A great celestial activity!

The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction is being called the Christmas Star because even though both the planets will be apart, they will very much appear as one big star. It is believed to be the Christmas Star or the Star of Bethlehem, which appeared in the eastern sky when Jesus Christ was born. The Book of Matthew mentions this star which according to the Bible led the three wise men to Jerusalem.

It was visible all over India on the southwestern sky this evening between 1830 and 1930 hrs!

Jupiter passes its neighbour Saturn in their respective laps, around the sun every 20 years.

The conjunction will also coincide with the December (Winter) Solstice which is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the longest day in the southern hemisphere. 

And today is Winter Solstice. That is, the longest night for us who are north of equator. 

As we all have learnt in school Geography, the axis of the earth (about which it rotates) is tilted at 23.5 degrees from the plane (path) of earth's orbit around the sun. So, sun appears to move between the latitudes of 23.5 degrees North (Tropic of Cancer) and 23.5 degrees South of equator (Tropic of Capricorn) during the course of one year.

The sun crosses the equator twice a year, on 21 Mar when it moves northward and 6 months later, on 21 Sep when it moves southward. Today it is at its southern most point, farthest away from us. 

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The new corona virus strain VUI-202012/01, which has been identified in the UK, can spread faster and more easily. However, there is no evidence yet that it is more deadly. In other words, the mutation may have NOT affected its ability to cause more severe symptoms. Nonetheless, this still needs to be verified. According to official reports, the new strain is becoming the dominant variant. It was causing over 60% of infections in London.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by 10. 

Appu and Anseel had come to take on the work that has been pending for quite a few days, which were * Clearing of the kitchen waste sump * Clearing the bathwater-sink water sump * Emptying the waste management disposal drum off its fermented waste. They did a fantastic job and finished their work by lunchtime. 

Abhilash has been tied up, as our chauffeur, for our trip to Kochi on Thursday.