From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — Children will be able to say goodnight moon a little earlier Friday evening, Dec. 21, as winter solace begins with a full moon display in the night sky during the longest night of the year.
The winter solstice marks a transition period where days begin getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere and shorter in the Southern Hemisphere. The Northern Hemisphere experiences longer evenings because of the Earth’s poles maximum tilt away from the Sun receiving less sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere.
This December’s winter solace and full moon, also noted by NASA as the Cold Moon or Longest Moon, marks the beginning of the coldest part of the year.
Friday night sky gazers will also be able to view Mercury and Jupiter, as well as the Ursid meteor shower, which will peak on both Dec. 21 and Dec. 22, adding many shooting stars to the show.