(NOTE: This is for Christmas 2004)

Every year we send out a Christmas newsletter to family and friends, and each year since the mid-1990s, we’ve included a star chart and a little description of stargazing activities to do in our annual “Christmas Star Party.” I thought it would be fun to share it with the blog readers, too!

This year we’re exploring celestial favorites, starting with Orion in the south-southeast. Look for the Orion Nebula below the three belt stars of Orion. On Dec. 24 the Moon is in Taurus, and is full on December 26. The planet Saturn almost lines up with Castor and Pollux, the two brightest stars in Gemini. The week after Christmas, look for Comet Machholz making its way through Eridanus (to the west of Orion) toward Taurus. Actually, Machholz has been and will be visible for quite a while, but for a couple of nights the Moon will interfere with seeing it in all its glory, so wait a few days after Christmas to see if you can spot it.

A special planetary exploration note: on Christmas Day, the Cassini mission to Saturn will send its Huygens planetary probe to Titan. On January 14, Huygens will be the first craft ever to land on an outer solar system moon and send data about what it finds.

Happy stargazing everybody!