Venus as a morning star! Jupiter rules the night sky!
I was up early last Sunday. Brilliant Venus has been outshining all other starlike objects in the sky. That morning, I was hoping to see Venus appear close to the waxing moon. The cloudy sky that day did not give me the expected joy, but there was another morning with glory of Venus so close to the smile of the sky, the crescent moon.
If you have been watching the clear evening sky in Dumaguete, you must have felt the joy of the stars’ welcoming of the Age of Aquarius starting Dec. 21. Consider these points of attraction:
Venus moves down, and at dawn with the golden melt of colors just before sunrise, the most brilliant beauty declares its glory as a goddess. 
Its brilliance formed a jewel-like connection with the crescent moon. It would feel like you were there when the Star of Bethlehem was guiding all the faithful. This magnificent apparition is so clear in the Philippine sky through the naked eye.
Jupiter rules as the brightest evening star. This king is now on its closest point to earth, and its dominance will lead you to the other wonders.
The sun was right behind the regal shining of Jupiter that this planet became the brightest glory towards Dec. 15. I loved the night of Dec. 16 when Jupiter eclipsed the moon, and in a few seconds, the two were in a dance again.
It was awesome to see the meteor shower coming from my birth star Gemini with the twins coming so close to Jupiter last Dec. 15.
This week until the 28th, Jupiter is best seen beginning at 8p.m. onward.
Christmas evening on the 25th will have a gift of glory from the sky when the moon and Jupiter will have a distinctive holiday party with their brilliance guiding you to the orange star Aldebaran which will shine like a little princess and King Jupiter just above her.
As I made shoutouts of every discovery on Facebook, my sister Ruth in California commented that she could only imagine the sky drama I’m enjoying as the smogged LA nights would never give her the same joy. It’s a blessing to be away from huge urban centers and we could sing nightly Don McLean’s “starry starry night…” with the heart of a skywatcher.
Actually, the brightest evening star Jupiter will lead you to more discoveries like Taurus and some more like Rigel. And towards the 28th, the sky will have Venus with some company, the moon in full bloom.
The Dumaguete sky is challenging you now to go beyond your Big Dipper happiness. And if you are watching all these with children, you can be impressive to them by starting with this traditional point of entry: The Big Dipper. (Just please don’t sound like the boatman guide at the underground river in Palawan who got one tourist so frustrated as he pointed at a stalactite and shouting, “Look, it’s a carrot!” and more shapes of this and that in a geotourism program — very frustrating for those who are seeking for a more educated explanation.)
Sound like my mentors: “The Big Dipper is a component with seven of the brightest stars, with a formal constellation name, Ursa Major.” The Big Dipper is the brightest side of the Ursa Major, or known to us as the Great Bear. In our camp ministry at Silliman Church, we learned all these during evening skywatch with Atty. Riodil “Kuya Didil” Montebon as our resource person.
And you can go deeper in knowledge when sky watch is with the brilliant guidance of our very own Norman Marigza who is calling all of us to be sensitive to the need for a wider interest in Astronomy. Bringing children to see these natural wonders will bring them away from their unhealthy regular fixation: computer games.
The year 2012 will end with a beautiful gift this season: starry nights on a clear December sky.
