered in 1790.
He explained that the bear meteors fall as if they come from the Ursa Minor group (near the North Star), which is the reason for its name. The annual period of this rain is from December 17 to December 25 every year, and reaches its peak in the night of the 21st until the dawn of the 22nd of December.
He drew attention to the conjunction of the moon with the giant star Antares (the heart of the scorpion), which is a red giant star whose mass is estimated at 10 times the mass of the sun and is located 600 light years from the Earth on 22 December, and is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, and this conjunction is seen before dawn at 5:45 a.m. that day until they disappear from the intensity of the morning twilight due to dawn.
He noted the appearance of the new moon (Mohaq Jumada al-Akhir) on December 23rd, and the moon will rise with the sun and set with it, so that its bright side will face the sun and its dark side or the its shadow be facing the earth, so the moon will not be visible in the sky all night that day, and this night is considered the best. Night nights during the month in general, which astronomers much prefer, where faint celestial bodies such as galaxies, star clusters and stars of distant constellations are observed.