Sunny and cold

Good morning Augusta Maine.

This morning it is sunny with temperatures in the 20's wind chills will be as much as 3 below this morning, so dress warm.

Winds will be 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight it will be mostly clear becoming partly cloudy in the evening, with temps 10ºF above zero. Winds will remain about 10 mph changing to be light and variable.

The readings outside right now are:

a relative humidity of 54% with a Dew Point of 0.8ºF.

The temperature is 14ºF. We have wind chills that track the wind velocity, so at this moment readings show it is 1.2ºF.

The wind velocity right now is between 19.2 mph and 8.5 mph out of the West Southwest. 

Our Barometric pressure is 29.60 and rising. The weather graphic indicates Sun. 

We had no measurable precipitation overnight.

Visibility is 10.0 miles. It is very clear and we have a great ceiling.

Since "next year" is only a few days off, I thought that a look at what January's moon phases are would be a good way to ring in the new year – note the meteor showers that are predicted.

Looking Up: A Stargazer's Guide to January 2012

by Jaime McLeod

Monday, December 26th, 2011 | From: Astronomy, Featured

Here's a quick look at what's going on in the sky during the month of January, 2012:

January 1– First Quarter Moon, 1:15 a.m. One-half of the Moon appears illuminated by direct sunlight while the illuminated part is increasing.

January 2 – Moon at apogee (its farthest point from the Earth).

January 3, 4 – – Quadrantids Meteor Shower. A strong shower, radiating from the constellation Boötes. Can have up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. Dark skies after midnight will allow for prime viewing.

January 4 – Earth at perehelion (its closest point to the Sun). 8 p.m.

January 9 – Full Moon, 2:30 a.m. The visible Moon is fully illuminated by direct sunlight. Though the Moon is only technically in this phase for a few seconds, it is considered "full" for the entire day of the event, and appears full for three days.

January 16– Last Quarter Moon, 4:08 a.m. One-half of the Moon appears illuminated by direct sunlight while the illuminated part is decreasing.

January 17 – Moon at perigee (its closest point to the Earth).

January 23– New Moon, 2:39 a.m. The Moon is not illuminated by direct sunlight.

January 29– First Quarter Moon, 11:10 p.m. One-half of the Moon appears illuminated by direct sunlight while the illuminated part is increasing.