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What are some skywatching highlights in December 2020? Catch the year's best meteor shower, the Geminids, in the middle of the month. Then witness an extremely close pairing of Jupiter and Saturn that won't be repeated for decades. And mark the shortest day of the year on the northern winter solstice.

The ocean-observing Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

To prepare the Perseverance rover for its date with Mars, NASA’s Mars 2020 mission team conducted a wide array of tests to help ensure a successful entry, descent and landing at the Red Planet. From parachute verification in the world’s largest wind tunnel, to hazard avoidance practice in Death Valley, California, to wheel drop testing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and much more, every system was put through its paces to get ready for the big day.


The Perseverance rover is scheduled to land on Mars on February 18, 2021.


Learn more: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020


Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The joint U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is the next in a line of Earth-observing satellites that will collect the most accurate data yet on sea level and how it changes over time. It is the product of a partnership between NASA and ESA, who have joined forces for the first time on an Earth mission. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will join a long-standing family of Earth observing satellites from NASA and European partners including EUMETSAT and the French space agency CNES.


The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is part of the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission, a collaboration among NASA, ESA, EUMETSAT, and NOAA. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base no earlier than Nov. 21, 2020.


For more information on the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission, go to
https://www.nasa.gov/sentinel-6


Credit: NASA-JPL/Caltech/NOAA

What are some skywatching highlights in November 2020? Cool autumn evenings are a great time to look for the Pleiades star cluster. You'll also have a couple of great opportunities to observe the Moon with Jupiter and Saturn. Plus, check out the phenomenon known as Earthshine.

What are some skywatching highlights in October 2020? Not one, but two, full moons; Mars at opposition; and finding the Andromeda galaxy.