"Howard W3CQH" wrote in message
. ..
Space Weather News for Dec. 23, 2007
http://spaceweather.com

MOON AND MARS: At sunset on Sunday, Dec. 23rd, the full Moon and Mars will
rise in the east less than two degrees apart. So close together, the two
brightest objects in the evening sky look absolutely dynamite. The
display will be visible all night long, even from brightly lit cities, and
requires no telescope to enjoy.

URSID UPDATE: Observers in Europe report a modest outburst of Ursid
meteors
last night. The intensity and timing of the flurry is in good accord with
predictions that Earth would run into a stream of dust from Comet
8P/Tuttle on Dec. 22nd. Now that the meteor shower is over, attention
turns to the comet itself. After a 13.6 year absence, 8P/Tuttle is once
again traveling through the inner solar system. At closest approach to
Earth on Jan. 1st and 2nd, 2008, the comet, will brighten to 5th or 6th
magnitude--a fine target for backyard telescopes and digital cameras.


Another site caught my eye - If you follow Orion's belt pointing eastward,
you'll see the star Sirius which is about the same height as Mars from the
horizon, but a little south. I thought it was an airplane at first because
of the flashing colors - but it was just that star twinkling like crazy!
What a sight!