00:00As the seasons change, you may have noticed the sky seems more clear during winter. Winter
00:11offers longer nights, while the air is drier and less dense. This causes less interference
00:16from Earth's atmosphere. The stars also appear brighter. That's because around the
00:22December solstice, Earth's night side is facing away from the galactic center of the
00:26Milky Way. The center of the Milky Way is a compact region full of billions of stars,
00:32which gives the sky a more hazy look. Near the June solstice, Earth's night side is
00:38facing the Milky Way's galactic center. While in December, Earth is facing one of
00:42the many outer spiral arms of our galaxy. There's technically less stars here, but
00:48they're closer to us, making them look a little more clear and sharp. At the same time,
00:53we're even looking beyond our galaxy's boundaries into deep space. Reporting for
00:58AccuWeather, I'm Jeff Cornish.
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