Here is an image I decided to post in honor of the full moon we'll be having this Christmas. It was actually taken on Nov. 10th at just after 5:30AM. I was looking East over the lake behind my house and saw this wonder sight. The Moon, Venus and Jupiter (from bottom to top) all showing clearly in the early morning sky. Harder to see, the comet Linear is just fading from sight to the right of the moon and up a little. I didn't post it initially because of all the noise associated with a low light/ long exposure, digital photo. But I've tried to clean it up a bit in Photoshop and make it more presentable for this occasion. (You can view a zoomed in view of the moon and planets here: "Moon, Venus & Jupiter") Below is a modified version of the story posted at NASA Science News for Dec. 22, 2004. Enjoy! Christmas Moon The smallest full moon of 2004 will brighten the nights around Christmas. Rudolph coughed and sneezed. Ahh-choo! His nose was really red. The doctor nodded ruefully. "He has to stay in bed." Rudolph had a cold, a bad one, plain to see. He wasn't going anywhere with Santa Christmas Eve. Rooftops dark and tricky. (Hey ... where'd the chimney go?) That's what Santa has to deal with absent Rudolph's rosy glow. But Santa is a cheery soul and a smart one, too. He quickly had a bright idea: "I know what to do!" Using special Santa-magic, he conjured up a moon, a full one, round and shiny. Who needs Rudolph? That old prune! So... to those of you who don't believe in Santa, here's the proof: Look out the window Christmas Eve at the moonlight on your roof. December 22, 2004: No Rudolph? No problem. This year there's going to be a full moon to light up the nights around Christmas. It's a special full moon, too: the smallest of 2004. Soaring high in the sky, it might remind you of a shiny white Christmas ball for your tree. Don't bother reaching for it... it's 406,700 km away! Technically speaking, the moon isn't 100% full until Dec. 26th. But that's perfect timing for Christmas carolers and Santa. The practically-full moon on Dec. 24th and 25th rises early, lighting up streets and rooftops as soon as the sun goes down. What makes this full moon small? Answer: The moon's lopsided orbit. Although astronomers say the moon "circles" the Earth, it doesn't, not exactly. The moon's orbit is really an ellipse. One side of the ellipse is 356,400 km from Earth; this is called perigee. The other side of the ellipse is 406,700 km from Earth; this is called apogee. Apogee is 50,000 km farther from Earth than perigee. When the moon is full and near apogee, we get an extra-small full moon. Such is the case this Christmas. Even the smallest full moons are very bright. They outshine Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, by twenty-five thousand times. They cast shadows, and provide enough light to read by. Finding chimneys? It's easy! If you get binoculars or a telescope for Christmas, take a look at the moon. It's absolutely beautiful--a world so close to Earth that you can see its craters and mountains and "seas" in exquisite detail. Enjoy the moonlight and Merry Christmas!